1.09 (V) Positive mental health and Psychiatry
[MUSIC] Good mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness. It's a positive style of wellbeing that includes feeling good and functioning well. Good mental health is what enables us to live life to the full. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of wellbeing in which a person is able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, realize their potential and contribute to the community. Mental illnesses can interfere with people's quality of life and ability to function. However, research has shown they're not simply opposite ends of a spectrum. In fact, some people with active symptoms of mental illness can live a full and meaningful life, and they're consider to be flourishing. In this section, we're using the term positive mental health. This concept is being studied across many different fields, using over lapping terms, such as, wellbeing, flourishing, thriving, and happiness. Positive mental health encompasses many aspects of life, which can be divided into emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Emotional wellbeing equates to feeling good, being happy, experiencing positive emotions like love, joy, or compassion, and feeling generally satisfied with one's life. Positive emotions have been extensively studied in the field of positive psychology. Barbara Fredrickson is one of the most prominent researchers into the positive emotions and developed the broaden-and-build theory. This states that positive emotions tend to widen the person's repertoire of thoughts and actions and lead to play and exploration behavior. This leads to development of resources, such as, social connections, environmental knowledge, and coping strategies, all of which are essential for wellbeing and resilience. In contrast, psychological wellbeing is about functioning well and contributing in life. Social wellbeing is a sense of being connected to others, belonging to a community, or making a contribution to society. Research in psychiatry and psychology has consistently shown that positive relationships are the most influential factor contributing to positive mental health. This can include family, friends, work mates, and others in the community. Happiness and wellbeing have also been contemplated over the centuries from the ancient Greek times. Aristotle founded the classical theory of Eudaimonia, which has come to describe the good life, or virtuous life. The origin of the term was the concept of striving for excellence, or becoming one's best possible self. This is symbolized by the Daimon, an inner being that represents the greatest potential within each person. This includes developing and using one's strength, as well as, contributing to others. Over time, researchers have held different points of view about the best path to happiness. According to Aristotle, the pursuit virtue, or Eudaimonia, doing good also relates to feeling good. In Fredrickson's recent study, building positive emotions, in this case, through loving kindness meditation, led to increases in positive functioning and resilience. For many people spiritual wellbeing is very important to their mental health. This can mean different things to different people, but is often expressed through religion. This can include feeling connected to a higher power; a sense of meaning or purpose; feelings of peace or transcendence, or connection to nature. Spirituality has also been defined as an experience of positive emotions, such as, love, joy, compassion, or hope, faith, gratitude, and forgiveness, which are central focus of many religions. As a branch of medicine, psychiatry is concerned with the assessment, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, as well as, the promotion of positive mental health. Traditionally, psychiatry has focused more on the aspect of illness, but as with medicine as a whole, there's an increasing focus on prevention and health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new terminology that was recently defined by, Dilip Jeste, as the science and practice of pychiatry that seeks to understand and promote wellbeing in people who have, or are at risk of developing mental or physical illness. The goal of Positive Psychiatry is not only to treat psychiatric symptoms, but also to enhance the wellbeing of those with mental or physical illness. Therefore, we need to build on what is strong, as well as fix what's wrong. For people with mntal halth disorders, as with everyone in the community, this is our dual task in working towards good mental health. This course will show you self help strategies and how to seek professional help, in order to build positive factors, as well as address problems of mental health. The field of Positive Psychiatry looks at research on positive character traits and social factors that enhance mental health. Resilience is the quality that makes people cope well with stress, adversity, or trauma. In many cases people are able to learn or grow through difficult experiences, and this is known as post-traumatic growth. Positive Psychiatry uses a range of lifestyle self-help and treatment approaches to build mental health and treat illness. Psychiatry also uses the two major forms of treatment, which are various types of psychotherapies and medication. There are a number of tips you can start using straight a way to enhance positive mental health. Firstly, building relationships. Investing time and energy in close relationships or wider social networks can lead to great benefits for mental health. Exercise has been shown to increase wellbeing, as well as reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Good physical health is related to better mental health. So having a healthy diet, avoiding too much alcohol or drugs, and getting regular medical checkups can all help. Developing gratitude - a regular practice of counting blessings or noticing the positive things, however small, can enhance wellbeing. Try keeping a journal, and write down three positive things for each day. Identifying your strengths and then using them regularly can increase wellbeing. Strengths can include everyday skills like cooking, or getting along with other people. Or, they can be different types of intelligence, athletics, artistic or musical talent. There are many strengths questionnaires available online. Using your strengths to help others, or contribute to the community, creates a sense of meaning and purpose. Making a contribution to the community, however ordinary or small, increases social wellbeing. Many people feel a sense of contributing through meaningful work. But this could also mean volunteering, helping a neighbor, or practicing random acts of kindness. Take some time to do the things you really enjoy. Pleasant events lead to positive emotions that broaden and build our coping in other areas. Flow is the state of being so highly involved in an enjoyable activity that you lose all track of time. This usually happens when the level of challenge is about right for your level of skill. Flow can happened during work, hobbies, creative arts, or sports. You might want to take up meditation, prayer, or mindfulness, or try joining a religious or spiritual community. Many people experience their spirituality through practicing yoga or Tai-Chi, or in the beauty of nature, such as, going to the beach or the bush. And fnally, seek help when needed. If you're struggling to feel happy for several weeks or more or to cope with every day life, find meaning, or to feel connected to others, try to utilize some of the strategies in this MOOC. And don't hesitate to talk to a friend, and to see a doctor or a mental health professional. [MUSIC]
