Mental Health and

Mental Illness
I
t

0 MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS '*'

Definitions ICD10
Components of Mental DSMIV
Health Indian Classification
Criteria for Mental. Health
Indicators of Mental Health -
Jahoda (1958)
MENTAL HEALTH
Characteristics It is a state of balance
of a Mentally
between the individual
Healthy Person
0 MENTALILLNESS
and the surrounding
Definition world, a state of harmony
5 Characteristics of Mental beN ween oneself- and
Illness
others, a co-existence
Features of Mental Illness
Common Signs between the realities of
and Symptoms of the self and that of other
Mental Illness people and the
4*0 CONCEPTS OF NORMAL AND
environment.
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
PROBLEMS OF MENTAL
DISORDERS Definitions
BURDEN OF
MENTAL
DISORDERS
0 MENTAL
HEALTH
FACTS 0

A
MENTAL
HEALTH
ISSUES 0
MINIMUM
ACTIONS
REQUIRED 0 '
MAGNITUDE
OFTHE
PROBLEM IN
INDIA
ETIOLOGY OF
MENTAL ILLNESS Crf
M/SCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT MENTAL
ILLNESS
General Attitude important component ot mental health is that
Towards The
Mentally III
MENTAL HEALTH
TEAM
CLASSIFICATIO
N OF MENTAL
Karl Menninger (1947)
defines mental healthHealth
Merita! as
"An adjustment of
human beings to the
worldand to each other
with a maximum nl
effectiveness and
happiness."
The American
Psychiatric Association (A
PA 1980) defines mental
health as: "Simultaneous
success at working,
loving and creating with
Ilu* capacity for mature
and flexible resolution ul
conflicts between
instincts, conscience,
important other people
and reality".
Thus mental health
would include not only
the absence of diagnostic
labels such as schi/.o
phrenia and obsessive
compulsive disorder, but
also the ability to cope
with the stressors of daily
living, freedom from
anxieties and generally a
positive outlook towards
life's vicissitudes and to
cope with those.
Components of Mental
Health
and Mental Illness 3
The components of
mental health
include:
The ability to accept
self; A mentally
healthy individual
feels comfortable
about himself. He
: feels reasonably secure
and adequately
accepts his
shortcomings. In
other words, he has
self-respect.
The Cdparity to feel
right towards others:
An individual who
enjoys good mental
health is able to be
sincerely interested in
other's welfare. He
has friendships that
are satisfying and
lasting. He isable to
feel a part of a group
without being
submerged by it. He
takes responsibility
for his neighbors and
his fellow members.
The ability to fulfill
life's tasks : The third

it bestows on an something about the

individual the ability problems as they
to meet the demands arise. He shoulders
of life. A mentally his daily
healthy person is responsibilities, and
able to think for is not bowled over by
himself, set his own emotions of
reasonable goals and fear, anger, love or
take his own guilt.
decision. He does
 Criteria for Mental Health
Adequate contact with and
Merita! Health theMental
reality
Control of thoughts and
imagination
Efficiency in work and
play
Social acceptance
Positive self-concent
i
Integration includes
ability Illness
to 3
adaptively respond to
the environment and
the development of a
philosophy of life,
both of which help the
individual maintain
anxiety at a

manageable level in
A healthy emotional life response to stressful
situations.
Indicators of Mental 4. Autonomy
Refers to the
Health individual's ability
9

l
to perform, in an
*
independent self-
Jahoda (1958) has directed manner;
identified six indicators of the individual
mental health which makes choices and
include: accepts
1. A positive attitude responsibility for
towards self the outcomes^
5.Perception of reality
This includes an.
This includes
objective view of self, perception of the
including knowledge environment
and acceptance of without distortion,
strengths and as weli as the
limitations. The capacity for
individual feels a empathy and social
strong sense of sensitivity- a respect
personal identity and and concern for the
security within the wants and needs of
environment. others.
2. Growth, 6.Environmental
development and the mastery
ability for self This indicator
actualization suggests that the
individual has
This indicator
achieved a
correlates with
satisfactory role
whether the
within the group,
individual
society or
successfully achieves
environment. He is
the tasks associated
able to love and
with each level of
accep t the love of
development. others.
3. Integration *
 i

Characteristics of a behavior, and

2 A Guide to Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Healthy
Mentally develops a capacity to
Persbn tolerate fructration
He has an ability to and disappointments
make adjustments. in his daily life.
He has a sense of He has developed a
personal worth, feels philosophy of life that
worthwhile and gives meaning and
important. purpose lo fus cfaily
activities. " ~
x
He has a variety of
He solves his
interests arid
problems largely by
generally lives a well-
his own effort and
balanced life of work,
makes his own
rest and recreation.
decisions.

He has a sense of
MENTAL ILLNESS
personal security and
feels secure in a Mental illness is
group, showsmaladjustment in living.
understanding It pFoduEtoTdishafmoriy
of
other people in the person's ability to
s
problems andmeet human needs
motives. comfortably or effectively
He has a sense of and function within a
responsibility. culture.
A mentally ill person
He can give and loses his ability to
accept love. respond according to the
z expectations he has for
He lives in a world of himself and the demands
reality rather th^n that society has for him.
fantasy. In general an
He shows emotional individual may be
maturity in considered to be mentally
his
ill if:
the person's behavior Definition
is causing distress Mental and behavioral
and suffering to self disorders are understood
and/or others as clinically significant
the person's behavior conditions characterized
is causing disturbance by alterations in
in his day-to-day thinking, mood
activities, job and (emotions) or behavior
interpersonal associated With personal
relationships. distress and/
or impaired functioning.
(WHO, 2001) *

*
Characteristics of Mental waking up in the
Illness
Merita! Health and

Mental
middle of Illness
night and3
Changes in one's
failing to fall asleep
thinking, memory,
again. In addition,
perception, feeling
the individual may
and judgment
experience lethargy
resulting in changes
and lack of freshness
in talk and behavior
in the morning.
which appear to be
Appetite and food intake:
deviant from previous
Increased appetite or
personality or from
decreased appetite,
the no rms of
weight loss or weight
community
gain, nausea,
These changes in
vomitingi
behavior cause
Bowel and bladder
distress and
movement: Diarrhea or
suffertftgTothe
constipation,
individual or
increased micturition,
othersorboth
bed-wetting.
Changes and the
Sexual desire and
.consequent distress
activity: Decreased
cause disturbance in
interest in sex,
day-to-day activities,
premature
work and relationship
ejaculation,
withjmportant others
impotence or lack of
(social and vocational
sexual satisfaction. In
dysfunction).
some conditions there
Features of Mental can be excessive
Illness sexual desire or lack
The features of mental of social inhibitions.
illness are classified
under
2. Disturbances in
four headings Mental Functions
1.Disturbances in Behavior: The patient
bodily functions may exhibit over
2.Disturbances in activity, restlessness,
mental functions irritability, may be
3.Changes in individual abusive to others for
and social activities trivial or no reasons
4.Somatic complaints
#
at all, or the patient
may become dull,
1. Disturbances in Bodily
Functions withdrawn and not
respond to external
Sleep: Disturbed
or internal cues. At
sleep throughout the
times the patient may
night, or no sleep at
behave in a bizarre
all, or difficulty in
way which the family
falling asleep, or
members may find
 irritating. Sometimes misinterpretation of
2 A Guide to Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursingbehavior
the patient's perception. For
can be dangerous to example a mentally ill
self or others. person can see things
Speech: Patient talks or hear sounds or feel
excessively a nd objects which do not
unnecessarily or talks exist or which others
very little or stays do not see. This is
mute. The talk known as
becomes irrelevant hallucinations. A
and un-understand- patient who is
able (incoherent). hallucinating is seen
Thought: Patient talking to self,
expresses peculiar laughing or weeping
and wrong beliefs to self, wandering in
which others do not the streets and
share. behaving in a manner
Emotions: Patient may which others may
exhibit excessive find abnormal.
emotions like t Attention and
excessive happiness, concentration: Patient
anger, fear or sadness. may have decreased
Sometimes emotions attention and
can be inappropriate concentration; he
to situations. He may may get distracted
laugh to self or weep easily, or have
without any reason. selective inattention.
Perception: The patient Memory: Patient may lose
may perceive without his memory and start
any stimulus. There forgetting important
can be matters.