Many people think of mental illness when they hear the term mental health. No single characteristics of an individual's behavior by itself is evidence of positive mental health neither may the lack of any characteristic be considered to represent evidence of mental illness .
To a large extent, the concept of mental health are culturally determined and is defined differently in various part of the world. Behaviour that might be classified as abnormal or mentally sick in one culture may be accepted and encouraged in another. It is relative to time.
What is Mental Health?
Mental Health is defined as the full harmonious functioning of the whole personality.
WHO
Mental health is the ability to cope with recurrent stresses of living and achieving a relatively effective adjustment. This is also known as Mental Maturity.
Good Mental Health can be Promoted by meeting some needs.
Needs for Security.
Physical Security: There is a need to be bodily safe and free from fear. Fear can actually affect someone Mentally thereby causing the mind to be unstable and at the long run affect the way such person behave or react to situation.
Social Security: The need to feel accepted by others (colleagues, neighbours, friends and especially parent).
Rejection can actually affect someone mentally and can cause such person to start feeling insecure and lost of self esteem and at the long run change in the way of life.
Financial Security: To be free of money problems especially those relating to family finances such as job, accommodation etc.
The way someone thinks when there's money and also when there's no money can affect reasoning and mentality which needed to be handled with care.
There is actually a need to be secure in order to promote good mental health.
Need for Love and Affection:
In other to promote good mental health, there is need to feel accepted as a person inspire of faults and shortcomings.
There is also need to have someone who will listen without criticising too much.
There is a need to know that someone cares and can be relied on for help.
There is a need to share a satisfying loving and long lasting relationship.
There is a need for emotional warmth and consistency.
There is a need for freedom and self-respect.
There is a need for self fulfilment, self actualization, being what you feel you should be.
There is a desired need for independence and recognition.
Good mental health can be promoted with meeting the needs of security and also meeting love and affection needs. We need ourselves to survive.