Mental Health:

Mental health is the positive balance of the social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental aspects of one’s life and is as important as physical health. When people are mentally healthy they are able to live productive daily activities, maintain fulfilling relationships with others, and have the ability to adapt to change and cope with stress.Alternatively, mental illness is a psychological or behavioural phenomenon that leads to disorder or disability that is not part of normal development. Mental illness can occur when the brain (or part of the brain) is not working well or is working in the wrong way. When the brain is not working properly, one or more of its six functions will be disrupted (thinking or cognition, perception or sensing, emotion or feeling, signaling, physical functions and/or behavior). When these functions significantly disrupt a person’s life, we say that the person has a mental disorder or a mental illness.The World Health Organization notes that “Mental health is as important as physical health to the overall well-being of individuals, societies and countries. Yet only a small minority of the 450 million people suffering from a mental or behavioural disorders are receiving treatment” (The World Health Report 2001, Chapter 1). The WHO also indicates that 15 to 20 per cent of young people worldwide suffer from a mental disorder that would benefit from mental-health treatment. Currently, neuropsychiatric disorders contribute to almost one-third of the global burden of disease in this age group.While effective treatment for mental disorders is available, barriers including lack of health professionals, health care infrastructure, cost, as well as a strong and persistent stigma against people with mental disorders prevents millions of adults and youth from accessing and receiving the help they need to get well and say well.The more we learn about mental health, the better we understand the impact that mental health problems can have on personal, social, civic and economic development. Addressing mental health problems early in life enhances the opportunity for young people to get well and stay well through adulthood, improving not only the lives of individuals and families, but also enhancing civil society increasing opportunity for socio-economic development and encouraging global acceptance of human and cultural diversity.Mental health is a right, not a privilege. As global citizens it is important that we work together to provide the best care for people who are mentally ill and to ensure that physical and mental health are at the forefront of the international agenda.