Mental health

The term "mental health" refers to an individual's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It has an effect on both cognition and perception, as well as behaviour. It also impacts how an individual deals with stress, interacts with other people, and makes choices. Subjective well-being is one of the components of mental health, along with perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependency, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential. When seen from the viewpoints of positive psychology or holism, mental health may encompass an individual's capacity to take pleasure in life as well as the ability to strike a healthy balance between the routines of daily life and the pursuit of psychological fortitude. The term "mental health" may be defined in a variety of ways, each of which is influenced by factors such as cultural norms, individual perspectives, and divergent professional perspectives. Sleep disturbances, a lack of energy, and thoughts of hurting oneself or others are early warning indicators associated with issues relating to mental health.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, an individual's mental health is described as their ability to feel, think, and behave in such a manner as to attain a higher quality of life while respecting the personal, social, and cultural limits of others. Any one of these may be a risk factor for mental disorders or mental illness, both of which are aspects of mental health that might be negatively impacted. Mental disorders are health illnesses that are characterised as having an effect on and altering cognitive functioning, emotional reactions, and behaviour that is linked with distress and/or reduced functioning. The International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11) is the current standard that is used all over the world for diagnosing, treating, doing research on, and reporting different mental diseases. In the United States, the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, or DSM-5, is used to categorise mental illnesses.

There are a lot of lifestyle elements that are linked to mental health, including food, exercise, stress, substance misuse, as well as social connections and interactions. Mental health professionals such as therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, or family doctors may assist manage mental illness with treatments such as therapy, counselling, or medication. Other mental health professionals include social workers.