Mental Health: Definition, Types, and How to Maintain It

Like physical health, mental health should not go unnoticed. you know. If mental health is disturbed, physical condition and quality of life can also decrease. To find out more about mental health, let's look at the following review.

Mental health is an inseparable part of health. Mentally healthy is a condition when individuals feel well, either psychologically, emotionally, or socially. People who have achieved self-actualization are also generally mentally healthy.

Mental health affects how a person thinks, feels, acts, and makes decisions, as well as how a person handles stress and interacts with others.

Reasons for the Importance of Maintaining Mental Health

Mental health is an important thing that needs to be maintained. This does not only apply to adults who are productive, children, teenagers, even the elderly must be sensitive and aware of mental health.

People with excellent mental health can work productively and use their potential to the fullest. They will also be able to think positively and clearly when faced with various problems. This will lead him to become better at dealing with problems.

Mental health is also good for social life. Mentally healthy people will be able to communicate better, get along easily, and have healthy friendships. In fact, they are also better able to make a good contribution to the community or people around them.

Not only that, the ancients did not play around when making the saying "in a healthy body there is a strong soul". The proof, someone with good mental health is at lower risk of chronic diseases, such as stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Mental Illness to Watch Out for

There are many factors that can affect a person's mental health condition, ranging from heredity, past trauma, sexual or physical abuse, an unhealthy lifestyle, to brain injury. In addition, being in a pandemic situation, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, can also make people more susceptible to mental illness.

Based on the symptoms, mental illness is divided into 2, namely psychotic and non-psychotic. Here is the explanation:

Psychotic mental illness

Psychotic mental illness or psychosis is a mental condition that makes it difficult for sufferers to distinguish reality. A person who has this condition can also experience hallucinations, which is seeing or hearing something that is not really there. In addition, psychotic sufferers also often believe something that is actually not true or delusional.

Some mental illnesses that are psychotic include:

  • Bipolar disorder
  • Major depression with psychotic symptoms
  • Delusional disorder
  • Schizophrenia

Non-psychotic mental illness

Non-psychotic mental illness does not make sufferers experience disturbances of reality. However, usually, people with non-psychotic mental illness experience feelings of disturbance or have a mindset that is not in accordance with applicable laws or norms. This disease is usually closely related to stress and trauma.

Examples of nonpsychotic mental illnesses include:

  • Depression
  • Personality disorders, such as antisocial personality
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • phobia
  • Panic attack
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

How to Maintain Mental Health

In order to be able to move and interact well in society and avoid mental illness, it is important for you to always maintain mental health. The following are general guidelines that can be applied to maintain mental health:

  • Respect yourself, for example by not comparing yourself to others.
  • Try to always see the positive side of a problem.
  • Treat yourself as you would treat anyone you care about.
  • Find the best ways to manage stress for yourself, such as keeping a diary, going for a walk, and talking or deep talk.
  • Be grateful for everything you have so you can accept and love yourself.
  • Apply a healthy lifestyle, such as eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest.
  • Develop the potential you have or try new things that have never been done.
  • Maintain good relationships with other people.
  • Do things that make you happy.
  • Stop being too perfectionist.

It is important to remember, mental health is something that should not be ignored and must be maintained as best as possible. Do the ways to maintain mental health that has been described above so that your physical, mental, emotional, and social life are always in good condition.

If you feel you are experiencing signs of a mental disorder or have family or relatives who have this problem, don't be shy to ask a psychologist or psychiatrist for help. With the right treatment, mental disorders can be controlled and you can live a more quality and happier life.