We here at the Teachers Network think that its about time we had
a bit more of a conversation about what mental
health actually is.
There seems to be a bit of confusion
out there in the community - people seem to use the term 'mental
health' when it is clear they are referring to mental
illness.
But health is a positive thing, isn't it? People are generally
happy to be healthy, and more often than not, aren't shy of talking
about it with others. In fact it's not uncommon for people to go
into great detail about the things they do proactively to improve
their physical health - go to the gym, play sport, go for a swim or
walk - it's something we tend to talk about quite freely.
The same should go for mental health, shouldn't it?
Mental
health is defined by the World Health organisation (WHO) as: "..not
just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of
wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own
potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to
her or his community."
In other words, every one of us is in possession of mental
health or wellbeing - the level we experience just varies
sometimes, just like it does for physical health.
So... if we all have it, why is it that for some people 'mental
health' is a dirty word? (ok - 2 words if we're going to be
particular :)
Why is it that some people are too afraid to talk about when
their level of mental health and wellbeing is lower than average
.... It seems that many of us hide the times we have not such great
mental health behind words like 'stress', 'worry' and 'feeling
crap'.
Join the discussion
Why do you think as a society that there is still stigma
associated with mental health difficulties? Let us know what mental
health means to you and strategies you have used to reduce stigma
in your school setting.