Today is World Mental Health Day.
That’s a big thing. WORLD Mental Health Day. I’m going to think about the world, yes, but also the world of the person.
What can we say that is universal about mental health? I’m going to start with the obvious and move to the slightly contentious:
BEYOND DISPUTE:
• The concept of mental health is relevant to every human being. At any given time it can be good/high or bad/low, or anywhere in between.
• Good mental health is a public ‘good’. Governments and other societal organisations should both (a) act in a way that is proactively beneficial to mental health and (b) not act in a way that is detrimental to mental health.
• To the point above, the benefits of proactive efforts to improve mental health should be felt by those in need, regardless of social status, wealth, ethnicity/indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation or any other factor.
A BIT CONTENTIOUS:
• Access to mental health supports in the broadest sense and lack of exposure to significantly harmful experiences are a human right. If so, then obviously this human right must extend to all people, including children.
PERHAPS CONTROVERSIAL:
• Given that the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness is an inexact science, while clinical mental health services should be well funded, any mental health intervention should consider the stressors in a person’s life and attempt to address them. The way you do this is by being holistic - that is, engaging with, and supporting, the whole person.
• An individual or a group’s mental health can be adversely affected by anything that you might consider a significant stressor. This might include interpersonal relationship issues, money problems, concern about the environment or other large forces, vulnerability to harm/physical danger, insecure housing, harmful experiences in the past (that manifest as ongoing trauma). These factors are more important than genetics in determining mental health.
This, in essence, is what First Step advocates for in the provision of ‘mental health’ services anywhere: the provision of integrated clinical mental health, psycho-social, medical and legal supports and housing partnerships. It is the experience of our staff that our clients who are experiencing poor mental health (the vast majority) do so, because of the number and level of stressors in their life.
You can listen to more of my thoughts on this, in this short video:
So, as we consider World Mental Health Day, let us think about the ‘world’ of people with poor mental health, whether that is the stresses of a person more or less managing family, work, and other commitments or a person who has experienced neglect and abuse and has chronic mental health and substance use issues that put their lives at risk. And everyone in between.
Patrick Lawrence Chief Executive Officer |
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