Mental health is a state of mind
characterized by emotional well-being, good behavioral adjustment, relative
freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish
constructive relationships and cope with the ordinary demands and stresses of
life.
Also the state of being free from
illness and distress but, more important, of being filled with vitality and
functioning well in one’s personal and social life.
Mental health can be considered as a
broad concept although there are no absolutes and there is considerable
cultural variation, some flexible psychological and behavioral criteria can be
suggested: (a) freedom from incapacitating internal conflicts; (b) the capacity
to think and act in an organized and reasonably effective manner; (c) the
ability to cope with the ordinary demands and problems of life; (d) freedom
from extreme emotional distress, such as anxiety, despondency, and persistent
upset; and (e) the absence of clear-cut symptoms of mental disorder, such as
obsessions, phobias, confusion, and disorientation.