Mental Health and Well-Being
Mental health disorders can seriously impact our quality of life. Some mental health disorders are curable, and others will require ongoing monitoring and treatment. This article will describe the concept of mental health, mental health disorders, and mental health professionals and methods. Treatment professionals for mental health disorders are mental health counsellors in Dubai, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Identifying and treating your mental health disorder sets you free to live your life to its fullest potential. We offer treatment of depression and anxiety, as well as treatment, bipolar disorder and more.
Mental health, definition
Conventionally, mental health has been defined merely as the absence of a mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, etc. This definition implies that well-being is an attribute of a person without mental illness.
The stance rests on a single-continuum model that presents mental health and mental illness as the extremes of one continuum.
New concept of mental health
Psychologists have a new formulation of mental health. It suggests that mental health is the state of well-being that goes far beyond the absence of mental illness. Consequently, the new conceptualisation points out that mental illness only partially influences lifespan development.
This holistic approach refers to the two-continua model (Figure 1), which introduces mental illness and mental health on separate but correlated continua. One of the two continua signifies the presence or absence of mental illness, while another one represents the low or high level of mental health comprising
- emotional well-being,
- social well-being,
- psychological well-being.
The model emphasizes that mental illness and mental health are different yet correlated concepts – not the opposites of the same continuum. Therefore, mental health does not represent merely the absence of mental illness. Above all, mental health is a condition of complete well-being that underlies our ability to enjoy life and cope with difficulties.
Mental health counsellor
In summary, the absence of a mental disorder is not the sole determinant of our well-being.
Many people living with a mental disorder have optimal mental health and live prosperous and meaningful lives. On the other hand, many people without mental illness have poor mental health, do not satisfyingly manage to cope with difficulties and cannot enjoy life.
Mental health is fluid – it varies throughout our life and under varying circumstances. A range of conditions influences our mental health, including our social life and economic situation. The great news is that appropriate therapies can treat mental disorders.
Pharmacological/psychiatric and psychological therapeutic interventions can successfully heal or control mental illness. Furthermore, therapy encourages recovery from mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
In collaboration with their mental healthcare providers, a psychiatrist or psychologist, individuals suffering from mental disorders can establish an effective treatment, which promotes recovery so that people can enjoy a meaningful life.
Mental Health Counsellor in Dubai
Figure 1. The two-continua model of mental health. Adapted from Dore and Caron (2017)