Mental health promotion in public health

摘要

Mental health has been defined recently as "a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community" (WHO, 2001a). In this positive sense mental health is a foundation for well-being and effective functioning for an individual, and for a community, and is created and compromised in everyday life, in families and schools, on streets and in workplaces (Lahtinen, Lehtinen, Riikonen and Ahonen, 1999). This definition clearly expands the boundaries of the concept of mental health which should not be defined in a restrictive way as the absence of disease. Mental health is better understood as a state of balance between physical, mental, cultural, spiritual and other personal factors, and between the self, others and the environment (Sartorius, 1990).