What does it mean to engage in mental health promotion: does one size fit all?

摘要

We read with much interest the editorial in the International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS) by Norman and Ryrie (2009), entitled "The art and science of mental health nursing: reconciliation of two traditions in the cause of public health" in which the authors, among other things, draw attention to the need for the promotion of mental health. The idea of promoting so-called positive mental health has an intuitive logic to it; it feels morally right. Furthermore, if the (albeit limited) extant empirical literature is reviewed, there is an emerging evidence-base indicating that programmes which promote positive mental health do produce a variety of positive effects on multiple areas of client functioning. Moreover, this limited evidence base is patently an international body of work; perhaps indicating that mental health promotion might be characterized as an international challenge.