Name- Piyush Gupta

Roll no.- M2020HRM042

Programme- HRM & LR

5A. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can make a
contribution to his or her community (WHO, 2001).
This definition is composed of various elements-
1. State of well-being: I understand it to be an expansive concept, and as a
comprehensive concept can be understood to be ‘beyond mental disorders’.
2. Realizing ability: This is related to self-actualization, whereby a person is capable
or develops such capability, which helps them to realize their sense of purpose
3. Coping with normal stresses: I find that words used in common parlances, like
grit, adaptation, and resilience encapsulate this dimension. Normal stresses could
relate to work, relationships, and so on.
4. Work productively- This adds to sense of identity and increases a person’s self-
worth and helps in keeping them focussed and motivated.
5. Contribute to society- Often when a person looks beyond themselves they are
able to associate themselves with a bigger project. Here, I would like to quote
Bertrand Russell’s ‘Conquest of Happiness’ wherein he requests his readers to
focus on things outwards and not obsessively fixate with self too much.
To address mental health issues, factors are responsible have to be addressed-
1. Immitigable stress causing us to fall into a vicious cycle of chronic worry and
anxiety
2. Psychosocial disability - detrimental family environment, tenuous social support,
unprivileged socio-economic status, adult adversity(gender disparities, interpersonal
violence), macro environmental factors like poor built-in environment exposes to
high-risk factors, limited or fragmented social capital.
3. Genetic vulnerabilities of certain people- changes in the neuroendocrine system
on account of chronic and recurrent exposure to childhood abuse can lead to
dysregulation of cortisol, the stress hormone.
A graded action and mutli-stakeholder approach has to be taken to improve mental
health and well-being-
1. Individual level- WHO’s guide ‘Doing what matters in times of stress’ provides a
5-pronged approach- grounding yourself during emotional storms by being
mindful, unhooking from stressful thoughts and feelings by noticing and naming
the unknown emotional turmoil, acting on your values by choosing to right
 actions, being kind to yourself and others by practicing forgiveness, making room
by letting go of difficult emotions and feelings like breathing out.
2. Societal level- Creating awareness about social model of disability and
intervening accordingly, focusing on sensitization towards vulnerable sections,
creating social security system for vulnerable communities, destigmatising
mental health problems
3. Healthcare level- Upscaling the mental health education infrastructure in the
country for better availability of mental healthcare practitioners, revamping health
insurance to make mental healthcare affordable, telemedicine for accessibility etc.
4. Governmental level- It can provide funding and creation of programmes for
publicising good practices for mental health upkeep

My understanding says mental health is more than mere absence of mental disorders, it is
an integral part of health and acts as an important stepping stone for building overall
healthy body, mind, and soul.
References-
Class handouts
World Health Organization. (2020). Doing what matters in times of stress: an illustrated
guide.
Shakespeare, T. (2006). The social model of disability. The disability studies reader, 2, 197-
204.