What is mental health?

Many people, when they hear the term mental health, think of mental illnesses. But mental health is far more than the abscence of a mental illness; mental health is something all of us want for ourselves.

Mental health is determined by:

One way of describing mental health is to describe characteristics of a mentally healthy person. There are many different degrees of mental health and no one characteristic is indicative of good mental health; nor can the lack of any one characteristic signify a mental illness. In fact, nobody has all the traits of good mental health all the time.

  1. Do you feel good about yourself?
  2. Do you feel comfortable with other people?
  3. Are you able to meet life's demands?

If you think you or someone you know has a problem with mental health, please contact your nearest mental health proffessional, mental health association, or community mental health center.


©1998. Produced by the National Mental Health Association.
Brought to you here by the Mental Health Association in Alaska, a local affiliate of the National Mental Health Association.