"BE MINDFUL OF MENTAL HEALTH"

Mental health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of mental illness. It is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment".From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others."The WHO further states that the well-being of an individual is encompassed in the realization of their abilities, coping with normal stresses of life, productive work and contribution to their community. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined

Children are the progress and the reflection of our future. This makes the well being of children everyone’s responsibility, beginning from the immediate individual all the way to the global community. Children are the future of our society, and children at the ages of 13 to 16 are especially vulnerable to factors that may be detrimental to their psycho social well being. Psycho social is one part of the general well being of an individual and it is the duty of everybody in the community to promote the well being of children aged 13 to 16, including their psycho social well being. The aim is to provide evidence to support the need that children need help in maintaining their psycho social well being and how we, as citizens, may be able to help promote their psycho social and eventually general well being.

Health is the perfect psychological state. To maintain a good state of mind is to maintain health. (WHO HBSC 2009/2010) The concept of health is very wide and broad and is usually divided into subcategories for better research, management and education purposes.Psycho social health falls under the general umbrella of mental health, along with emotional well being and social well being. (Jané-Llopis et al, 2008)

• “Adolescence is the age of opportunity,” to address the challenges against health inequalities. (HSBC, 2009/2010) Adolescence is also, incidentally the age frame whereby teenagers and especially teenagers aged13 to 16 are extremely vulnerable. This is because children aged 13 to 16 face the socioeconomic, biologic and environmental factors the hardest. They are especially vulnerable to these factors, which can drastically impact their mental health well being. (WHO, updated 2014) In addition to the socioeconomic, biologic and environmental factors, there are psycho social and personality factors that impact the mental health of an individual. These also make children aged 13 to 16 more vulnerable, as shall be discussed later on in this thesis. Another reason why the age group of 13 to 16 was chosen by the researchers is because WHO HBSC survey of 2009/2010 reports that there was a significant decline in the 8prevalence and communication with parents and children aged 11 to 15. this is especially a sensitive situation because young adolescents are vulnerable to influence from family, peers and their environment. Reduce communication results in increased vulnerability among the children age 13 to 16.

“The children of today are the future of tomorrow” is a popular saying which holds true as the children will then grow up to be the adults, leaders and elders of the future society. As mentioned earlier, maintaining the general health of the children impacts our future. Positive mental health is an up and coming topic among healthcare workers and among community leaders like governments. This is also why the WHO has drafted a Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 to promote positive mental health globally and hence improve the health of the future generations.

Positive mental health is a broad category underneath which fall emotional well being, psychological well being and social well being. (Jané Llopis et al, 2008)

Maintaining means using ways and methods that help children aged 13 to 16 to ensure that their psycho social well being is not negatively impacted based on the circumstances and difficulties they face during their growth, development and character building years of 13 to 16.

The key to happiness may be elusive, but taking advantage of a few simple strategies can do a great deal to improve your everyday feelings of well-being. The New Economics Foundation (NEF), a British think tank, published a thoughtful, research-based paper outlining Five ways to well-being. The report is based on the principles of positive psychology, that happiness and feelings of well-being are as important an area of scientific investigation as are the clinically-focused areas of much of traditional psychology.

What I particularly found useful about this paper was the fact that it doesn’t just emphasize the fleeting feelings of happiness emphasized within some of the positive psychology writings. Instead, true well-being incorporates the broader notion of personal fulfillment in which people may be willing to experience temporary deprivation or frustration to help them achieve longer-lasting feelings of inner satisfaction. Consistent with the World Health Organization’s vision of active ageing, these five keys to well-being emphasize maximizing the individual’s potential, or what they call “mental capital.”

The full report contains a more in-depth analysis of each of these five keys. What I hope to do here is summarize them in enough detail so that you can have a sense of where to start addressing changes that you would like to make now in your own life.

There are many definitions of well-being, but the NEF’s approach seems particularly useful in that it’s consistent with many current understandings in the field. First, being high in well-being means that you feel good about yourself and your life, are curious about what’s going on around you, and enjoy what you do. Second, people high in well-being function well in the world by having positive relationships and a sense of control in their lives. From the point of view of “fulfillment” rather than “happiness,” high well-being also incorporates having a sense of purpose in life. 

Survey data on life satisfaction in the U.S. typically report that most people are reasonably satisfied with their lives, but the NEF cites British data suggesting that only 14% of the population are “flourishing” in that they are actually high on well-being.  

Mental well-being

Mental health can be seen as an unstable continuum, where an individual's mental health may have many different possible values. Mental wellness is generally viewed as a positive attribute, even if the person does not have any diagnosed mental health condition. This definition of mental health highlights emotional well-being, the capacity to live a full and creative life, and the flexibility to deal with life's inevitable challenges. Some discussions are formulated in terms of contentment or happiness. Many therapeutic systems and self-help books offer methods and philosophies espousing strategies and techniques vaunted as effective for further improving the mental wellness. Positive psychology is increasingly prominent in mental health.

A holistic model of mental health generally includes concepts based upon anthropological, educational, psychological, religious and sociological perspectives, as well as theoretical perspectives from personality, social, clinical, health and developmental psychology.

An example of a wellness model includes one developed by Myers, Sweeney and Witmer. It includes five life tasks—essence or spirituality, work and leisure, friendship, love and self-direction—and twelve sub tasks—sense of worth, sense of control, realistic beliefs, emotional awareness and coping, problem solving and creativity, sense of humor, nutrition, exercise, self care, stress management, gender identity, and cultural identity—which are identified as characteristics of healthy functioning and a major component of wellness. The components provide a means of responding to the circumstances of life in a manner that promotes healthy functioning.

The tripartite model of mental well-being views mental well-being as encompassing three components of emotional well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being. Emotional well-being is defined as having high levels of positive emotions, whereas social and psychological well-being are defined as the presence of psychological and social skills and abilities that contribute to optimal functioning in daily life. The model has received empirical support across cultures. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is the most widely used scale to measure the tripartite model of mental well-being.

Children and young adults

Mental health and stability is a very important factor in a person’s everyday life. Social skills, behavioural skills, and someone’s way of thinking are just some of the things that the human brain develops at an early age. Learning how to interact with others and how to focus on certain subjects are essential lessons to learn from the time we can talk all the way to when we are so old that we can barely walk. However, there are some people out there who have difficulty with these kind of skills and behaving like an average person. This is a most likely the cause of having a mental illness. A mental illness is a wide range of conditions that affect a person’s mood, thinking, and behavior. About 26% of people in the United States, ages 18 and older, have been diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder. However, not much is said about children with mental illnesses even though there are many that will develop one, even as early as age three.

The most common mental illnesses in children include, but are not limited to, ADHD, autism and anxiety disorder, as well as depression in older children and teens. Having a mental illness at a younger age is much different from having one in your thirties. Children's brains are still developing and will continue to develop until around the age of twenty-five. When a mental illness is thrown into the mix, it becomes significantly harder for a child to acquire the necessary skills and habits that people use throughout the day. For example, behavioral skills don’t develop as fast as motor or sensory skills do. So when a child has an anxiety disorder, they begin to lack proper social interaction and associate many ordinary things with intense fear. This can be scary for the child because they don’t necessarily understand why they act and think the way that they do. Many researchers say that parents should keep an eye on their child if they have any reason to believe that something is slightly off. If the children are evaluated earlier, they become more acquainted to their disorder and treating it becomes part of their daily routine. This is opposed to adults who might not recover as quickly because it is more difficult for them to adapt.

Mental illness affects not only the person themselves, but the people around them. Friends and family also play an important role in the child’s mental health stability and treatment. If the child is young, parents are the ones who evaluate their child and decide whether or not they need some form of help. Friends are a support system for the child and family as a whole. Living with a mental disorder is never easy, so it’s always important to have people around to make the days a little easier. However, there are negative factors that come with the social aspect of mental illness as well. Parents are sometimes held responsible for their child’s own illness. People also say that the parents raised their children in a certain way or they acquired their behavior from them. Family and friends are sometimes so ashamed of the idea of being close to someone with a disorder that the child feels isolated and thinks that they have to hide their illness from others. When in reality, hiding it from people prevents the child from getting the right amount of social interaction and treatment in order to thrive in today’s society.

Stigma is also a well-known factor in mental illness. Stigma is defined as “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.” Stigma is used especially when it comes to the mentally disabled. People have this assumption that everyone with a mental problem, no matter how mild or severe, is automatically considered destructive or a criminal person. Thanks to the media, this idea has been planted in our brains from a young age. Watching movies about teens with depression or children with Autism makes us think that all of the people that have a mental illness are like the ones on TV. In reality, the media displays an exaggerated version of most illnesses. Unfortunately, not many people know that, so they continue to belittle those with disorders. In a recent study, a majority of young people associate mental illness with extreme sadness or violence. Now that children are becoming more and more open to technology and the media itself, future generations will then continue to pair mental illness with negative thoughts. The media should be explaining that many people with disorders like ADHD and anxiety, with the right treatment, can live ordinary lives and should not be punished for something they cannot help.

Sueki, (2013) carried out a study titled “The effect of suicide–related internet use on users’ mental health: A longitudinal Study”. This study investigated the effects of suicide-related internet use on user’s suicidal thoughts, predisposition to depression and anxiety and loneliness. The study consisted of 850 internet users; the data was obtained by carrying out a questionnaire amongst the participants. This study found that browsing websites related to suicide, and methods used to commit suicide, had a negative effect on suicidal thoughts and increased depression and anxiety tendencies. The study concluded that as suicide-related internet use adversely affected the mental health of certain age groups it may be prudent to reduce or control their exposure to these websites. These findings certainly suggest that the internet can indeed have a profoundly negative impact on our mental health.

Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz compared that 50 years ago children were either categorized as good or bad, and today "all children are good, but some are mentally healthy and others are mentally ill". The social control and forced identity creation is the cause of many mental health problems among today's children. A behavior or misbehavior might not be an illness but exercise of their free will and today's immediacy in drug administration for every problem along with the legal over-guarding and regard of a child's status as a dependent shakes their personal self and invades their internal growth.

Prevention

Mental health is conventionally defined as a hybrid of absence of a mental disorder and presence of well-being. Focus is increasing on preventing mental disorders. Prevention is beginning to appear in mental health strategies, including the 2004 WHO report "Prevention of Mental Disorders", the 2008 EU "Pact for Mental Health" and the 2011 US National Prevention Strategy. Prevention of a disorder at a young age may significantly decrease the chances that a child will suffer from a disorder later in life, and shall be the most efficient and effective measure from a public health perspective. Prevention may require the regular consultation of a physician for at least twice a year to detect any signs that reveal any mental health concerns.

There are plenty of studies related to the problems of the parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. But there are very few studies that touched the well being of the parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Generally parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are having plenty of problems in their life in physical psychological and social, compared to the parents of normal children .Parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are facing lots of negative emotions like stress, anxiety, depression and they also have more fear about their future and their child’s future which will have adverse effect on the well being. In spite of that some parents accept the reality and tend to lead a positive life it developing their coping skills and self esteem, it also develop confidence to help their child considering their future. Based on Indian Census 2011 there are more than 15lacks of the children who suffer from intellectual disability.

Intellectual and developmental Disability (IDD) is a developmental disability which has no cure for it. Generally intellectually disabled children are neglected and isolated from the mainstream of society. According to (Hayman, 1990, p.8) defined that in general “psychological well being is a mental condition characterized by pleasant feelings of good health, exhilaration, high self -esteem and confidence, and it often associated with regular physical activity”.

This may be a motivations to the parents those who have the special child to have a positive outlook and provide better care and support to their children. This study helps the parents to build a positive attitude in the minds of the parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities it may reduce the fear about the future of the child.

Improve Your Child’s Mental Health & Emotional Well-being

Each of the keys to well-being had to meet the criteria of being based on sufficient evidence to warrant recommendation. In addition, each one had to be applicable to individuals in their own lives now, rather than to social changes that may affect future generations. With this in mind, let’s take a look at them along with specific suggestions that you can adapt to your own situation:

 Teach your kids the “language of feelings”.

One of the most important things you can teach your children is to recognize what they are feeling and to express their feelings in words. Help your children grow by teaching the many words for different emotions, and using examples when those feelings arise in themselves and others.

People’s actions can be “bad” but the feelings themselves are never “bad”. One reason children get stuck and don’t want to talk about feelings, even if you ask them to, is because they can confuse how they feel as being “bad” or “a problem” when it is actually the tough thing that happened that is the problem. Feelings are like important road signs, if we understand them and listen to them. They can teach us where to go next and what to look for.

Many children shut down when they are upset because they think all feelings except for happy ones are negative and shameful. When you teach your kids the language for many different feelings and invite them to explore and share them, it makes difficult feelings normal and healthy. The result is the development of emotional smarts and social skills. They can deal with what they are feeling, and have stronger friendships too. This also helps them have better self-esteem.

Even anger can be helpful when kids learn how to cope with it. The emotion of anger brings awareness that something is hurtful. When we recognize that we are hurt, our problem-solving skills can improve.

Learn to put yourself in your child’s shoes.

Pause and really listen to your child before offering advice or getting angry. This helps your child trust you and listen more openly to the advice you decide to give. When children are upset, be careful to understand their point of view and validate that they feel that way whether or not you agree. Children, along with adults, can better accept a different view of a situation once their emotions have been accepted and understood. Hearing the child’s viewpoint can reduce their defensive reaction. This doesn’t mean there is no consequence for breaking rules, but it means they can express what happened, or what their thought process was, so they can grow. Children who grow up with their feelings not accepted will struggle in the future.

Be aware of your child’s overall actions and behaviour.

Children often show us they are having a problem through their behaviour rather than words. If your child is acting out and getting into trouble often, it is a clue that something needs to be problem-solved or that they need emotional support to cope and move forward. This is a reason why the language of feelings is so important. It isn’t healthy if your child can’t tell you what is going on. When kids are acting out, there are reasons and many things can be done to help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help even if the difficulty doesn’t seem extremely serious. All children need guidance about emotions and relationships. If you ask for help or learn more about emotions and relationships yourself, you and your children will benefit.

Encourage creativity.

All children need help to learn about their emotions and relationships. It is our job as adults to teach them these skills. Every child is different so we need to figure out what reaches each child individually. Look to what they truly enjoy to help them express themselves. Play, games, sports, art, writing, dance, horticulture, photography, music, and acting or role playing situations are great ways of helping kids learn to cope with difficult feelings and relationships. Creativity is a natural human way to learn and express ourselves. If your child has learned that feelings should be avoided, creativity can open them to emotions.

Show kids that having a mix of struggle and strength is normal for everyone.

Teach your child that every person will experience times of strength and times of struggle. There is no shame in struggling. Often children are taught to focus way too much on the struggles they are having and get “stuck”, thinking they aren’t good enough. We need to help children balance the amount of time they focus on what is hard for them to learn and what their natural skills and passions are. Helping them build on what they naturally love is the secret to helping them grow self-esteem.

Counseling, social skill groups, life coaching and leisure activities are great ways of helping kids build skills they will need to be the best they can be. Taking your children to counseling, for example, to learn new coping skills in an area difficult for them, can be a big help to their growth and development. It does not mean that something is wrong with them. In fact, it makes them healthier, stronger and more confident people.

The way kids think is very important.

Negative thinking about the self is a huge problem for many North American people of all ages. This thinking often starts in childhood. Children are getting constant messages that they may not be good enough. Many children get “stuck” in thinking this way from hearing negative messages about themselves and then repeating them over and over in their thoughts. Repetitive negative thinking about the self, others and the world can lead to future mental health struggles.

Notice your child’s language and comments about him or herself and others. If your child says negative things repeatedly, it is a problem. It usually means they aren’t feeling good about themselves and need support to problem-solve and change that type of thinking. When kids practice negative self-talk, it leads to lower self esteem and can contribute to low mood and worry. It can leave them more vulnerable to being bullied as well. Bullying is dangerous to self esteem especially if children already believe they are not good enough. Look out for your child’s inner bully. Negative thinking is dangerous to mental health because it builds on itself. It becomes automatic to think painful and self damaging thoughts, much like learning an instrument or a sport, but with a negative result rather than a positive one.

Our brains are designed to change when we repeat thoughts and actions over and over. For example, picture yourself and your child skiing or tobogganing. If you go over the same path again and again it will soon get very slippery and grooved in. It becomes faster and faster for the two of you to slide down that path. Our brains work in a similar way. If you and your child are rehearsing painful or mean thoughts, you may have become very good at something that hurts you. To change negative thinking patterns, the person must start a different and positive path and practice that instead. Once people get used to a new positive path, they follow it automatically and they start to feel happier.

Break the cycle.

Many adults grew up being shut down and ashamed of their feelings. They tried to ignore them in order to get through tough times. We pass this on to kids unintentionally. Children are like mirrors that reflect back what they see in their environments. Teach your kids to grow emotionally by showing them you aren’t afraid to express feelings and to cope in a positive way. Don’t shame your children for having tough feelings or being upset. If you don’t know how, ask for help. There is nothing wrong with needing help. If your children need help, you want them to be able to ask for it, so it is important that you show them you are able to ask for help as well.

If you lose your temper, first apologize; next, show your kids how to grow by making emotionally healthy choices yourself. Teach them by example to take responsibility for their actions. Show them it is normal to make a mistake. It isn’t your fault if you didn’t learn these skills in your childhood. It is likely that your parents weren’t aware of how to cope with their difficult emotions in a healthy way either. Fear of feeling gets passed through generations. You can make a change for the better if you aren’t afraid to challenge yourself and learn new ways to connect with your child.

Connect with People around you The British analysis of well-being agrees with data showing the importance of social support and relationships to an individual’s mental health and happiness. Having a minimum of 3 people with whom you’re close may be enough to protect you from a psychological disorder. Although it’s true that people who are in better psychological health may find it easier to make social connections, the NEF analysis suggests that having people around you who matter is even more important than simply having sheer numbers of close connections. The best social relationships in terms of well-being are ones that in which other people are supportive and encouraging, and that you find to be important to your own sense of meaning in life.Having life goals associated with commitment to social relationships seems particularly helpful as well. If your primary goals in life are to succeed at work, you’ll be fated to a life with lower levels of well-being than people who value relationships.

Be active.

We know that there are many benefits to an active lifestyle, not the least of which includes fewer chronic health problems. In terms of mental health, additionally, high levels of physical activity has a wide range of positive effects. Researchers believe that physical activity can protect against some of the ills that can befall people in later life including cognitive decline but it can also help stave off feelings of depression and anxiety to individuals of any age. 

When it comes to physical activity’s effects on health, in general the longer and more intense, the better. However, as the NEF report points out, even single exercise sessions of 10 minutes or less can have an impact on mental health.

Be curious.

 Being engaged with your surroundings is, as we saw earlier, one component of well-being. As a key to well-being, curiosity therefore seems like a natural factor to include. The best type of curiosity to promote well-being goes beyond being interested and engaged in your environment. Mindfulness, in which you deliberately pay attention to what you’re sensing, feeling, and thinking, pays off in a heightened sense of self-determination over your behavior. The more in control you feel about what you do, the better you’ll feel about yourself and your experiences. Even when you can’t completely control the forces that impact on your life, thinking about your reactions and gaining greater self-understanding can help offset their negative impact.

The best thing about mindfulness as a key to well-being is that it takes no special skills. Mindfulness doesn’t even take up any time. All it takes to be mindful is the willingness to reflect on your inner state and experiences. 

Keep learning.

We’ve already seen that your well-being can be enhanced by curiosity, or mindfulness, and physical activity. Mental stimulation through continued education, formal or otherwise, adds several important components to the mix. First, by exposing yourself to new educational experiences, you might also become more socially active. Taking adult education courses, whether for work or leisure purposes, puts you in situations with others who you would not otherwise have met but who have similar interests. Learning new skills can also boost your sense of self-efficacy. If you’ve always felt that you lacked musical or artistic ability, but now find that you can sing or paint, you’ll feel that much better about yourself in general.

Through adult learning, people also start to engage in goal-setting which, in turn, can promote feelings of well-being. When you choose your own goals that you feel are consistent with your values, you’ll be more likely to feel engaged in your life even outside the sphere of the particular skill you’re learning.

Give.

Going beyond your own personal desires or self-interests is one of the best ways to enhance your feelings of well-being. It does feel good to obtain reinforcement in the form of personal rewards, but your overall well-being is more enhanced when you do something for someone else. NEF cites research showing that being a volunteer can help to reduce mortality among older adults. Other evidence shows that committing an act of kindness even just once per week can help people actually improve in their levels of well-being.

Luckily, helping others is about one of the easiest behaviors to enact. You don’t have to make a huge sacrifice to reap the benefits of a little altruism. Letting someone who seems frail or tired take your seat on a crowded bus or train is a pretty simple way to practice that small amount of kindness.

• There are many keys to well-being that are outside of your control, but these are well within your range of abilities, no matter what your situation is in life. The great news is also that you can ease your way into each of them through small steps.  Once you do, those small steps will build on each other and your sense of fulfillment will continue to grow. 

FINALLY.......

Most of the parents do not have good psychological well being due to their multiple responsibilities. To improve their psychological well being the parents of intellectually challenged children should undergo therapies such as psychotherapy, relaxation and stress management techniques. And it also applicable to the family members of the intellectually challenged children, referral services can also be given to parents and the family members to lead their life in positive way . Because referral service makes the parents to help their child in a better way . Based on the motivations and supports from the family members and the relatives are helps the parent to supports their child in a batter way and it also helps them to have a hope and confidence in their child’s development through that this parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities help their child to have continues special training and rehabilitation. Proper counselling services are also helps the parent to lead their life in a positive way and it also helps them to have a good psychological well being.