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Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing. A complementary strategy for improving national mental health

5 important questions on Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing. A complementary strategy for improving national mental health

What is known about the relationship between mental health and mental illness? (3)

1. They form two distinct continua (confirmatory factor analysis)
2. Measures of disabilities (physical/mental) reveal that anything less than flourishing is associated with increased impairment and burden to self and society
3. Many people who are not mentally ill are also not mentally healthy

What are the different conceptions of health? (3)

1. Pathogenic approach (health as the absence of disability/disease/premature death, most dominant, but an epidemiological transition underlines the need for a different approach))
2. Salutogenic approach (health as the presence of states of human capacities and functioning in thinking, feeling, and behavior)
3. Complete state model (health as a complete state, consisting of both of the previous approaches)

What are the key features of the mental health continuum? (4)

1. Strives to promote and maintain genuine mental health as flourishing (not merely curing/eradicating mental illness)
2. To be identified as flourishing, individuals must exhibit at least one measure of hedonic well-being, and high levels on at least six measures of positive functioning
3. To be identified as languishing, individuals must exhibit low levels on at least one measure of hedonic well-being, and low levels on at least six measures of positive functioning
4. Moderately healthy adults fit neither the criteria for flourishing, nor for languishing individuals

What are the dimensions reflecting mental health as flourishing? (13)

1. Positive affect (positive emotions)
2. Avowed quality of life (positive emotions)
3. Self-acceptance (positive psychological functioning)
4. Personal growth (positive psychological functioning)
5. Purpose in life (positive psychological functioning)
6. Environmental mastery (positive psychological functioning)
7. Autonomy (positive psychological functioning)
8. Positive relations (positive psychological functioning)
9. Social acceptance (positive social functioning)
10. Social actualization (positive social functioning)
11. Social contribution (positive social functioning)
12. Social coherence (positive social functioning)
13. Social integration (positive social functioning)

What are the benefits of flourishing to individuals and society? (6)

1. Fewer workdays missed
2. Fewest half-day or fewer cutbacks to work
3. Lowest level of health limitations or daily living
4. Fewest chronic physical diseases and conditions
5. Lowest health care utilization
6. Highest levels of psychosocial functioning (lowest level of perceived helplessness, highest level of functional goals, self-reported resilience, and intimacy)