Why Public Mental Health?

Mental Health is now recognized as being profoundly important to growth, development, learning and resilience. Mental Well-being protects the body from the impact of life's stresses and traumatic events and enables the adoption of healthy lifestyles and management of long term illnesses.

Mental Well-being is a valuable resource for individuals, families and communities. It is associated with better physical health, positive interpersonal relationships and socially healthier societies.

It helps people to achieve their potential, realise ambitions , cope with adversity , work productively and contribute to their community and society. The social, physical and economic environments in which people are born, grow ,live , work and age have important implications for mental health.

Public mental wellbeing and preventing mental health problems should be key elements of every public health strategy because mental health influences all other health outcomes.

Neglecting it undermines public health interventions to reduce health inequalities and prevent premature death from preventative conditions.

Article by Edwin Michieka,

Public Mental Advocate.

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