What is mental health?
First, let start from the premise that every person has mental health, just as they have physical health.
Mental health is the state of well-being of your mind. It’s how you feel emotionally, how you think, or how you cope with life’s challenges. It’s an essential dimension of your overall health, enabling you to fulfill yourself, overcome life’s normal stresses, and carry out your work and daily activities.
There may also be times when your mental health is not as good. It is normal to have difficult periods. When these periods are prolonged or very intense, we can then talk about a mental health disorder.
A mental health disorder is when our mind does not function as usual and this affects the way we think, feel or behave. Everyday tasks, such as working, maintaining relationships, or even taking care of ourselves, become more difficult. Mental health disorders can be temporary or long-lasting, and it is often helpful to consult a professional for support and care.
But… Can I have a mental health disorder and still be mentally healthy?
Yes! According to the two-continuum model shown in the image below, mental health and mental health disorders belong to distinct continuums.
The key idea is that these two continuums are separate but can coexist. For example, a person may have a mental health disorder but still feel well and manage their life satisfactorily, or conversely, may not have a disorder but still feel terrible. This shows that mental health is more complex than simply being ‘sick’ or ‘healthy.’
Two-continuum model of mental health
Can my mental health vary over time?
Yes! Mental health is fluid. It will fluctuate throughout your life along this continuum, depending on circumstances and experiences.
Many stressful situations and events over which you have little or no control will inevitably arise during your studies. Sometimes, the stress caused by these events will be temporary and even useful in mobilizing the energy you need to adapt to the situation. Other times, it may go on and on in spite of you, and if the situation persists or repeats itself, that’s when your mental health can be affected. Humans simply aren’t built for intense, continuous stress.
Il est donc important d’être conscient.e de ces variations qui peuvent être normales et passagères, mais qui parfois nécessitent de passer par-dessus la peur ou la honte ressentie et oser aller chercher de l’aide.
How about a balanced approach to mental health?
As there is more than one way to define mental health, we can also exclude the fact of having or not a mental health disorder . This is what the Medicine Wheel, a symbol of native culture, proposes. Also known as the circle of life, this figure signifies life and health, and is often used to maintain or restore a state of well-being and harmony.
According to this vision, the different spheres of life are interrelated, and the aim is to maintain a balance between them. When you’re not well, or when there’s a surplus or lack in one sphere, you’re encouraged to find solutions both within yourself and in the environment, in order to regain balance.
Here are some questions to guide your thinking:
Physical
- What behaviours ensure my physical wellbeing?
- What goals can I set myself to improve my physical health?
Mental
- What kinds of thoughts go through my mind: about myself? My loved ones? My community? My culture?
- What can I do to improve my self-esteem?
Spiritual
- Do I question the meaning and purpose of my life?
If so, how? - Do I believe in a supreme being? How and why?
- What can I do to ensure my spiritual health?
Émotional
- What can I do to improve my emotional wellbeing?
- What goals should I set to improve my interpersonal relationships, and what do I need to do to achieve them?
Mental health explained by Francis Legendre
In this video, Francis Legendre explains mental health with a touch of humor. Why not!
References
Centre for Studies on Human Stress (2019) Flavours of chronic stress.
ECOBES (2022) Psychological and distance learning adaptation of college students facing the COVID-19 crisis..
Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l’Université de Montréal (2016) Enquête sur la santé psychologique étudiante.
Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (2021) Behind your screen
Gosselin, M-A. et Ducharme, R. (2017) Détresse et anxiété chez les étudiants du collégial et recours aux services d’aide socioaffectifs .
Government of Quebec (2022). À propos des troubles mentaux.
Hervieux N. et Paquette, M-N. (2017) Le mieux-être mentale des Premières Nations et le concept du rétablissement en santé mentale : croiser les savoirs. Présentation au colloque de l’Association québécoise pour la réadaptation psychosociale.
Institut de la statistique du Québec (2020) Le concept de santé mentale positive, un aperçu.
Keyes, L.M. (2002) The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life.
Loiselle, M. et McKenzie, L. (2009). La roue du bien-être: une contribution autochtone au travail social. Revue Interventions, 131, pp. 183-193.
Department of Higher Education (2021). Action plan on student mental health in higher education 2021-2026.
Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec. Les facteurs de protection chez les Premières Nations et les Inuit.
Regroupement des centers d’amitié autochtone et du Québec (2017). Mino Madji8in: Pour la bientraitance et le respect de nos Aînés autochtones en milieu urbain.
Union étudiante du Québec (2019) Sous ta Façade.
Credits
Illustration : Mario Fontaine
Contribution to the article : Isabelle Queval, psychologist
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