A Study of Demographic Indicators of Mental Health amongst Middle Aged Indian Women (original) (raw)

Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional well being or an absence of a mental disorder. From the perspective of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individuals ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". The concept of mental health has a long developed process starting with the mental illness from the dark age of barbarism in going through the humanitarian enlightment and ultimately reaching the modern scientific level. Mental health problems have become a major public health concern, epidemiological studies show that up to one-fifth or one-quarter of the general population suffer from some sort of mental disorder at a given time. From the time of Hippocrates and Kretchsmer, researchers tried to conceptualize the term mental health. But because of the varying meaning of the term mental health they would not agree on its general application. Most of the researches which studied mental Health in relation to demography concentrated more on the illness part rather than its positive area ie health. Some studies which related demographic variables like employment status and educational level in relation to reported mental disorders and suicide attempts are done by