Research in psychiatry and
psychology has consistently shown that positive relationships are the most
influential factor contributing to positive mental health.
This can include family, friends, work mates, and others in the community.
Happiness and wellbeing have also been contemplated over the centuries from
the ancient Greek times.
Aristotle founded the classical theory of Eudaimonia,
which has come to describe the good life, or virtuous life.
The origin of the term was the concept of striving for excellence,
or becoming one's best possible self.
This is symbolized by the Daimon,
an inner being that represents the greatest potential within each person.
This includes developing and using one's strength, as well as,
contributing to others.
Over time,
researchers have held different points of view about the best path to happiness.
According to Aristotle, the pursuit virtue, or Eudaimonia,
doing good also relates to feeling good.
In Fredrickson's recent study, building positive emotions, in this case,
through loving kindness meditation, led to increases in positive functioning and
resilience.
For many people spiritual wellbeing is very important to their mental health.
This can mean different things to different people, but
is often expressed through religion.
This can include feeling connected to a higher power;
a sense of meaning or purpose; feelings of peace or transcendence, or
connection to nature.
Spirituality has also been defined as an experience of positive emotions, such as,
love, joy, compassion, or hope, faith, gratitude, and forgiveness,
which are central focus of many religions.
As a branch of medicine, psychiatry is concerned with the assessment, treatment,
and prevention of mental illness, as well as,
the promotion of positive mental health.
Traditionally, psychiatry has focused more on the aspect of illness,
but as with medicine as a whole, there's an increasing focus on prevention and
health promotion.
Positive Psychiatry is a new terminology that was recently defined by,
Dilip Jeste, as the science and practice of pychiatry that seeks to understand and
promote wellbeing in people who have, or are at risk of developing mental or
physical illness.
The goal of Positive Psychiatry is not only to treat psychiatric symptoms, but
also to enhance the wellbeing of those with mental or physical illness.
Therefore, we need to build on what is strong, as well as fix what's wrong.
For people with mntal halth disorders, as with everyone in the community,
this is our dual task in working towards good mental health.
This course will show you self help strategies and
how to seek professional help, in order to build positive factors, as well as
address problems of mental health.
The field of Positive Psychiatry looks at research on positive character traits and
social factors that enhance mental health.
Resilience is the quality that makes people cope well with stress, adversity,
or trauma.
In many cases people are able to learn or grow through difficult experiences, and
this is known as post-traumatic growth.