In today’s world, mental illness and distress are common and these account for a significant burden of disability within our community. At the same time, there is a growing interest in understanding and enhancing positive mental health and wellbeing; particularly from developments in the fields of positive psychology and mental health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new term (Jeste et al 2016) that describes a dual approach to mental health, where we build strengths, supports and healthy lifestyles as well as treating illness and distress. In this course, we will explore different aspects of good mental health as well as provide an overview of the major kinds of mental disorders, their causes, treatments and how to seek help and support. The course will feature a large number of Australian experts in psychiatry, psychology and mental health research, and we will also hear from “lived experience experts”, people who have lived with mental illness, and share their personal stories of recovery. We take an evidence-based approach to a range of strategies that anyone can use to enhance their own mental health and that of others, from exercise and relaxation techniques through to the role of love, relationships and 'good' types of work. We cover topics from creativity and yoga through to psychiatric medications and psychotherapies.
Positive mental health and Psychiatry
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Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health
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Module 1 - Positive mental health and Psychiatry
Welcome to the MOOC! Get yourself acquainted. This module is about positive mental health, stress and recovery, and some of the important findings from Aristotle through to recent research on the correlates to happiness.
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Sonia KumarPsychiatry Course Coordinator
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
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Good mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness.
It's a positive style of wellbeing that includes feeling good and
functioning well.
Good mental health is what enables us to live life to the full.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of
wellbeing in which a person is able to cope with the normal stresses of life,
work productively, realize their potential and contribute to the community.
Mental illnesses can interfere with people's quality of life and
ability to function.
However, research has shown they're not simply opposite ends of a spectrum.
In fact, some people with active symptoms of mental illness can live a full and
meaningful life, and they're consider to be flourishing.
In this section, we're using the term positive mental health.
This concept is being studied across many different fields, using over lapping
terms, such as, wellbeing, flourishing, thriving, and happiness.
Positive mental health encompasses many aspects of life,
which can be divided into emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing.
Emotional wellbeing equates to feeling good,
being happy, experiencing positive emotions like love, joy, or
compassion, and feeling generally satisfied with one's life.
Positive emotions have been extensively studied in the field
of positive psychology.
Barbara Fredrickson is one of the most prominent researchers into the positive
emotions and developed the broaden-and-build theory.
This states that positive emotions tend to widen the person's repertoire of thoughts
and actions and lead to play and exploration behavior.
This leads to development of resources, such as, social connections,
environmental knowledge, and coping strategies,
all of which are essential for wellbeing and resilience.
In contrast, psychological wellbeing is about functioning well and
contributing in life.
Social wellbeing is a sense of being connected to others,
belonging to a community, or making a contribution to society.
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.
Positive Psychiatry uses a range of lifestyle self-help and
treatment approaches to build mental health and treat illness.
Psychiatry also uses the two major forms of treatment,
which are various types of psychotherapies and medication.
There are a number of tips you can start using straight
a way to enhance positive mental health.
Firstly, building relationships.
Investing time and energy in close relationships or
wider social networks can lead to great benefits for mental health.
Exercise has been shown to increase wellbeing, as well as
reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Good physical health is related to better mental health.
So having a healthy diet, avoiding too much alcohol or drugs, and
getting regular medical checkups can all help.
Developing gratitude -
a regular practice of counting blessings or
noticing the positive things, however small, can enhance wellbeing.
Try keeping a journal, and write down three positive things for each day.
Identifying your strengths and then using them regularly can increase wellbeing.
Strengths can include everyday skills like cooking, or
getting along with other people.
Or, they can be different types of intelligence, athletics, artistic or
musical talent.
There are many strengths questionnaires available online.
Using your strengths to help others, or
contribute to the community, creates a sense of meaning and purpose.
Making a contribution to the community, however ordinary or
small, increases social wellbeing.
Many people feel a sense of contributing through meaningful work.
But this could also mean volunteering,
helping a neighbor, or practicing random acts of kindness.
Take some time to do the things you really enjoy.
Pleasant events lead to positive emotions that broaden and
build our coping in other areas.
Flow is the state of being so
highly involved in an enjoyable activity that you lose all track of time.
This usually happens when the level of challenge is about right for
your level of skill.
Flow can happened during work, hobbies, creative arts, or sports.
You might want to take up meditation, prayer, or mindfulness, or
try joining a religious or spiritual community.
Many people experience their spirituality through practicing yoga or Tai-Chi, or
in the beauty of nature, such as, going to the beach or the bush.
And fnally, seek help when needed.
If you're struggling to feel happy for several weeks or
more or to cope with every day life, find meaning, or to feel connected to others,
try to utilize some of the strategies in this MOOC.
And don't hesitate to talk to a friend, and to see a doctor or
a mental health professional.
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