Positive Mental Health
It is much better to have and keep positive mental health where possible than deal with mental ill health when it happens.
Families, staff and individuals themselves can promote positive mental health.
Positive Mental Health is ‘a positive sense of well-being’. This is not simple to define but how an individual feels about themself. It is made up of lots of different things.
Have a look at the poster in the file below.
Helping someone else? Check some tips here
Some issues are also listed here.
Physical health, the role of physical health is being seen as more and more important in mental health. It is known that people with a learning disability are more likely to have poor physical health so families and staff need to promote good diet and exercise.
Making these things fun rather than a chore should help.
Familes and staff also need to ensure people are not suffering from treatable physical complaints and conditions.
Access to education and/or employment, this might not be formal education but people do continue to learn throughout their lives and those with a learning disability should have the same opportunities.
Employment would also include volunteering allowing people to feel valued for their contributions to a team effort.
Relationships, everyone needs friends, familes and relationships. Just because people with a learning disability may live in the same house this does not mean they are friends. People need the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and hobbies.
Fear of crime, this would include general verbal abuse and bullying. Reducing these fear levels (real or imagined) will improve an individual's mental health.
Strengthening the individual – Increasing their self-esteem, coping skills and communication skills.
Strengthening communities – Increasing the number of social supports, promoting inclusion, increasing community safety, anti-bullying plans
Reducing barriers to positive mental health – reducing discrimination, increasing education opportunities and quality of housing.
Negative attitudes and stigma - The way society views mental health means people do not talk about it. The charity MIND did some research in 2004 and 84% of people with mental health problems felt socially isolated (meaning they did not talk about it to others).
To read more about the factors that relate to mental health click here