What is Mental Health?

According to the World Health Organisation:

‘Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, 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’ 

Everyone needs to maintain their mental health, which includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being.

Mental health affects the way in which we act, think and feel and it also determines how we handle stress, deal with others and make choices in our day to day lives. 

A person's mental health can be affected at any stage of life from childhood through to adulthood. It can be affected by many factors including biological factors, life experiences or family history of mental health problems. 

This module has been designed to provide with you an overview of mental health, the common conditions and the support available. If you want to find out more about specific mental health conditions, at the end of this module we have a full list of charities and support.