Identifying signs of mental illness is generally easier than recognizing optimal mental health. Mental illnesses often manifest through abnormal behaviors that risk harm, while mental health involves emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The CDC defines mental health as a state facilitating coping with stress, personal growth, and community contributions. Positive mental health is harder to detect and includes stable identities, emotional self-regulation, and appropriate expression in social contexts. Mentally healthy individuals adapt to life events, reflecting flexibility and awareness in their mental well-being.
Most of us can discern signs of mental illness when we observe them. Mental illnesses manifest in behaviors that do not appear normal, and which can sometimes cause a risk of harm to self or others.
Identifiers of optimal mental health can be less recognizable and harder to define than signs of mental illness. The CDC defines mental health as emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
In that case, we establish indicators that a person is functioning from a relatively positive state of mental health, such as maintaining a stable sense of identity and self-regulating their emotions.
Mentally healthy people can learn to stay "in tune," adjusting as necessary to life events and conditions, indicating a dynamic and adaptable approach to well-being.
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