Why is mental health important?

The World Health Organization defines health as “A state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity” and there can be no health without mental health. Yet when we go for a
health check up we are are only concerned about our BP,  sugar and cholesterol
levels. If they are normal we think we are healthy.
But have you ever paused to think “How stressed am I?”’ “Am I sleeping well?”, “Am
I happy with my life?”, “Do I feel irritated easily and snap at people more?”, “Which
way are my personal relationships headed?”, “Do I get a sense of relief if I smoke or
consume alcohol or pop sleeping pills?”, “Do exams and deadlines give you
nightmares?” Your answers to these questions may make you pause and rethink!
Mental health is essentially defined by 3 components – the way you think (thoughts),
the way you feel (emotions) and the way you behave (behavior) and these need to
be in perfect sync with your physical health for you to perform effectively and
efficiently as an individual. A disturbance in any one of them can disturb the sync
and seriously undermine your efficiency as an individual.
If you want to be healthy it is equally important to care for your mental health

as well!

– Dr Rishikesh V. Behere
– Consultant Psychiatrist, Manoshanti Pune