What Is Mental Health?

Is A Healthy Mind A Happy Mind? Spoiler Alert - No

Next week is Mental Health Week during which we are asked to reflect on the impact of mental illness on individuals and society. It is timely, since according to an article in the Guardian by George Monbiot, the latest map of mental wellbeing published by the Global Mind Project reveals that, out of the 71 countries it assessed, the United Kingdom, alongside South Africa, has the highest proportion of people in mental distress – and the second worst overall measure of mental health (we beat only Uzbekistan). Mental wellbeing has plummeted in the UK further than in any comparable nation.

But what does it mean to be mentally healthy?