Promoting Mental Health

Abstract

Mental health promotion is an umbrella term that covers a variety of strategies, all aimed at increasing internal capacity or having a positive effect on mental health. In praxis, the encouragement of individual skills and resources for improvements in the socioeconomic environment are leading among them. But, defined by WHO in 1998 health promotion is action and advocacy to address the full range of potentially modifiable determinants of health. That means that mental health promotion requires multisectoral action, involving a number of government sectors such as health, education, employment/industry, environment, transport and social and community services as well as non-governmental or communitybased organizations such as health support groups, churches, clubs and other bodies.