Community Mental Health

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH
Objectives
By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to:-
1. Define mental health.

2. Explain the factors influencing individual’s mental health
3. Describe strategies of promoting community’s mental
health.
4. Outline the services provided in a community’s mental
health program
5. Describe the organisation and administration of
community mental health program
Definitions of mental health
It is the ability to live comfortably with oneself and
others, to understand one’s own feelings and to make
mature and appropriate responses to situations.
It is the state of mind that is able to deal with

frustrations, pain, tension, conflict, anxiety and grief.
Definitions cont…
It’s the state in which people go about their daily
activities without making fool of themselves to other
people.
It is the state in which people attain positive life

outlook and are able to maintain group membership.
Factors influencing individual’s Mental Health
1. Biological/ genetic factors- some psychiatric
disorders have genetic causes and the finding of
mental disorder in other members of the family may
be relevant to this kind of cause.
2. Social –economic/psychological problems- abject
poverty, loss of job, loss of property, loss of a dear
person may affect the mental health of an individual.
During stress, individuals need a lot of support from
family, friends, neighbors and in some in some
instances from government agents such as nurses,
social workers public health officers etc.
3. Neighborhood; a good interpersonal relationship

with one’s neighbors promotes one’s mental health
whereas hostility breeds poor mental health in the
community.
4. Ethnic background/cultural background
- Adjustment made by individuals in trying to cope with
other cultures e.g new language may affect mental
health.
- Foreign students may experience Culture shock
necessitating their repatriation to their countries for
treatment.
5. Family relationship
- Poor relationship in the family leads to withdrawing
from deep interaction hence children may develop
hostile attitude to people.
- If the relationship between parents and some or all
children especially adolescents, is not good, the
emotional attachment is reduced.
- This often affects individuals mental health especially
in times of stress from an external source.
6. Child rearing practices
- Children who are reared in a stimulating environment
and by dedicated parents especially the mother are
more likely to be happy and emotionally stable than
children who suffered from parental neglect.
Children who are reared in slums or an environment
which has little or no recreational facilities are more
likely to spend most of the time joining bad gangs or
peer groups and eventually becoming delinquents.
7. Illness –individuals who suffer from chronic illness
e.g cancer, renal disease, TB often develop
psychological stress due to their disease . Some could
attempt suicide.
8. Community norms and practices- certain

community norms and practices such as alcoholism,
smoking, polygamous family system etc can affect
people’s mental health.
Promoting community’s mental health
Motivate individual members of the community to
love each other so as to prevent conflicts and hatred
which can breed unhappiness and poor mental health.
Give health education to achieve the following
objectives;
i) To assist members of the community to become aware
of their health and social problems at an earlier stage.
ii) To create awareness of certain behaviours or cultures
which can be against good mental health e.g
alcoholism, smoking, lack of creation or rest, poor
hygiene. Encourage the community to practice some of
the cultures which help to promote mental health,
such as prolonged breastfeeding, traditional games
etc.
iii) To make them aware of the available facilities for
early diagnosis and care of the mentally ill so as to
limit its disability and emotional effects.
iv) To organize a survey to determine specific mental

health needs of a particular community so as to be able
to determine what their mental health programme
should cover.
v) To organize a school mental health education
programme as an integral part of a school health
programme
Services provided in the community mental
health programme
1. Individual and family counselling services
2. Marriage counselling for expectant mothers
3. Child study groups
4. Parent discussion groups
5. Guidance services for the aged and the disabled
6. Promotion of cultural interests
7. Recreation programmes
8. General health information services
Organization and administration of
community mental health programmes
Effectiveness of any community program depends on
good planning, organisation, execution and
evaluation.
The community should be involved fully.
Health worker’s role is to give direction and
community mobilization to tap the available resources
within the community
Set up a mental health committee within the
community.
Familiarize the health committee the objectives of the
programme and their expected roles.
Committee should represent the different interest
groups in the area.
The committee should be made to understand that
community mental health programme is not just a
service for the mentally ill but a community support
for the prevention of mental illness.
The committee should understand services available

and advantages of each service.
The membership of the committee should include
public health officers, nurses, a psychiatrist who
should only be ordinary members.
They only give direction but leadership role should be

played by the community members so as to ensure full
participation and ownership of the programme.

Community Mental Health

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COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH

1. Define mental health.

It is the state of mind that is able to deal with

It is the state in which people attain positive life

3. Neighborhood; a good interpersonal relationship

8. Community norms and practices- certain

iv) To organize a survey to determine specific mental

The committee should understand services available

They only give direction but leadership role should be

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