The founder of the mental hygiene movement, Clifford Whittingham Beers (1876–1943) launched one of the earliest client-advocate health reform movements in the United States.
Clifford Whittingham Beers (March 30, 1876 – July 9, 1943) was the founder of the American mental hygiene movement.
The origin of the mental hygiene movement can be attributed to the work of Clifford Beers in the USA. In 1908 he published A mind that found itself 4, a book based on his personal experience of admissions to three mental hospitals.
Mental hygiene is a form of preventive maintenance that can be likened to other hygienic practices. Through the plasticity of the brain, mental training activities can foster healthy cognitive patterns that are conducive to well-being.
Mental health is regarded as a condition of the individual, relative to the capacities and social-environmental context of that person. Mental hygiene includes all measures taken to promote and to preserve mental health.
For some people, mental health hygiene means dedicating a few minutes of their morning routine to meditation, stretching or walking -- but Tong says just about any activity can qualify, as long as you are paying attention to what you are doing while you perform the task.
There are several mental health theories, but they all come from one of five schools of thought: behaviorism, biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, and humanistic.
The term “mental hygiene” refers to daily activities that support and maintain mental health. Public health guidelines tell us that we need to do small tasks daily to maintain our physical and dental hygiene, like showering and brushing our teeth. We are now extending the same concept to mental health.
Part of the reason mental health is often ignored is because there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness. For many people, mental illness is seen as a sign of weakness. There's a belief that if you can't “just snap out of it,” then there's something wrong with you. This couldn't be further from the truth.
Hysteria is undoubtedly the first mental disorder attributable to women, accurately described in the second millennium BC, and until Freud considered an exclusively female disease. Over 4000 years of history, this disease was considered from two perspectives: scientific and demonological.
Principle 1
All persons have the right to the best available mental health care, which shall be part of the health and social care system. 2. All persons with a mental illness, or who are being treated as such persons, shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
Aside from taking care of your physical body, practicing good mental health hygiene is equally important—instead of keeping your body free of bacteria, mental hygiene helps to free your mind of cortisol, the main stress hormone.
Four key elements which play a role in our wellbeing are our mind, body, spirit, and our environment (including our relationships).
According to the World Health Organization, the four dimensions of wellness – social, physical, spiritual and intellectual – are all intertwined and can affect each other. It is not simply an absence of illness. Integrating the four dimensions can help you develop a personalized plan to live life more completely.
Diogenes syndrome is when a person does not take care of themselves or their surroundings, leading to poor hygiene and possibly some health and social problems. It often occurs with other conditions, such as dementia. People with the condition often show signs of severe self-neglect, social isolation, and hoarding.
Poor hygiene often accompanies certain mental or emotional disorders, including severe depression and psychotic disorders. Dementia is another common cause of poor hygiene. Other people may develop poor hygiene habits due to social factors such as poverty or inadequacy of social support.
Healthy eating, physical activity, and regular sleep can improve your physical and mental health. Take time for yourself each day.
The Ryff Scale is based on six factors: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Higher total scores indicate higher psychological well-being.
If you have good mental health, you might have emotions including happiness, love, joy and compassion, and you feel generally satisfied with life. You are also likely to feel like you belong to a community and are making a contribution to society.