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What is mental health?
Mental health is the balance of our mind, emotions, and spirit that helps us move through life’s ups and downs. It allows us to understand ourselves and grow through challenges. Mental wellness is essential for overall health and is something every person has a right to nurture and protect.
Mental health challenges can include emotional struggles, mental disorders, or other experiences that bring distress, affect daily life, or lead to self-harm. These challenges are part of being human, and with the right care and support, healing and growth are always possible.1
Mental health symptoms
Common mental health conditions
How can I improve and maintain mental health?
Making time for daily practices that nurture the body, mind, and spirit helps individuals build resilience, lower stress levels, and restore energy. Small acts of self-care, practiced with intention and compassion, can bring meaningful improvements to overall health and quality of life.2
4 M’s of mental health
Sleep hygiene
What factors influence mental health?
A person’s mental health is shaped by many factors including individual experiences, genetics, family relationships, community support and broader social conditions. Individuals who face ongoing hardship, such as poverty, violence, discrimination, or disability, are more likely to experience mental health challenges. Recognizing these challenges helps create understanding, compassion, and space for healing within both individuals and communities.3
Age related changes
Basic needs
Adverse childhood experiences
Trauma
Social determinants of health
Substance use
What is available for mental health care?
Mental health challenges can be successfully navigated with accessible and affordable care through a variety of treatment modalities, and early intervention leads to better outcomes. Yet in many parts of the world, healthcare systems are under-resourced and not designed to provide timely support, leaving people without the care they need. This reinforces the importance of expanding access to care, fostering understanding through education, and strengthening community support to promote recovery from the earliest signs of distress.4
Navigating healthcare
Accessing therapy
Mental health medications
- World Health Organization. (2025). Mental health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health ↩︎
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Caring for your mental health. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health ↩︎
- World Health Organization, Mental health. ↩︎
- World Health Organization, Mental health. ↩︎