Mental Health in Society: Importance, Role, and Prevention

What Is the Importance of Mental Health in Society?

It is necessary to take into account the importance of mental health in society, across its different medical, social, economic, and religious institutions. We must work to achieve harmony between these institutions, especially between them and the family and school. This requires applying mental health principles within society in order to protect individuals and groups from anything that may lead to psychological disturbance, so that productivity, progress, development, and happiness can be achieved.

One of the most important goals of mental health is to build an integrated personality and prepare a person who is psychologically and mentally healthy in any sector of society, regardless of their social role. Such a person is willing to take social responsibility and give to society as much as they receive, or even more, while making the best possible use of their abilities and potential. To achieve this, the individual’s social developmental needs must be met, such as achieving the highest possible level of social adjustment, satisfying psychological and social needs, accepting reality, forming healthy social attitudes and values, participating creatively and responsibly in society, expanding interests and concerns, developing social skills that support healthy social adjustment, and achieving sound religious and moral development.

Mental health is concerned with studying and treating social problems closely related to the formation and development of human personality and the factors that influence it, such as intellectual disability, academic delay, success, and sexual deviations. This is one of the most important issues for society. Mental health also helps regulate, guide, and correct human behavior in the present in order to achieve the best possible level of psychological adjustment, so the person becomes a good member of society.

The Importance of Mental Health for Society Itself

The mental health of society itself is extremely important. A society that suffers from fragmentation and lack of integration between its bodies, systems, institutions, and organizations is an unhealthy society. A society dominated by an unhealthy culture full of destructive factors, frustration, conflict, and complexity is also an unhealthy society.

A society with poor economic conditions and a deteriorating standard of living is an unhealthy society. A society whose value system declines, where misguidance and delinquency spread, and where social disasters occur is also an unhealthy society. Such a society requires great efforts to eliminate these social illnesses.

Modern society, with its complex social relationships, the age of anxiety we live in, and our civilizational reality that suffers from many psychological disturbances caused by competition, inequality, and exploitation, requires careful planning for mental health. Planning mental health for the people requires several important measures, including:

Mental Health Planning Measures in Society

Society pays a high price for the spread of psychological and social illnesses, whether in effort, money, or the widening circle of psychological and social maladjustment. Therefore, preventive measures must be considered within a social and economic framework that protects the individual, the group, and society, and ensures happiness for everyone.

Social Preventive Measures

• Spreading the principles of mental health through different media channels.
• Raising the standard of living and narrowing the gap as much as possible between different social classes in terms of social and economic level, as well as behavioral standards.
• Facilitating all social services by expanding the establishment of social service centers and family guidance centers.
• Conducting more scientific research on psychosocial disorders and the social causes of deviant behavior.
• Paying attention to the necessary factors of social control in light of the continuous social change witnessed by society.