MENTAL HEALTH AND

WELL-BEING IN THE
MIDDLE AND LATE
ADOLESCENCE
 MENTAL HEALTH
• Mental health is the way your thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors affect your life. Factors such as self-concept, self-
perception, physical health, and behavior can affect and can
also be affected by mental health. Whether you have good
or poor mental health, it surely affects your well-being.
• Problems in mental health may also arise if not given
enough attention. It can range from mild to severe and can
include depression, anxiety, body esteem issues, and
suicide, and others.
Mental Health includes emotional, psychological,
and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel,
and act as we cope with life. It also helps
determine how we handle stress, relate to others,
and make choices. (US National Institutes of
Health). It can be defined differently by different
experts from different cultures. (World Health
Organization) Components of mental Health
include the following areas:
Subjective well-being: It is the individual’s thoughts and feelings
about one’s overall state of being. It is also how a person feels
about himself. It can be said that a positive warm regard for
oneself serves as a foundation of mental health. A healthy self-
concept boosts charm and confidence. A person tends to be
sociable, productive, and can maintain healthy relationships. While
if a person has a negative self-concept, he/she develops feelings
of being inadequate, insecure, anxiety, and unhappiness. If not
treated properly, it can trigger mental disorders
Perceived self-efficacy: Self-efficacy is one’s perception of
one’s value and worth, effectiveness, and ability in
performing a task or activity. Mental health and well-being
are also anchored on one’s self-worth and value or self-
esteem.
Autonomy: It is one’s capacity to separate one’s identity
from other significant persons like parents, lovers, and
special friends. It’s also the capacity of self-direction
and having a clearly defined role identity. It’s a sense of
independence that makes a person stand on his own
feet
Competence: It is the perception of one’s capacity to
effectively perform a function or activity using specific skills
and knowledge and achieving the desired results at a given
time. A competent person will adapt to the changes that can
happen while he is in the thick of things, understand why
such things happen, and will adjust his actions and attitude
according to the new demands that those changes bring.
Inter-generational independence: It refers to the
relationships between individuals who belong to different
generations but maybe living separately as independent,
autonomous persons during a specific period. An example
of this which is very common among Filipinos is the
relationship between parents and their grown-up children
Self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional
potential among others: self-actualization happens
when the person fulfills his/her physiological needs,
security and safety needs, emotional and social needs,
and self-esteem needs.
In addition to the above components, maintaining good
mental health and well-being requires resiliency and
adaptability. Resiliency is the capacity to establish and
maintain one’s balance and well-being in the face of
adversity. It is the ability to get back on one’s feet after a
disaster or a crisis. On the other hand, adaptability is the
capacity to adjust to changes necessary for one’s survival
and balance
 HEALTHY SELF-CONCEPT AT THE CORE
OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Having a positive regard for oneself means looking at oneself as
someone worth loving, and worth caring for, regardless of physical
flaws and defects, regardless of what other people perceive him to be,
and despite the thoughts, feelings, and behavior one experiences.
When you have a healthy self-concept, you also embrace meaningful
universal human values that define who you are, and how these values
form your set of healthy attitudes about other people, situations, and
things. It also flows the desired virtues that are manifested in one’s
behavior.
 GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH IS
GOOD FOR MENTAL HEALTH
A person’s physical health is an important factor that contributes to
good mental health. As an example, sleep and nutrition should be
given importance but adolescents tend to take these things for
granted. Sleep deprivation may cause behaviors such as being
cranky, having a short temper, will sometimes have emotional
sensitivity, and may also have a bad memory. Physically, an
individual who is sleep deprived may develop skin rashes, or acne,
have dark circles around the eyes, and may even develop bad
posture because of feeling weak and having low energy.
 HEALTHY SELF-CONCEPT + HEALTHY MIND
AND BODY = GOOD MENTAL HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING
• When all of these elements are in balance, then general
well-being is experienced. Well-being is a state of
wellness where every aspect of a person is in balance.
Being well and feeling well means that there is a general
sense of contentment, happiness, calmness, and peace
within.
 CHALLENGES IN THE MENTAL
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
A mental health problem is a short term and temporary
change in a person’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior that
upsets one well-being, interpersonal relationship, and
productivity. Mental illness, on the other hand, refers to
diagnosable mental disorders characterized by changes
in one’s thinking, feeling, and behavior as well as
personal relationships and productivity. It is also called
mental disorders
 MENTAL HEALTH IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Let us take a look at these facts stating the current status of Mental
Health in the Philippines:
• The Philippines has recently passed its first Mental Health Act
(Republic Act no. 11036) The Act seeks to establish access to
comprehensive and integrated mental health services while protecting
the rights of the people with mental disorders and their family members.
However, mental health remains poorly resourced, there are limited
facilities that cater to mental health cases. There are only two tertiary
care psychiatric hospitals: The National Care for Mental Health in
Mandaluyong and the Mariveles Mental Hospital in Bataan.
• There is a shortage of mental health staff where there are a little over 500
psychiatrists in practice. The ratio of mental health workers per population
in the Philippines is low, at 2 -3 per 100,000 population wherein there is a
recommended ratio of 10 psychiatrists per 100,000 population.
• There were identified 14% of the 1.4 million Filipinos with disabilities who
were identified to have a mental disorder. According to the National
Statistics Office, mental illness is the third most prevalent form of
morbidity. However, 88 cases of mental health problems were reported for
every 100,000 of the population.
• Prohibitive economic conditions and the inaccessibility of mental health
services limit access to mental healthcare in the Philippines.
In conclusion, mental healthcare in the Philippines continues to
face challenges including underinvestment, lack of mental health
professionals, and underdeveloped community mental health
services. Although the recent Mental Health Act legislation has
provided a legal framework for the advancement of mental health
in the country, economic restrictions preventing the people from
accessing mental healthcare should be considered to enable the
population in accessing the services and the care when required.
NEUROLOGICAL
BASIS OF
EMOTIONS
According to Daniel Goleman, “all emotions are, in essence, impulses
to act, the instant plan for handling life that evolution has instilled in
us.” By this, he traces the origins of emotions from human race’s
survival instinct to sense, detect, assess, and act on any threat to its
life and survival. This instinct is also known as the “fight or flight”
response that animals and human alike are capable of doing when
faced with danger.
As humans and animals in general have instinctive nature for survival,
it is only the human brain that was gifted with the capacity to process
on an intellectual level the emotions being experienced, validating the
reality of the danger, controlling the emotions being experienced, and
acting accordingly given several options to choose from
 THESE PARTS OF THE BRAIN THAT IS
INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF
EMOTIONS ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Amygdala – center of action; emotional sentinel
that can take control of our actions; keeps a
memory bank of previous experiences related to
emotions
2. Neocortex – assess what to do
3. Frontal lobes – specifically the pre-frontal cortex,
controls the emotion
 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence as
“the ability to motivate oneself and persist in the
face of frustrations, to control impulse and delay
gratification, to regulate one’s moods and keep
distress from swamping the ability to think, to
empathize, and to hope.”
 FIVE DOMAINS OF
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
1. Knowing one’s emotions or self-awareness – An emotion
should be recognized and be able to verbalize it. This is about
knowing how we feel and knowing the thought behind it.

“When one recognizes one’s emotion, there is also a desire to

get rid of it or get out of the situation.”
2. Managing emotions – We have little or no control when an
emotion occurs and what this emotion will be, but we have control
on how long an emotion will last.

“It is important to recognize an emotion and experience it,

but dwelling on it, particularly if it is negative, is unhealthy.”
3. Motivation oneself – Hope is a major indicator of emotional
intelligence. It is an element present when one is fighting some
overwhelming anxiety, a defeatist attitude or depression.

“Optimism is a great motivator, and like hope, it provides a

person with expectations that things will turn out better or right,
when faced with adversity.”
4. Recognizing emotions in others – Empathy is the capacity to
recognize the emotions in other people. We empathize because
of our self-awareness. If we recognize our own emotions and
how these affects us, then it will be easier for us to recognize
other people’s emotions as well. An example of this is the golden
rule of doing to others what you want others to do to you. This
may be traced to empathy since this puts the person right inside
the shoes of the other.
5. Handling relationships – Emotional Intelligence is evident in the
way we manage our relationship with others. Four components of
Social Intelligence (or Interpersonal Intelligence)
a. Organizing groups – A leadership skill essential in gathering groups of
people toward a common action.
b. Negotiating solutions – It is the talent to bring people in conflict to talk
and find solution.
c. Personal connection – A talent where empathy and connecting with
another person’s emotions are manifested.
d. Social Analysis – A talent wherein a person is able to step out of the
situation and objectively form insights about the way people feel and
behave.
 VARIANCES OF EMOTIONS
Daniel Goleman conceptualized eight main families of emotions and
their corresponding members:

1. Anger: fury, outrage, resentment, wrath, exasperation, indignation,

vexation, acrimony, animosity, annoyance, irritability, hostility; and to
its extremes, hatred and violence
2. Sadness: grief, sorrow, cheerlessness, gloom, melancholy, self-pity,
loneliness, dejection, despair; and in extreme, depression
3. Fear: anxiety, apprehension, nervousness, concern,
misgiving, wariness, qualm, edginess, dread, fright, terror;
and in extreme, phobia, and panic
4. Enjoyment: happiness, joy, relief, contentment, bliss,
rapture, gratification, satisfaction, euphoria, whimsy, ecstasy;
and to its extreme, mania
5. Love: acceptance, friendliness, trust, kindness, affinity,
devotion, adoration, infatuation, and agape
6. Surprise: shock, astonishment, amazement, and wonder
7. Disgust: contempt, disdain, scorn, abhorrence, aversion,
distaste, and revulsion
8. Shame: guilt, embarrassment, chagrin, remorse,
humiliation, regret, mortification, and contrition
 BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
Emotional Intelligence is also referred to as Emotional Quotient
(EQ), it is believed that it is more important in achieving success
in one’s career or personal life than Intelligence Quotient (IQ).
While a high IQ is not a surefire to one’s success, EQ has been
identified as the foundation in developing important skills
necessary for one’s success at work. Emotional Intelligence is
important as it directly affects physical and mental health, work
performance, and relationships.
 TYPES OF RESPONSES
Whenever we feel different emotions, we also tend to respond in different
manners based on how it affects us. There are times that we overcome it but
there also times where we throw a fit. Take a look at these different
responses:
1. Passive response: A response that is not expressing your own needs and
feelings, or expressing them so weakly that they will not be addressed.
A passive response is not usually in your best interest, because it allows
other people to violate your rights. Yet there are times when being passive
are the most appropriate response. It is important to assess whether a
situation is dangerous and choose the response most likely to keep you safe.
2. Aggressive response: A response that is asking for what you
want or saying how you feel in a threatening, sarcastic or
humiliating way that may offend the other person(s).

An aggressive response is never in your best interest, because it

almost always leads to increased conflict
3. Assertive response: A response that is asking for what you want or
saying how you feel in an honest and respectful way that does not infringe
on another person's rights or put the individual down.

An assertive response is almost always in your best interest, since it is

your best chance of getting what you want without offending the other
person(s). At times, however, being assertive can be inappropriate. If
tempers are high, if people have been using alcohol or other drugs, if
people have weapons or if you are in an unsafe place, being assertive
may not be the safest choice.”