Dele Osisami is a second year MD/MBA candidate at the University of Louisville School of Medicine/College of Business. You can follow him on instagram, twitter, or linkedin.

Mental health and wellness have been an increasingly popular topic in recent years. But what exactly is mental health? If I am not “crazy,” does mental health apply to me? Isn’t wellness just being physically healthy? These are common questions asked.

According to mentalhealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” By this description, it is very clear that mental health is a vital part of EVERY person. We all have emotions, we all have specific ways of thinking, and we all have some form of relationships. If our minds are unhealthy, these esImportance of Mental Health & Wellness

Mental health and wellness have been an increasingly popular topic in recent years. But what exactly is mental health? If I am not “crazy,” does mental health apply to me? Isn’t wellness just being physically healthy? These are common questions asked.

According to mentalhealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” By this description, it is apparent that mental health is a vital part of EVERY person. We all have emotions, we all have specific ways of thinking, and we all have some form of relationships. If our minds are unhealthy, these essential aspects of our lives will suffer.

There are many definitions of wellness. My favorite is “the condition of good physical, mental, and emotional health, especially when maintained by an appropriate diet, exercise, and other lifestyle modifications.” By this definition, a person is only truly well when their bodies AND minds are healthy. This is supported by the fact that physical health and mental health are often associated; people with mental health problems are more likely to have physical health problems and vice versa.

Despite all the research stating that mental health is essential, why is there still a stigma? There is no one answer. In minority populations, there is an even greater stigma, in my opinion. There is often embarrassment, shame, and feelings of weakness/inferiority associated with those who need mental health services. Spirituality and religion often play a big part as well: people think that mental health treatment does not work because you can pray away your problems. Whenever someone mentions this, I am reminded that faith without works is dead. The same way you cannot hope to be muscular without lifting weights, you cannot expect to be healthy without putting forth the necessary effort.

Mental health is more than just receiving psychiatric prescriptions. It involves everyday things such as ways to relieve stress, ways to cope with negative emotions, and ways to better love yourself. I urge all of you to take your mental health seriously and live a life of true wellness as a Greater Influence.