By Fr. George Dorbarakis
October 10th of each year is considered a day dedicated worldwide to mental health. It was established in 1994 by the World Federation of Mental Health and the World Health Organization, in order to raise public awareness of mental illness issues. This is because mental illnesses are constantly increasing, to the extent that experts are talking about a global "epidemic" of mental disorders, such as those related to depression or alcohol consumption. And in our country, things are not better. There are statistics that show that 10 to 12% of the total population of all ages suffers from mental illnesses, while as for adolescents, there is their expressed statement (2 out of 5) that they are not satisfied with their lives and do not feel generally "well".
The question that arises, of course, is what we mean when we talk about mental health. Paradoxically, there is no generally accepted answer. And there is no such thing, because mental health is a matter of defining the person, the purpose and meaning of their life. In other words, if we do not know who the person is, why they exist in the world, what their destination is, how they should live and deal with life's problems, it is impossible to talk about any state of their mental health. As for their physical health, things are largely measurable: there are some fixed points of reference, based on which their pathology or physiology is judged. But for their mental health? Are there any fixed points? The "dead end" is evident from the fact that experts avoid defining the characteristics, beyond generalities, of what is considered mental health, focusing their attention on what they call mental well-being or the absence of mental illness. "It is the psychological state of someone who functions at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment," they note. Or, as the WHO says: "Mental health is the state of well-being where each individual successfully faces the problems of life, can work productively and participate actively in their social environment and not simply the absence of a problem or disorder." These definitions do not touch on the essence of the subject, but describe some situations, mainly sociologically and perhaps psychologically.
We do not deny any of the above. The efforts of psychologists and doctors to define a social behavior that is as acceptable and normal as possible for each person are commendable and should be strengthened - the sociological criterion is in itself a very strong element. But it is not sufficient. Because man constitutes a great mystery. And this is precisely where the various spiritual traditions of each place come into play, and for Christians, their Christian tradition above all.
Well, for our own Christian tradition, man is mentally healthy to the extent that he is also spiritually healthy. And he is spiritually healthy when he remains within the framework of his creation in the image and likeness of God. Referring to the original couple: As long as man looked to his Creator and obeyed His holy will, his powers - physical, mental and spiritual - were on an upward and increasing course. Unfortunately, this was lost due to man’s fall into sin – the choice of his own will instead of his Creator’s – when his health deteriorated: decay and illness and death entered as a routine in his life. Of course the Son and Word of God came as a man into the world, in order to remove sin and corruption and to restore man, but this restoration, which was actually accomplished mainly through the Lord's sacrifice on the Cross, became a difficult struggle for man, passing through the process of faith, of his integration into the Church, of his exercise in the commandments of Christ. This means that on the one hand Christ as a perfect man besides being God constitutes the limit of the quintessentially healthy man, in Him we see what mental and spiritual health means at the level of perfection; on the other hand mental health (physical health after Christ in this world is not necessarily necessary) exists and develops in the believer, when he strives on the path of holiness. Humanly, in other words, the Virgin Mary was the quintessential mentally healthy individual and all the Saints of the Church follow her. Saint Silouan of Athos affirms: "How do you know whether the soul is healthy or sick? The sick soul is arrogant, while the healthy soul loves humility, as the Holy Spirit taught it."
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
