What does good mental health look like?

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It is important to explain what good mental health looks like. Guidance for school leaders from education unions GMB, NUT, UNISON and Unite (see page 11) explains that good mental health is not simply the absence of diagnosable mental health problems, although good mental health is likely to help protect against development of many such problems. Instead it says, “Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including:

• the ability to learn;

• the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions;

• ability to form and maintain good relationships with others; and

• the ability to cope with, and manage, change and uncertainty.

Good mental health is about positive well-being, about feeling in control of one’s life, valued at home and at work, and generally relaxed and positive.”