Welcome!

"Health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease or infirmity." (World Health Organization 1948) 

Welcome to my blog! My name is Robyn and this is my blog where I will be discussing health issues in society - specifically focused on mental health. I have always been intrigued by mental health and the effects it can have on one's life. Recently my father was diagnosed with depression, it was not until he was diagnosed that I truly began to appreciate the impact mental health can have not only on the individual, but the environment and people around them as well. I hope while I am learning more about this topic I can enlighten the few people that do visit my blog and open their eyes to the significance of mental health.


This is an example of a holistic model of health derived
from the First Nations Medicine Wheel

The importance of one's health is becoming more and more relevant in modern society. People are aware of their physical health, although, few are truly aware of their mental health. Whether one is considered to be in 'good' mental health or 'poor' mental health it plays an extremely significant role in one's well-being. Individuals should be considered healthy on a holistic level that includes mental, physical and social aspects of health. The First Nations people have been practicing the holistic idea of health for centuries. They created a medicine wheel with four components of health. The image in this blog post is an example of a branch of the medicine wheel; it incorporates the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical sides to becoming healthy from a holistic point of view. Mental health is important for everyone, it does not just affect a specific group of people, all humans are at risk for mental illness, and similarly, everyone has the opportunity to be in excellent mental health.