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Perfect Mental Perfect Mental Health Health

Professor Wasantha Professor Wasantha GunathungaGunathunga

MBBS (Col.)M.Sc., MDMBBS (Col.)M.Sc., MD ( (Community MedicineCommunity Medicine))

Faculty of Medicine, University of Faculty of Medicine, University of ColomboColombo

Purpose of this talk is to..

Discuss what mental health is Discuss mental health problems

among normal people Describe what perfect mental health

is Describe how body-mind-

consciousness works Introduce a method of achieving

Perfect Mental Health 2

Mental health

Happiness Contentment Being productive Not just freedom from mental illness

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Who needs mental health supportWho needs mental health support Who needs couseling Who needs couseling Challenges faced as a health Challenges faced as a health

professional in healing peoples’ professional in healing peoples’ mindsminds

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Mental illness

Mental states not amounting to mental illness

Opportunity for improvement

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What are the problems with “normal” people?

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Anger Anger

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Perfect Mental health

Happiness Contentment Being productive Not just freedom from mental illness

Ability to maintain these attributes

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Advantages of mental Advantages of mental health interventionshealth interventions

Less violence Less violence ContentmentContentment Inner happiness Inner happiness (as opposed to showing happy)(as opposed to showing happy)

Less needs and demandsLess needs and demands Less NCDs Less NCDs (Rutledge etal 2000, Gunathunga etal 2010)(Rutledge etal 2000, Gunathunga etal 2010)

Efficiency effectiveness Efficiency effectiveness Minimal side effects Minimal side effects (Luskin etal 2001)(Luskin etal 2001)

Better immune function Better immune function (Davidson etal 2003)(Davidson etal 2003)

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How do you get there?

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Exercise

Close your eyes for 30 seconds

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Where mind visited Where mind visited

Home Home BabyBaby Mind/thoughtMind/thought ColdnessColdness Noises Noises Directors head Directors head Next step Next step Can I do medCan I do med

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Body- mind-consciousness Body- mind-consciousness

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I I

FeelingFeeling

PerceivingPerceiving

Attachment

Conflict

Body Mind consciousness

willing

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Mind body coalition –an Mind body coalition –an analogyanalogy

Speech work Think, plan, will

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Where mind dwells –the Where mind dwells –the

three three IIss

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KnowledgeLanguage

QualificationsExperience

Etc, etc.

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Point where contemplation is appliedPoint where contemplation is applied

FeelingFeeling

PerceivingPerceiving

Attachment

Conflict

Body Mind consciousness

willing

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Method of developing Method of developing mental health mental health

Pain, touch etc.

Noises thoughts

Training non-attachment Body scan (25 parts)Body scan (25 parts)Letting go Letting go

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25 parts of the body for 25 parts of the body for scanningscanning

Head, forehead, right eye, nose, left eye, Head, forehead, right eye, nose, left eye, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, chin, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, chin, neck, (10)neck, (10)

chest upper, chest lower, abdomen chest upper, chest lower, abdomen upper, abdomen middle, abdomen lower, upper, abdomen middle, abdomen lower, (5)(5)

r. thigh, r. knee, r. shin, r. foot. r. toes, (5)r. thigh, r. knee, r. shin, r. foot. r. toes, (5) left thigh, l. knee, l. shin, l. foot, l. toes. left thigh, l. knee, l. shin, l. foot, l. toes.

(5)(5)

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Where the real mental Where the real mental health ishealth is

Developing Developing dual vision eyedual vision eye

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Concentration Wisdom Insight

Training non-attachment

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Multiple ripples Multiple ripples approach approach

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References References

Ariyapariyesan sutta, Sathipattana sutta Mjjima Nikaya Chandawimala (Ven.) R. .(1951) Basic facts of Abhidhamma,

Sikuru publishers, Polgasowita, Sri Lanka.

Hennekens CH & Buring JE (1998) Epidemiology in Medicine, little brown

Perera, H. Gunathunga C.K. (2004)Screening for mental Perera, H. Gunathunga C.K. (2004)Screening for mental health problems in urban pre-school children – a pilot health problems in urban pre-school children – a pilot study. study. Sri Lanka Journal of Child HealthSri Lanka Journal of Child Health; 33: 39-42; 33: 39-42

Songa – Barke E Thompson M JJ, Stevenson J, (1996) Mental health of pre-school children and their mothers in a mixed urban / rural population-Family and maternal factors and child behaviour British Journal of psychiatry 168, 21-25

Cont…….next slideCont…….next slide

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ReferencesReferences Stevenson J Thompson M JJ,, Songa – Barke E,, (1996) M Mental

health of pre-school children and their mothers in a mixed urban / rural population- Latent variable models,British Journal of psychiatry 168, 26-32

Thompson M JJ, Stevenson J, Songa – Barke E, Nott P, Bhatti S, Price A & Hudswell (1996) M Mental health of pre-school children and their mothers in a mixed urban / rural population- Prevalence and ecological factors British Journal of psychiatry 168, 16-20

Wasantha Gunathunga. (2006)Health beyond death: a new paradigm, SATmag, The Island newspaper. Upali Newspapers Ltd. Colombo. Saturday 10th June 2006 p1.

Wikipedia Electronic Encyclopaedia Wikipedia Electronic Encyclopaedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health accessed on 28/04/05(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health accessed on 28/04/05

. MW Gunathunga, LS Wijeratne, A Ruwanchintani, D Perera, ASB Dissanayake Effect of

an insight meditation program on the disease outcome of patients with rheumatoid and related arthritis. Annual Scientific sessions of SLMA 2010 31st May to 4th June, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.

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Thank youThank you

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