Page 5 - Progress Report 2019 07-31-19

UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH:

A working definition

Defining mental health for the Hallman project presented as a difficult task,

as the definition must be broad enough to encompass the complexities of student

life and simultaneously specific enough to maintain academic relevance. The

Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS)

Association uses the Canadian Government’s definition of mental health that

describes:

“the capacities of each and all of us to feel, think, and act in ways that

enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face. It is a

positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the

importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections, and personal

dignity” (Government of Canada, 2006).

This definition emphasizes wellness and relates closely to the definition

proposed by the World Health
Figure 1: Conceptualization of Mental Health
Organization (2001). A central

aspect of this definition is the

move away from discussions

of illness and a movement

towards health, wellness, and

concepts of “flourishing” such

as those outlined by Keyes

(2002). As shown in Figure 1,

4