An Evaluation of How Communities Influence Mental Health and Wellbeing

This essay examines the intricate relationship between communities and the mental health of their members. It defines community and explores factors that drive individuals to form and live within them, such as security, well-being, and social causes. The essay highlights the increasing prominence of mental health in the 21st century, noting the impact of community on emotional and behavioral balance. It discusses the SEEP model, emphasizing the roles of social, environmental, political, economical and ethical factors. The essay emphasizes the human need for social connection and the importance of community in combating loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging. It also addresses environmental factors like neighborhood characteristics, and proposes community-level actions to enhance mental wellbeing, such as social events and counseling services. In conclusion, the essay stresses the significant role of communities in promoting mental health by addressing issues like loneliness and depression, ultimately improving the quality of life for individuals.

Running head: COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
Communities and Mental Health
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
As opined by Block (2018), community can be defined as a group of individuals
residing in the same place or having the some particular traits or characteristics in common
which distinguish them from the others. Strasser et al. (2015) argue that the members of a
particular community by virtue of residing together not only share the resources of the area
but at the same have common interests as well. There are various factors which propel or
motivate the individuals to form communities and live in them, namely, security, well-being,
physical as well as mental health, social causes and others (Bulmer 2015). According to
Belone et al. (2016), the term “sound mental health” can be defined as the mental state in
which an individual is being able to maintain an adequate level of emotional and behavioral
balance. In this regard, it needs to be said that in the 21st century then notion of sound mental
health has gained a substantial amount of prominence and the majority of the individuals live
in communities so as to not feel alone or depressed and also to have a sound mental health.
This essay will evaluate the manner in which the communities affect the mental health of the
people who live in it.
As stated by Bromley et al. (2015), mental health has emerged as one of the major
problems that the different people of the world are currently facing and which is adversely
affecting the quality of live that they are leading. As a matter of fact, it is seen that more than
12.2% of the entire world is suffering from one form of mental problem or the other like
depression, anxiety, dipolar disorder, dementia and others (Block 2018). Greenhalgh et al.
(2016) have articulated the viewpoint that the communities as well as the societies in which
the individuals reside play a pivotal role in the physical and mental wellbeing of the
individuals by having a direct impact of their lives. More importantly, recent researches and
also the SEEP Model clearly reveals the fact that the social, environmental, political,
economical and ethical or the values of a community play a significant role in the lives of the
people and also the fact whether these people are likely to have sound mental health or not

2COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
depends greatly on these factors (Lewallen et al. 2015). These factors are important because
of the fact that it is the conglomeration of all these factors which enables the individuals to
fulfill the basic psychosocial needs of theirs and thereby attain a sound level of mental or
emotional health.
As opined by Artiga and Hinton (2018), man by nature is a social animal and this is
the reason why all human beings regardless of the class or the background to which they
belong always prefer to live in communities orb societies. As a matter of fact, many theorists
over the years have tried to explain the emergence of the societies and the communities on
the basis of the aspect of social cohesion and also the desire of the human beings to live in
groups for security and other reasons (Eldredge et al. 2016). For example, living in
communities offers the right of sense of security to the individuals regarding the dangers
from the forces of nature and also from other forms of outside attack. More importantly,
living in societies or communities at the same time helps in the creation of belongingness to a
particular group which is important when the present day fragmented world is taken into
consideration (Fairweather et al. 2017). The net result of this is that the human beings by
means of residing in a community try to create social bonds with the other members of the
community for various kinds of reasons. For example, this helps them to overcome loneness
which is one of the major contributors to the problem of mental health, creates a sense of
belongingness among them, foster a sense of security and the feeling that there are people
who share the interests like them and others (Block 2018).
Belone et al. (2016) are of the viewpoint that the root causes of the majority of the
mental health problems faced by the individuals in the present times can be ascribed to the
loneliness, detachment, the feeling of lack of belongingness, the inability to express their
feelings to others who are likely to understand them and others. In this regard, it can be said
that the communities help the individuals to overcome these barriers and thereby express

3COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
themselves in a much effective manner which in turn helps them to have a sound mental
health (Bulmer 2015). For example, a young guy who is living in a community is likely to
meet other young people of his own age and thus would be able to spend his time and also
share his thoughts with them. This is likely to offer a window to the young kid through which
he can not only channelize his emotions and thoughts but at the same time develop a sound
mental health. On the other hand, if the same individual is in a place wherein he is not able to
share his thoughts or emotions in an effective manner then it is likely that the kid will start
showing signs of mental problems. Thus, it can be said that the social factors play an integral
role in the development of a sound mental health among the members of the community.
Fairweather et al. (2017) have articulated the viewpoint that one of the major reasons
which had propelled the individuals over the years to form communities or become a part of
the same can be traced back to the environmental factors. In this regard, it can be said that the
major environmental factors which affects an individual within a particular community are
the neighborhood, home of the individual and others. As opined by Artiga and Hinton (2018),
the social and the environmental factors are greatly interlinked with each other and have a
significant impact of the mental as well as emotional well-being of the individuals. The
characteristics of the neighborhood in which an individual is residing, namely, the nature of
the people who are residing it, the background from which they hail, the kind of social or
other kinds of events which are being organized by the members of the society and others
(Lewallen et al. 2015). One of the major roles of the environment in which an individual
resides is to enable the individuals develop a feeling of belongingness and also feel a
connection with the other members of the community (Eldredge et al. 2016). More
importantly, if the neighborhood in which an individual is residing is a friendly one then this
is likely to positively affect the perception of the concerned individual regarding the world
and also life. On the other hand, if the members of the community are not friendly and

4COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
indulge in derogatory kind of activities then this can scar the individuals and also they can
develop a distrust for the entire fraternity of human beings which can lead on to various kinds
of mental health problems in the latter part of their lives. Thus, it can be said that the
environment factors play an integral role in shaping the mental health of the members of a
community in a significant manner.
There are various practices or actions which can be done at the community level that
can improve the mental health and wellbeing of the individuals. Firstly, organization of
regular social or cultural events in which the different members of the community can
connect with each other in an effective manner is one way through which the mental health
and wellbeing of the members of the community can be enhanced (Greenhalgh et al. 2016).
Secondly, the mental health and wellbeing of the members of a community can be improved
in an effective manner through the organization of various counseling sessions and also
through the appointment of a regular fulltime counselor (Lewallen et al. 2015). More
importantly, the job role of this counselor will to speak to the members of the community on
a regular basis and also to offer the required assistance to the people having mental health and
wellbeing issues. In addition to this, various groups like the youth group, housewives group
and others can be formed on the basis of the age, background and other parameters which
will help the individuals to feel a sense of belongingness and thereby the chances will be less
of feeling loneliness, depression and other common mental problems (Sanford 2017).
To conclude, mental problems or disorders have emerged as one of the problems that
the people of the contemporary times are facing and which is adversely affecting the quality
of their lives. More importantly, the communities or the societies in which the individuals
dwell or reside play a pivotal role in the mental as well as emotional wellbeing of the
individuals. In this regard, it needs to be said that the different communities not only a sense
of security to the individuals but at the same help them to feel the required connection and

5COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
belongingness with the world around them. This is important from the perspective of the
mental health of the individuals since in the recent times it is seen that the majority of the
people suffering from mental health issues complain of loneliness, depression and other
similar problems. Thus, the communities by helping the individuals to address these problems
contribute in a significant manner towards the improvement of their mental health and
wellbeing.

6COMMUNITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
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