1 Perfect Mental Health Professor Wasantha Gunathunga MBBS (Col.)M.Sc., MD ( Community Medicine ) Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo

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 3

4 Who needs mental health support Who needs mental health support Who needs couseling Who needs couseling Challenges faced as a health professional in healing peoples’ minds Challenges faced as a health professional in healing peoples’ minds 4

5 Mental illness Mental states not amounting to mental illness Opportunity for improvement 5

What are the problems with “normal” people? 6

Anger 7

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Perfect Mental health Happiness Contentment Being productive Not just freedom from mental illness Ability to maintain these attributes 14

15 Advantages of mental health interventions Less violence Less violence Contentment Contentment Inner happiness (as opposed to showing happy) Inner happiness (as opposed to showing happy) Less needs and demands Less needs and demands Less NCDs (Rutledge etal 2000, Gunathunga etal 2010) Less NCDs (Rutledge etal 2000, Gunathunga etal 2010) Efficiency effectiveness Efficiency effectiveness Minimal side effects (Luskin etal 2001) Minimal side effects (Luskin etal 2001) Better immune function (Davidson etal 2003) Better immune function (Davidson etal 2003) 15

How do you get there? 16

Exercise Close your eyes for 30 seconds 17

Where mind visited Home Home Baby Baby Mind/thought Mind/thought Coldness Coldness Noises Noises Directors head Directors head Next step Next step Can I do med Can I do med 18

19 Body- mind-consciousness Body- mind-consciousness 19

20 I FeelingPerceiving Attachment Conflict BodyMind consciousness willing 20

21 Mind body coalition –an analogy Speechwork Think, plan, will 21

22 Where mind dwells –the three I s 5 55 Knowledge Language Qualifications Experience Etc, etc. 22

23 Point where contemplation is applied FeelingPerceiving Attachment Conflict BodyMind consciousness willing 23

24 Method of developing mental health Pain, touch etc. Noises thoughts Training non-attachment Body scan (25 parts) Letting go 24

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28 25 parts of the body for scanning Head, forehead, right eye, nose, left eye, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, chin, neck, (10) Head, forehead, right eye, nose, left eye, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, chin, neck, (10) chest upper, chest lower, abdomen upper, abdomen middle, abdomen lower, (5) chest upper, chest lower, abdomen upper, abdomen middle, abdomen lower, (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. (5) left thigh, l. knee, l. shin, l. foot, l. toes. (5) 28

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32 Where the real mental health is Developing dual vision eye Developing dual vision eye Concentration Wisdom Insight Training non-attachment

33 Multiple ripples approach

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

35 References 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, 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, 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 ( accessed on 28/04/05 Wikipedia Electronic Encyclopaedia ( accessed on 28/04/05http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health accessed on 28/04/05http://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 st May to 4 th June, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.

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Thank you Thank you 38