Glossary of Terms

The following are definitions of key terms that will appear often throughout this tool kit.

CAPACITY BUILDING involves enhancing the ability of individuals and groups to mobilize and develop resources, skills and commitments needed to accomplish shared goals.

COMMUNITY CAPACITY refers to the ability of community members to use the assets of its residents, associations and institutions to improve quality of life. Each community’s collection of assets will be unique, for it will reflect the specific characteristics of its population, its political structures and geography.

Many different terms, including CONSUMER, SURVIVOR, CONSUMER/SURVIVOR and EX-PATIENT have been coined in North America to describe people who have experienced mental illness. The terminology chosen implies a particular point of view, and can change over time with changes in ideology and perspective.

Since consumer and consumer/survivor are the most widely used term across Canada at the time of writing, you will come across these terms in this tool kit in the sections addressing the relevance of mental health promotion for people with mental illness.

The concept of EMPOWERMENT is the bedrock upon which mental health promotion efforts are built. Empowerment means having a sense of control over one’s life, and is crucial for everyone, whoever they are and wherever they live. Empowerment is strongly related to feelings of personal well-being.

HEALTH PROMOTION is concerned with maximizing the involvement of individuals and communities in improving and protecting quality of life and well-being. Health promotion aims to address equity in health, the risks to health, sustainable environments conducive to health, and the empowerment of individuals and communities by contributing to healthy public policy, advocating for health, enabling skills development and education.

MENTAL HEALTH is an integral part of overall health. Mental health is the result of the interaction of various predisposing factors (i.e. early childhood experiences) precipitating factors (i.e. stressful life events), social support and individual resources (i.e. resiliency) and experiences.

MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION is the process of developing positive mental health both for and with the community in general and individuals who experience mental illness.

The concept of mental health promotion recognizes that people’s mental health is inextricably linked to their relationship with others, environmental and lifestyle factors, and the degree of power they can exert over their lives.

MENTAL lLLNESS is a recognized, medically diagnosable disorder that results in the significant impairment of an individual’s cognitive, affective or relational abilities. Mental illnesses result from biological, developmental and/or psychosocial factors.

In the context of this kit, PARTNERSHIPS are alliances that are used to improve the health of a community. COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS bring together people from diverse parts of the community in order to address a particular issue co-operatively, and with mutual respect and sensitivity. A wide range of skills and resources is present in such collective efforts, a feature that makes collaborative partnerships especially powerful tools in bringing about change.

POSlTlVE MENTAL HEALTH is the emotional resilience which enables us to enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment and sadness. It involves a positive sense of well-being and an underlying belief in our own, and others’ dignity and worth.

RESILIENCY is a recurring theme in discussions about and approaches to mental health promotion. In this context, resiliency can be described as the quality that allows an individual or group to function well despite the odds against them. Two fundamental concepts are associated with resiliency: risk and protective factors. Mental health promotion concepts focus on minimizing the impact of risk factors (such as stressful life events) and enhancing the protective factors such as social support that increase people’s ability to deal with life’s challenges.

STAKEHOLDERS are those people who are interested, involved, and invested in the project or initiative in some way. In the case of mental health promotion initiatives, groups of people who might be identified as stakeholders may be: community groups, funders, health and social service providers, or university or college-based research teams.

"MENTAL HEALTH is created, and jeopardized, in families and schools, on streets and in workplaces. It is the result of the way we are treated by others, and the way we treat other people and ourselves".
Framework for Action for Promoting Mental Health in Europe. European Commission, 1997

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