MENTAL HEALTH, NEUROSCIENCE AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS

Abstract

Mental health is often only seen as psychological issue, but in reality it affected by many factors working together. This chapter looks at mental health by connecting three important areas; Neuroscience, mental health, and social context. It focuses on how the brain and how social experiences can affect both brain activity and emotional wellbeing. The study explains basic brain processes such as neurotransmitter activity, stress response and brain plasticity and shows how these processes are changed by social factors like family environment, trauma, socioeconomic conditions, cultural pressure and having social support. Common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress related disorders are discussed to understand how long term stress can lead to changes in brain functioning and overall personality disorder and also increase the risk of complications in other mental health problems and affect daily lifestyle. At the same time, the study also shows how positive social relationships and supportive environments can improve mental wellbeing. Having emotional supports from family and friends and the community helps people manage stress and regulate their emotions better. This highlights that mental health care should not focus only on medicines or therapy but also should consider social conditions and daily life experiences to support long term recovery and decrease the threat of self harm.