[Crimson Dynamo]

An interesting letter in the paper today from Denmark - what do you make of it?

SIR – What exactly does “mental health” mean? I see a mother slap her little
son in the street, and I get angry. I see an old man stumble on the
pavement, and I feel sorry for him. My boss bawls at me for being late, even
though she is late every day, and I resent her hypocrisy. My son falls sick,
and I worry.

All of these reflect a healthy mental state. So, what’s the opposite? When do
I need to look after my so-called mental health?

Perhaps happiness and unhappiness have been appropriated by psychologists
as indicators of mental health. The unhappy mind is sick, the happy mind is
healthy. Anger, grief, remorse and frustration are no longer states that
naturally arise in the healthy mind in response to the manifold phenomena of
human life, to be accepted and endured. They are instances of mental
sickness.

If this is the case, “mental health” is an empty phrase. It sounds good but is
phoney. Like saying that something difficult is not difficult but challenging.

Smiley Fogg
Copenhagen, Denmark