Empathy, Sense of Coherence and Resilience: Bridging Personal, Public and Global Mental Health and Conceptual Synthesis

Abstract

Different ways of thinking about policy-making for public and global mental health are constantly emerging. Turning patients into consumers and mental health into commodity may open the door for dystopic future of mental health care. Research has indicated that practicing love, kindness, and compassion for ourselves and others builds our confidence and sense of coherence, helps us create meaningful, caring relationships, increases individual and community resilience and well-being, promotes human rights, physical and mental health. Public and global mental health promotion may be predicated on the theory of salutogenesis and three key inter-related terms: empathy, coherence and resilience. The WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-20120 is based on the vision of a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected, and has four objectives: to improve leadership and governance, health and social care, promotion and prevention, and information and research. Practicing public and global actions that promote and educate empathy, coherence and resilience may significantly help achieving equality for mental health in the 21st century and improving public and global mental health.