Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing

Mental health and psychological wellbeing are essential components of a healthy, productive, and meaningful life. In contemporary society, individuals are increasingly exposed to academic, occupational, social, technological, and personal pressures that may influence their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Understanding mental health is therefore important not only for psychology and allied disciplines but also for students, educators, professionals, families, and the wider community. The book Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing has been developed to provide a comprehensive and systematic understanding of stress, coping, mental health, psychological disorders, psychopathology, guidance, and counselling. The contents progress from the basic concepts of stress and its causes to its physiological, emotional, cognitive, behavioural, and social consequences. Particular attention is given to coping strategies and stress-management approaches that can help individuals understand and respond constructively to stressful situations. The book also addresses important mental-health concerns among adolescents and youth, including social media addiction, anxiety, depression, and suicide-related concerns. These topics are presented from an educational and preventive perspective, with emphasis on awareness, early recognition, protective factors, appropriate support, and professional help-seeking. The later chapters introduce readers to psychopathology, criteria of abnormality, historical perspectives, and contemporary classification systems, including DSM-5-TR and ICD-11. Major psychological models of psychopathology—including biological, psychoanalytic, behavioural, and cognitive approaches—are discussed to provide a multidimensional understanding of psychological disorders. Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and mood disorders are also examined in a structured manner. A significant portion of the book is devoted to guidance and counselling. It explains the meaning, principles, goals, ethical foundations, counselling process, major counselling approaches, and essential counselling skills. Applications in school, career, family, and group counselling are included, along with discussion of guidance and counselling in the Indian context. The book has been organised into 15 chapters, and each chapter includes learning outcomes, conceptual discussions, key terms, summaries, review questions, multiple-choice questions, and references. This pedagogical structure is intended to facilitate classroom teaching, independent learning, revision, and assessment. The book is designed primarily for students and teachers of psychology, education, social sciences, counselling, and related disciplines. It may also serve as a useful introductory reference for individuals interested in understanding mental health and psychological wellbeing. It is hoped that this book will contribute to greater awareness of mental health, encourage healthy coping and help-seeking behaviour, and promote a more balanced understanding of psychological wellbeing in academic and everyday life.