No Health without Wholistic Health: An Empirical Approach to Mental Health Cultivation

Young people living in Mudzi face a variety of life challenges. It is unfortunate that the only available service providers, especially the church, have not been actively seeking the well-being of these youths. Though the church had ministered to them spiritually, it had neglected its wholistic mission. For that reason, the mental well-being of these young people is that one that was ultimately affected. They have become so vulnerable due to the neglect of the wholistic duty of the church. Though authors have written on mental health, the wholistic nature of humanity has not yet received enough attention and research. Methods: The phenomenological study sought to understand the lived experiences of young people concerning wholistic health vis-?-vis mental and spiritual health. The researcher interviewed five young people and four key informants, and their responses were transcribed, analysed, and coded to produce a key theme for this study. Results: Young people and key informants believe that human beings are physical, mental, social, and spiritual and that each of their domains of development contributes to their wholistic well-being. Neither physical, social, mental/emotional, nor spiritual health is less important to achieving wholistic health. If young people are to be healthy-whole, they need to be educated, ministered to, and empowered to address health from a wholistic perspective because there is no health without wholistic health.