Research carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE), in advance of the launch of a national mental health campaign, has found that people often equate mental health with its opposite, mental illness.
The Mental Health Awareness and Attitudes in Ireland Survey, commissioned by the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention, also found that almost two-thirds of respondents would not want other people to know if they themselves were experiencing a mental health problem.
Extensive focus group research found that while people really support the idea of a positive mental health campaign, they are generally reluctant to talk about mental health issues.
Older adults experienced alarm at their memories of people being incarcerated in mental hospitals in the past.
This age group was also concerned at the coping skills and mental strength of their sons and daughters who, in their view, had yet to experience "hard times".
Those bringing up families focused on the need to talk and listen to teenagers. They were specifically concerned about exam stress, eating disorders, drink and drugs, and pressures to have sex. This group also felt that marriage breakdown had, to some extent, subverted the family structure and placed an additional stress on parents and children.
Women aged 25-50 focused mainly on post-natal depression; many women felt they had come close to experiencing it.
In the 18-30 age group, respondents felt there was a need to cope with exam and workplace pressure as well as the stress of commuting.
This group also experienced a growing worry about personal debt.
Overall, mental health is more often thought about in the context of its absence rather than its presence. And those surveyed placed little or no emphasis on prevention.
As a result, the national mental health campaign to be launched early next month will focus on making people aware that they need to mind their mental health in order to keep it healthy.
Other key messages will include encouragement for people to talk about their mental health in the same way they discuss physical health issues.