Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Imaging Pericytes Post-Subarachnoid Hemorrhaging in Rodents
Published on: August 18, 2023
Vital spaces and mental health
Steven D Brown1, Paula Reavey2
1Open University Business School, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK steven.brown@open.ac.uk.
Abstract:
The impact of social and material conditions on mental health is well established but lacking in a coherent approach. We offer the concept of 'vitality' as means of describing how environments facilitate 'feelings of being alive' that cut across existing diagnostic categories. Drawing on the work of Stern, Fuchs, Worms and Duff, we argue that vitality is not solely a quality of an individual body, but rather emerges from attunements and resonances between bodies and materials. We use vitality as a lens to explore how movements within and between assembled sets of relations can facilitate or disable feelings and expressions of being alive. Building on extended discussions of both inpatient and community-based mental healthcare, we sketch out a research agenda for analysing 'vital spaces'.
Related Concept Videos
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Introduction to Vital Signs
Vital signs help healthcare professionals assess an individual's well-being and detect any functional changes...
Guidelines For Measuring Vital Signs
Before taking a patient's vital signs, a nurse would consider and assess the patient's comfort level and ensure appropriate equipment is available.
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
State Space Representation
Consider an RLC circuit, a...
Space Trusses
At the core of a space truss lies the fundamental unit known as the tetrahedron. This structure is composed of six members that form a three-dimensional shape...

