Abstract: Objective To explore the difference in levels of mental health in teachers of medical colleges of different kinds of self-esteem and to clarify the
relationship between them.Methods Stratified sampling method was used,and 665 teachers in medical colleges were tested by Self-Esteem Scale (SES),Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSD) and  Mental Health Scale (MHS) for the levels of self-esteem and
mental health.Results The  scores of self-esteem and social desirability  were both significantly positively related to  the thoal score of  mental he
alth（r=0.67，P<0.01；r=0.50，P<0.01）;the scores of mental health in different kinds of self-esteem were all significantly different in total scores,dimensions and factors（P<0.01）;the total score of mental health of the high self-esteem was significantly higher
 than that of the low self-esteem（P<0.01）;the total score of mental health of the defensive high self-esteem was significantly higher than   that of the security high self-esteem,too（P<0.01）.Conclusion To medical teachers,self-esteem is significantly positively related to mental health.High self-esteem,especially with high social desirability contributes to mental health.

Key words: medical college teacher, defensive self-esteem, security self-esteem, mental health