Mental Health Intro...

Mental Health- Wellness of the mind

Key Terms:

• Personality-
• Unique characteristics of a person ex: introvert, extrovert, aggressive, passive.
• Type A- High strung, easily irritated
• Type B- Laid back, easy going
• Which is more likely to suffer from a heart attack?
• Self Image-
• Picture one has of him/herself based on experiences and what others have told him/her

Mental Health Philosophers

• Abraham Maslow
• Sigmund Freud
• Eric Erickson

Maslow

• “Hierarchy of Needs”
• These are needs that need to be fulfilled in order to live a healthy productive life

​

​

• Self Actualization- Need to be and do what the person was born to do. “Calling” If these needs are not met, the person feels restless, anxious, and unfulfilled.
• Esteem Needs- Need for self respect, confidence
• Social Needs- Need to escape loneliness, alienation, give and receive love, belong
• Safety and Security- Felt often in times of turmoil such as war
• Physiological Needs- Food, shelter, clothing

How do these basic needs affect things like overall health, and the way one cares for him/her self?

Maslow said...

• Very few people will ever become truly self actualized.
• He said that Abe Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt were.

​

Sigmund Freud

• “Father of Psychoanalysis”
• He believed that a person is who they are as an adult because of the things they experienced as a child.
• Theories were largely based on sexuality and subconscious thoughts, as well as the defense mechanism of repression

• Discovered the “talking cure” as a way of coping with problems
• Dream analysis was used to study subconscious thought
• Coined “psychosomatic illness”-physical illness related to psychological causes

Eric Erikson

• Student of Freud
• Specialized in child psychology
• Harvard Professor
• His Main theory:
• A person’s personality develops throughout life, and is not based solely on childhood experiences.
• Coined the term “identity crisis”

Discussion…

• Which has a bigger impact on personality, heredity or environment? WHY?
• How are you building your identity?
• Identify someone you believe is self actualized. Why?

​

Mental Disorders

What is a mental disorder?

• A person is unable to deal with the demands of life, has difficulty relating to others, can’t distinguish between fantasy and reality, lacks resiliency
• Stigma associated with mental illness…

• Stigma is a negative judgment based on a personal trait — in this case, having a mental health condition
• Mental illness is often thought to be the result of weakness
• Can be seen in negative comments or in fear of the person being violent
• Some of the harmful effects of stigma include:
• Trying to pretend nothing is wrong
• Refusal to seek treatment
• Rejection by family and friends
• Work or school problems or discrimination
• Difficulty finding housing
• Being subjected to physical violence or harassment
• Inadequate health insurance coverage of mental illnesses

Factors leading to mental disorders...

• Environment- Pollution, traumatic experience
• Organic- Physical ex. Brain tumors, drug use, chemical imbalance
• Heredity- ex. depression

Anxiety Disorders

• What Are Anxiety Disorders?
• When worry and fear interfere with normal functioning, it’s an anxiety disorder. Several types of recognized anxiety disorders exist.
• They are the most common type of mental disorder in the US, affecting 18% of adults

Causes...

• Chronic Stress
• Anxiety may be caused by a mental condition, a physical condition, the effects of drugs, or from a combination of these.

​

Panic Disorder

• In addition to anxiety, common symptoms of panic disorders are palpitations (feeling your heart beat), dizziness and shortness of breath.
• Panic attacks are sudden intense fears. Some people think they are having a heart attack or feel like they are going to die.
• May last 5-20 minutes
• more women than men suffer from them

Causes of panic disorder:

• Panic attacks and panic disorder may be caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals or a family history of panic disorder. They sometimes happen with no clear cause.

​

• Phobias- fear of a thing or situation. Usually come from past experiences
• examples: Claustrophobia- fear of enclosed spaces
• Arachnophobia- fear of spiders
• Treatments: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy- Desensitization: exposure to the source of anxiety repeatedly to desensitize the person to the object or situation they fear.
• Medication

• OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder)
• Characterized by rigid behaviors including obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. The person has fear that if he does not fulfill these compulsions, something bad will happen.
• Examples: “checking and counting”, organizing and sorting, cleaning

PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Anxiety disorder that develops after a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.
• Persistent frightening thoughts of the ordeal
• sleep problems
• feel detached
• example: Veterans returning war have been showing increasing numbers of cases of PTSD, also seen in abuse victims

Dissociative Disorders

• Amnesia- Loss of memory- due to some type of trauma or head injury or traumatic event

​

​

​

• MPD/DID
• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• More than one personality develop in a person. Usually as a “defense mechanism”. Abused children sometimes develop to protect from the abuse.
• Personalities usually exist without knowing that others are there.
• The personalities are known as “alters”
• The goal is to “reintroduce to each other”

Research shows

• Traumatic memories are not processed in the same way that normal memories are.
• Instead they are “split off” and may erupt into consciousness from time to time.
• The affected person can not control these memories

• Female to male ratio is 9:1
• It’s not unusual for alters to have different genders, nationalities, sexual orientation or ages
• Average # of alters is 2-10, some people have reported over 100.

Schizophrenia

• “Split Mind”
• Breakdown in logical thought process
• Biological disorder caused by chemical imbalances
• Affects 1% of of population 18 & older
• Most are not violent!

Symptoms

• Can’t think clearly-
• Delusions- “False Belief”
• Delusion of Grandeur- belief that one is “bigger than they are” ex. President
• Delusion of Persecution- Fear that others are out to get them. “Paranoia”

Symptoms cont’d�

• Social Withdrawal

​

• Hallucinations- Hearing or seeing things that are not present
• “Hearing voices”

​

Treatment

• Can be treated with medication
• Usually presents its self in the late teens, early 20’s for males and 20’s to 30’s for females. In rare cases can present in childhood.
• Medications can help to eliminate many of the symptoms and allow people to live productive, happy lives

Personality Disorders

• Borderline personality disorder:
• characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior
• 2 percent of adults, mostly young women
• A person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse
• Unstable relationships with family and friends ranging from intense adoration to anger and dislike
• Often accompanied by impulsive behaviors such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sexual behaviors.

Treatments

• Psychotherapy
• Use of antidepressants and anti-psychotic medications

​

​

• Recent Research Shows…
• Studies show that many, but not all individuals with BPD report a history of abuse, neglect, or separation as young children. Forty to 71 percent of BPD patients report having been sexually abused, usually by a non-caregiver.

Depression

Recognizing Illness...

• Today it is much more likely people with Depression or other mental health problems, will get treatment.

​

• There is not as much STIGMA.
• Stigma- Negative generalizations
• A person is “Crazy, Wacko, Insane”

Who suffers from depression?

• 1:8 teens suffers from Depression
• Females are at higher risk
• Higher risk:
• Teens under stress, suffered loss, have learning problems are at greater risk.

​

Depression

• An extreme feeling of hopelessness, and helplessness
• Signs of depression:
• Lack of motivation, change in sleeping patterns, change in eating patterns, Isolation, irritability, rage,

What is the difference between depression and feeling “blue”?

• Depression, like any other mental illness, is something that goes beyond everyday feelings.
• Mental Illnesses interfere with every day living

Treatments:

• Combination of medication and therapy
• Antidepressants- work to correct chemical imbalances in the brain.
• 2 most common:
• SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors)
• Tricyclics

​

Bipolar Disorder ( Manic Depression)

• Characterized by extreme highs and lows.
• Manic state: A great deal of energy, happy, cleaning sprees, spending sprees
• Depressive state: Feeling low, unmotivated, may be paranoid

The states of Bipolar disorder...

• Can change quickly or over a longer period of time.

Treatment for depression and Bipolar...

• Counseling- With a mental health professional
• Medication- Medication is often used because these illnesses are strongly related to chemical imbalances in the brain. They tend to be very helpful.
• Combination of the two. This is usually the case.

Mental Health Professionals

• Psychologist- Master’s degree in psychology. Counsels, diagnoses, tests.
• Psychiatrist- Medical doctor. Counsels, diagnoses, and can prescribe medication.

Social worker- Master’s degree in Social work. Counsels, refers.

Neurologist- A medical doctor that treats the brain and nerves. Usually after a trauma

• National Mental Health Association�2001 N. Beauregard Street, 12th Floor�Alexandria, VA 22311�Phone 703/684-7722�Fax 703/684-5968�Mental Health Resource Center 800/969-NMHA�TTY Line 800/433-5959
• American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry�3615 Wisconsin Avenue NW�Washington, DC 20016�www.aacap.org

​