Mental Health & Illnesses 101
Everyone has mental health.
Yes, mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It's our feelings, thoughts, emotions, and mood.
Does everyone have anxiety?
Yes, anxiety is a natural emotion.
True or False: Teens don't suffer from real depression.
False, 1.9 million youth between ages 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. It is one of the most common mental health concerns among teens.
True or False: Asking for help when you're struggling with your mental health means you're weak.
False - asking for help is a sign of strength and a desire to get better
True or False: Mental Illnesses are very common.
True, About 1 in 5 American adults and 1 in 5 children will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives - that's 20%!
Name two reasons people may not get help for mental health concerns...
Stigma or shame
Denial/ "Nothing's really wrong"
Cost/Lack of Insurance
Physical Access/Don't know Where to Get Help
Can't really put what they are feeling in words
Distrust/Lack of Providers That They Feel Safe With
Name three signs of anxiety.
Excessive sweating, Fast heartbeat, Trembling/twitching, Worrying, Panic, High alertness, Poor concentration, Stomach issues (bubble guts), No motivation, Avoidance, Social withdrawal, etc.
Name three signs of depression.
True or False: Self-medicating mental health issues with drugs or alcohol can have long-term negative impacts.
True, drugs and alcohol don't actually fix the problems, even if it makes you feel "good" short term, they leave long term negative impacts.
What is a coping skill?
Coping skills are strategies that help people deal with mental health challenges in order to achieve positive mental health and wellbeing.
Name three things that can impact our mental health.
Loneliness/Isolation
Grief/Loss
Unhealthy Relationships/Family/Friendships
Bullying
Unemployment/Lack of Resources
Sexuality
Sleeping problems
Life Events or Stages (new parent, childhood trauma, puberty, moving into adulthood, etc)
Alcohol/Drug Use
Name two things you should NOT do to a friend that shows anxiety.
Make fun of them, Ignore them, Make them feel alone, etc.
True or False: Depression has to be triggered by a tragic event.
False, depression can "come out of the blue". Nothing dramatic or tragic has to happen to cause depression. Additionally, if depression runs in your family you are more likely to experience depression as well.
How do know if it may be a good idea for you or a friend to seek therapy?
If a behavior, mood, or emotion is impacting your everyday life. If it gets in the way of you being the best you can be in your relationships, in school, at work, or impacts your physical health it may be a good idea to seek help.
What is a trauma?
Your emotional or physical response to anything that you consider too overwhelming without enough support to understand or cope with. This could be abuse, accidents, parent separation, natural disasters, etc.
How is Mental Illness different from Mental Health?
Everyone has mental health - it's our thoughts, feelings, mood, and emotions.
Mental illness is an illness that affects the way people think, feel, behave, or interact with others. Mental illness is a term used to group many different illnesses and they all have different symptoms that impact peoples' lives in different ways.
Ex: Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, etc.
How do you know when anxiety has turned into something you should seek help for?
When anxiety starts to impact daily functioning.
Such as trouble sleeping, not getting work done due to your worries, avoiding situations/area, your realize your worries are unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation, etc.
What do antidepressants attempt to help and how long does it take for them to start having an effect?
They try to correct imbalances in neurotransmitters that influence depression, and usually between 2 to 4 weeks.
True or False: You need to know exactly what you're going to say and how you're going to say it before you talk to a counselor/therapist.
False.
Counselors are there to listen to whatever is troubling you, and you can open up to them at a pace that you are comfortable with.
Tip: If you feel like you might get nervous and freeze up, it often helps to write things down before your next session. This also helps you to organize your thoughts and put things in perspective.
True or False: Medication is the only treatment method that works for mental health issues.
False.
Medication can be helpful and is sometimes necessary depending on the severity of the issue, but other methods such as therapy and support groups can also be very helpful, especially when all are combined.
Your grandma calls and talks to you about your cousin. She says, "Your cousin wants to tell everyone they have a mental illness, but I KNOW they are just wanting to make people feel bad for them." What do you say or do...
Nicely, educate grandma about mental health and mental illness being a real thing. Tell grandma saying it's not real only makes it worse for your cousin. Tell your grandma that your cousin should feel supported and be encouraged to get help.
Your friend has sweaty armpits, sweats from his forehead, and paces back in forth before gym class. He does not want to go into the gym because he doesn't want to work out in front of everyone. He says, "I'm just going to keep doing what I always do, I'll say my stomach hurts and I'll sit in the office until next hour." What do you say or do...
Encourage your friend to talk with a school counselor or someone he trusts about their anxiety.
Don't make fun of him or make him feel alone.
Explain that this plan is not going to work forever so coming up with a different plan would work best.
Your best friend has been acting weird lately so you want to go over to their house to talk to them about it. Their mom lets you in and says they are up in their room. You walk up to the door and hear crying. You slowly open the door and you see your friend with a razor and their legs are cut. What will you say/do in this moment...
Don't be judgmental. Show them that you care.
Try to get them to talk to you about what's wrong. Try to get them to talk to someone they trust (their parent in the home, a crisis helpline, your parent, a school counselor, etc). Talk to them about where they can get help. Don't leave them alone until you both have a plan in place for what to do next.
Your friend wants to talk to their mom about the way they've been feeling but they don't know where to start. Help your friend start the conversation. Give them the first 3 lines of what they should say...
Improv
:)
What are some untruths you've heard about mental health and illness?
Improv :)