Myths and Facts
Myth or Fact: Mental health issues are rare
Myth. Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.
This disorder is a combination of a manic phase (a sudden onset of exhilaration and excessive good mood), and a depressive phase (feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and prolonged sadness).
Bi-Polar Disorder
This is a qualified professional you can go to if you are having a hard time with your mental health.
Therapist, Social Worker, Counselor, Psychologist, Psychiatrist
(any of the above are an acceptable answer)
You notice that your friend has been really distant and withdrawn lately, and seeming down. You used to hang out and play squash together all the time, but they never want to do anything anymore.
Name three things you could do.
Ask them how they're doing! Listen to them, and let them know you're there to help. Encourage them to talk to parent other trusted adult. Suggest they talk to someone like a therapist or counselor, or go to Sasha or Emma. Offer to go with them! Keep checking in.
This is the diagnosis that both Mariah Carey and Demi Lovato have
Bipolar Disorder
Myth or Fact: People with a mental illness never get better.
Myth. Once diagnosed, mental illness is treatable. While it is not usually “cured”, it can be effectively managed. With help and support from family, friends and mental health professionals, people with a mental illness can lead productive, fulfilling lives.
Some symptoms of this mental illness include feelings of despair and hopelessness, feeling detached from life and those around you, continued fatigue or loss of energy, crying for no apparent reason, inability to concentrate or make decisions, thoughts of suicide, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, losing interest in things you used to enjoy
Depression
These are the two full-time social workers at StreetSquash, who can help you and your family find a mental health professional to go to
Emma and Sasha
Your friend tells you that they are going to harm themselves and they make you promise to keep it a secret.
TELL SOMEONE. Tell an adult. It is better to have a friend who is alive and mad at you than to lose a friend to suicide.
If you think they are serious about attempting suicide right now, encourage them to go to a hospital, and don't be afraid to call 911.
Chrissy Teigen has opened up about experiencing this common mental health issue
Post-partum Depression
Myth or Fact: People become mentally ill because they are weak or because they had bad parents.
Myth. Researchers generally think mental illness results from a mix of what's going on in your body and what's happening around you. Some people may have a certain predisposition or tendency for a certain illness, yet also need to have certain things happening in their environment for the illness to develop
This is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Some symptoms include: flashbacks, nightmares, uncontrollable thoughts about the event, depression, irritability, being easily startled or frightened, anxiety. Other people might actually have trouble remembering the scary event at all.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
This is what you should do if you are having thoughts about wanting to hurt yourself or kill yourself
Tell someone! Preferably, tell a trusted adult. But if that feels too hard, tell a friend who can help you get the support you need.
You have a friend who used to smoke weed occasionally on the weekends, but lately has been coming to school high every single day.
What is one things you should NOT do?
You should not ignore it or pretend like there's nothing going on. Your friend is probably self-medicating and might have a serious problem.
This singer and actress has lupus, and has experienced anxiety and depression as a side of effect of the illness
Selena Gomez
Myth or Fact: If someone in your family has a mental illness, you are more likely to develop one as well.
Fact. Although you will not necessarily develop any kind of mental illness, if someone in your family has a mental disorder you will be at higher risk. So, if you start to experience the symptoms of a mental disorder it will be important for you to see a health provider as soon as possible to determine if you have a problem that will require treatment.
Sometimes people who experience this believe they are dying of a heart attack, when they are actually not. Other common symptoms include sweating, nausea, trembling and numbness in the legs or hands, dizziness, hot or cold flashes, a feeling of tightness or pressure in the chest, hyperventilation, “jelly” legs or blurred vision can develop. Individuals may even feel like they are going to die of a heart attack.
Panic Attack/ Anxiety attack
Name 3 reasons someone might not ask for help
They don't want to "burden anyone else with their problems", it is hard to talk about, it makes them feel vulnerable, fear of being judged, stigma, don't know who to tell, don't think the problem is "serious enough", asking for help is "giving up", no resources available
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has public discussed struggling with this mental health diagnosis
Depression
Mental illness only occurs in adulthood.
Myth. Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.
This is a kind of anxiety disorder that may involve repeated, persistent and unwanted thoughts, urges or images that are intrusive and cause distress or anxiety, and/or repetitive behaviors that you feel driven to perform
OCD
This is a common kind of medication used to treat depression an anxiety
SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
Essentially, SSRIs increase serotonin in the brain. Neural systems affected by increased serotonin regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and digestion.
This actress from Scandal said: "My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why wouldn't I go to a shrink?"
Kerry Washington