What is the term used to describe when someone experiences a mental illness and a substance use disorder simultaneously?
What is "dual diagnosis" or "co-occurring disorders"
Once a person develops mental health problems, they never recover.
What is Myth?
Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely. Recovery refers to the process where people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities.
Which Olympic Swimmer spoke about his experience with depression:
“I remember sitting in my room for four or five days not wanting to be alive, not talking to anybody, trying to self medicate with drugs. That was a struggle for me … I reached that point where I finally realized I couldn’t do it alone”
Who is Michael Phelps?
True or False.
A person can control when they have a panic attack.
What is False?
Panic attacks and sudden feelings of high anxiety and terror often occur without warning. A panic attack is caused by the body's alarm system (fight/flight/freeze), which is an unconscious system used to protect us from danger.
True or False?
Only people struggling with mental health diagnoses need to use coping skills.
What is False?
True or False.
Addiction and frequent use of a substance can alter a person's brain chemistry.
What is True?
Addiction affects the neurotransmitters in a person's brain and can alter the reward structures of the brain. This can change a person's motivations and often, the "reward" in the brain from engaging in an addictive behavior can be greater than the reward gained from healthy self-care related behaviors.
Everyone's experience of a mental health disorder (like depression) is the same.
What is Myth?
While there are similarities in the signs/symptoms a person with a mental health disorder can experience, not everyone's experience will be exactly the same.
Age can also influence the experience of a mental health disorder. For example, Major Depression in teens/children might include more irritability than sadness.
“My anxiety has anxiety … I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it".
This famous pop singer opened up about her battle with PTSD and anxiety following a bombing at a UK concert venue where she was preforming.
Who is Ariana Grande?
_______ and ________ is the most effective combination of treating depression.
What is medication and therapy?
In your own words, define mindfulness, and provide three examples of mindfulness coping skills.
Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment.
Possible examples of mindfulness coping skills - yoga, meditation, mindfulness walk, deep breathing, and mindful eating.
True or false.
Persistent risk and/or reoccurrence of lapse or relapse, after periods of abstinence, is a fundamental feature of addiction.
What is True?
Reoccurrence of lapse and relapse can be triggered by exposure to rewarding substances and behaviors, by exposure to environmental cues to use, and by exposure to emotional stressors that trigger heightened activity in brain stress circuits.
If someone in your family has a mental illness or struggles with substances, it increases your risk factor developing either mental health/substance use disorders or both.
What is Truth?
Although you will not necessarily develop any kind of disorder, if someone in your family already has a mental health disorder and/or a substance use disorder, you will be at greater risk for developing one.
This prolific author of suspense, horror, and fantasy novels used substances and alcohol to mitigate his depression for years. His substance use was so extreme that he describes years missing form his life.
" [there is a whole novel] I barely remember writing at all. I don't say that with pride or shame, only with a vague sense of sorrow and loss. I like that book. I wish I could remember enjoying the good parts as I put them down on the page."
Who is Stephen King?
True or False?
In the US, depression affects over 18 million adults (one in ten) in any given year and is the leading cause of disability for ages 15-44.
What is True?
Worldwide, depression affects over 300 million people, regardless of culture, age, gender, religion, race or economic status.
Joey's parents just told him they got an email from one of his teachers that said he's been on his phone too much in class. During the discussion, Joey starts feel angry, and notices that his breathing has changed and his voice has gotten louder. Name two coping skills that Joey can use to regulate and effectively communicate with his parents.
Coping skills Joey could use:
Take a time out, go for a walk, exercise, splash cold water on his face, text a friend, journal, rip up paper, scream into a pillow, punch a punching bag, etc.
Any substance or process (behavioral) addiction is characterized by the ABCDE's, which stand for...
What is...
A- Inability to Abstain from behavior/substance
B - lack of Behavioral control
C - Cravings for behavior/substance
D - Diminished recognition of behavior as problematic
E - dysfunctional Emotional responses
If you don't feel better after being in treatment for a month, there is nothing anyone can do.
What is Myth?
Mental health and substance use treatment is a long term process, and it is common for people to experience a lower mood/high anxiety in the first month of treatment. This does not mean the treatment isn't working or the person isn't trying hard enough - you are processing difficult things and learning new ways to cope. Its a process - be kind yourself!
The Great Gatsby remains his best-known work, but other novels such as The Beautiful and the Damned detail a lot of the same ground. Which famous author, who was known for his glamorous and tumultuous lifestyle, full of wild parties, travel, and an overall glittering life, had a dark side punctuated by alcoholism and depression?
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Research published in the Journal of Studies in Alcohol and Drugs found that about one in three depressive episodes among a population of men tracked over 30 years were due to alcohol use.
This type of psychotherapy, which helps treat anxiety, asks people to focus on their reactions to events, not changing the events themselves, and to identify and alter counterproductive thinking patterns that can contribute to anxiety.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Claire is struggling with having to stay inside as a result of a quarantine. Not being able to go outside and see her friends has left her feeling lonely, sad, and unmotivated. Claire's noticed over the last few days, she hasn't wanted to get out of bed or talk to friends. Name three things Claire can do to manage her depression and cope with the anxiety of being inside.
Coping skills Claire can use:
Go outside for a walk, journal, play an instrument, create a routine, focus on getting good sleep, make Skype date with a friend first thing in the morning, make your favorite meal, watch your favorite show, make art, read/listen to a book, set your favorite song as your alarm, etc.
Mr. T’s friends and family have expressed concern about how much tea he drinks. Mr. T agrees to stop drinking tea for his health and safety.
After a long day, Mr. T comes home and decides he can have just one nice cup of Earl Grey while watching Law and Order. The next day, Mr. T has another Earl Grey after work, because it was a really long day.
Before he knows it, Mr. T is back to drinking tea daily.
This scenario is an example of a _______.
What is a relapse?
Mental and substance use disorders are a consequence of personal weakness/failure or bad parenting.
What is Myth?
The main risk factors for mental illness and substance use disorders are not bad parenting or personal weakness. The main risk factors are genetics, severe/prolonged exposure to stressors, other environmental influences, and brain chemistry.
Which astronaut compared his experiences in space and with mental illness, stating "Fighting against alcoholism and depression was an example (to my children) of dedication and achievement, just not in the same way as serving my country with NASA."
Who is Buzz Aldrin?
What are the six factors that are thought to contribute to the development of depression in an individual?
What is: trauma, genetics, chemical and physical changes in the brain, life circumstance, other medical conditions, and substance use/process addictions.
A box with a set of coping or grounding objects, such as putty, lavender, or fidgets, which each focusing on the five senses, is called what?
What is a self-soothe kit?