Mental Illness
What can you do if you think you may have a mental illness?
If you feel suicidal or am self harming, you should talk to a trusted adult and get help from a health professional
What is psychosis?
disturbance of brain functioning involving cognition and perception ex) delusions and hallucinations; a common psychosis beginning during adolescence is Schizophrenia
What is depression?
characterized by persistent and sustained: depression mood, loss of interest, guilty ruminations, feelings of hopelessness/worthlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, loss of appetite, loss of pleasure, suicidal thoughts/actions
Affects 4-6% of teens
What is panic disorder?
People who have PD experience frequent panic attacks that just “come out of the blue”
• They also develop anxiety about having an attack
• And, they avoid going to places where they think they may experience an attack
• Sometimes the avoidance can become so strong the person mostly stays at home. This is called Agoraphobia.
What is PTSD?
•After a severe traumatic event (e.g. witness to murder, rape, automobile accident, etc.) everyone will experience significant distress and many symptoms (e.g. trouble sleeping, flashbacks about the event, feeling worried/restless,etc.)
• This is normal, it’s called the Acute Stress Response, and will usually go away gradually over about 4-6 weeks
What can you do if a friend or family member may have a mental illness or is suicidal or self harming?
I should go with them to talk to a trusted adult and encourage them to get help from a health professional
Schizophrenia is characterized by...
delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and behaviors, disturbances in motivation, difficulties in many parts of life
What is bipolar disorder?
includes manic and depression episodes
manic episodes include lack of sleep, excessive activity, rapid racing thoughts, poor judgement, frequent high risk behaviors, poor concentration, delusions
What does a typical panic attack look like?
Symptoms:
Heart pounding, Sweating, Trembling, Air hunger, Smothering, Chest pain, Stomach pain, Nausea, Dizziness, Tingling, Numbness of feet & hands, Feeling flushed, Feeling chilled
What are some disorders of behaviors?
•Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa)
• Substance Use Disorder (Addiction)
Is suicide a mental illness?
• Suicide is not a mental disorder
• Suicide attempts are not an expected response to life stresses
• Suicide is most often an unfortunate outcome of a mental disorder that is often not recognized or is not treated effectively
• Suicide that happens during the teenage years is often the result of Depression
What are some treatments for schizophrenia?
medications (called antipsychotics), psychological therapies (vocational and social therapies), help from housing and community supports
Treatments for mood disorders include..
For Depression, a combination of a psychotherapy (usually Cognitive Behavior Therapy: CBT) and an antidepressant medication (usually an SSRI) is used
For Bipolar Disorder medications (such as lithium or other medications), psychotherapy and other treatments are used
What are some treatments for anxiety disorders?
•Effective treatments for Anxiety Disorders are available
• Usually a psychological therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used
• Sometimes a medication is also used in addition to the CBT
What is ADHD?
• People who have ADHD are usually diagnosed in primary school but the ADHD continues into secondary school and often beyond
• Symptoms fall into the categories of: Hyperactivity (constant movement), Impulsivity (doing things without thinking), and Attention (trouble keeping focused in a sustained way)
• These symptoms lead to problems at school, home and other parts of life
• Effective treatments are available and include medications and some behavior/self-monitoring therapies
What is suicide?
•Most people who attempt suicide never die from suicide because effective treatments are available
• The presence of suicidal thoughts is a signal that a person needs help from a trained mental health provider
• If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts speak to a trusted adult and go to see a health professional who can help you get the care you need
What mental disorders are considered to be primarily disturbances of emotion?
Mood disorder
What are signaling disorders?
•These disorders all share problems in the way the brain signals danger • They are called Anxiety Disorders
• The most common Anxiety Disorders in teens are:
Social Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
What 2 mental illnesses occur more in teens?
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
What is substance use disorder?
This diagnosis is commonly referred to as Addiction
• This means using a substance to the point that it causes harm to the person or those around him/her
• Craving for the substance (the inner drive to use the substance) drives the behaviors
• Effective treatments are available and include psychological as well as medications (for some kinds of addiction)
What is self harming?
Self-harming is a behavior that some people use to try and help them solve a problem
• It is not a useful method of problem solving and can itself become more of a problem than what it was supposed to help
• Some people experience social pressure to self-harm – this is also not helpful • If you or a person you know is self-harming, this is a signal that better ways to solve problems are needed – speak to a trusted adult and find out where you can get help
What are the common mood disorders?
Depression and bipolar disorder
What is anxiety?
People who have SAD experience severe fear/high anxiety in social situations
• They think that they are being closely watched, judged or criticized by others
• They think they will be embarrassed or humiliated
• As a result, they avoid social situations (speaking in class, going to a party, etc.) • Sometimes they can experience a panic attack but only in a social situation
What is OCD?
• OCD has two components: obsessions and compulsions
• Obsessions are severe, recurrent, persistent thoughts that a person knows are not true but cannot stop
• Common obsessions include: germs/dirt, thoughts that something terrible will happen, unwanted sexual or religious thoughts, etc.
What are eating disorders?
•Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is severe weight loss caused by a person self-starving because they incorrectly think and feel that they are too fat
• Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is the binge eating of large amounts of food in a very short period of time followed by self-induced vomiting
• Effective treatments for AN are available and include various psychotherapies and hospitalization if starvation is causing physical health concerns
• Effective treatments for BN are available and include various psychotherapies and medications