Mental Health Disorders

What is a mental health disorder?

An illness that affects the mind and prevents a person from being productive, adjusting to life situations, or getting along with othersCharacterized by consuming

thoughts or behaviors that get in the way of “normal” life.

Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders are common in the United States

about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder (57.7 million people).

about 6 percent, suffer from a serious mental mental disorders are the leading cause of

disability in the U.S. and Canada. Many people suffer from more than one mental

disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental

disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders

Causes Mental health disorders have several

different causes Chemical Imbalances – chemicals in the brain

are underactive/ overactive Life events – Stressful life events, if not dealt

with effectively, can lead to many of these disorders (specifically anxiety disorders and depression)

Each of these disorders can vary from mild to severe.

Treatments It is VERY important for individuals with any of

these following mental health disorders (mild or severe) to get help

The best way to treat/ cure these disorders are to combine Psychotherapy – helps to find the cause of the

disorder, what causes episodes of severity, and tools to cope with or treat episodes.

Medications – adjusts chemicals in the brain to decrease the severity of episodes and enables psychotherapy to be successful

Depression/ Bipolar Video

Mood Disorders: Depression

What is Depression?Persistent and

overwhelming sadness that lasts for a month or longer

Types of Depressionmajor depressive

disorder ( 5 symptoms)

dysthymic disorder (chronic with 2 symptoms)

bipolar disorder

Retrieved from www.intellihealth.com

Mood Disorders: Depression

Symptomssad mood loss of interest or

pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed

difficulty sleeping or oversleeping

feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt

difficulty thinking or concentrating

recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Mood Disorders: Depression Causes of Depression

a combination of Genetic (passed down through family)Environmental (experiences in life,

family situations, self-esteem) Treatments

PsychotherapyAnti-depressants

Retrieved from www.intellihealth.com

Mood Disorders: Bipolar Characteristics

causes a person’s mood to swing from excessively “high” and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, with periods of a “normal” mood in between

These periods may last from 1 day to 1 year

TreatmentsPsychotherapy - Medications (Lithium)

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Mood Disorders: Bipolar -Mania• Feeling "high," • Overly happy or outgoing• Extremely irritable• Agitation, • Feeling "jumpy" or

"wired."• Talking very fast, • Jumping from one idea to

another, • Having racing thoughts • Being easily distracted• Being restless

• Increasing goal-directed activities, such as taking on new projects

• Not being able to sleep • Having an unrealistic belief

in one's abilities • Behaving impulsively • taking part in a lot of

pleasurable,high-risk behaviors, such as spending sprees, impulsive sex, and impulsive business investments.

Suicide Video

What are characteristics of someone considering suicide?

What leads to someone contemplating suicide?

Suicide is a ______________ Solution to a ________________ Problem!

What are some resources for individuals considering suicide or those identifying the symptoms in someone else?

What are characteristics of someone considering suicide? Change in eating and sleeping patterns Withdrawal from regular activities, as well as

family and friends Rebellious behavior, violence, running away Drug and alcohol abuse Neglect of one’s personal appearance Noticeable change in personality Drop in grades and quality of school work Frequent physical complaints about stonach

aches, headaches, and/ or fatigue (being really tired)

Intolerance of personal praise or rewards Give away favorite possessions or throw away

important belongings Suddenly cheerful after an extended period of

depression. Say they feel “rotten inside” Giving verbal hints

“You won’t have to put up with me much longer.” “It’s no use” “I won’t see you again”

What leads to someone contemplating suicide? Depression - Long term emotional pain Low Self Esteem - Traumatic events Emotional pain that they feel they can’t handle/

deal with. What are some resources for individuals

considering suicide or those identifying the symptoms in someone else? Hotlines - School Psychologist Counselors - Pastor/Priest/etc Teachers or other trusted adults

IF SOMEONE MENTIONS SUICIDE, ALWAYS TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY! Those individuals don’t need you to

necessarily “fix” them… they just need someone to listen and care!

Most of the time, suicide is about dealing with the PAIN rather than killing themselves… that’s just their solution to the pain.

Eating Disorders 1. Have you ever learned about or discussed eating disorders?

What did you learn or discuss? 2. Who can be affected by an eating disorder? 3. Do you have any personal experience (your own or someone

you know) with eating disorders that you would be comfortable sharing?

4. What messages does the media (advertisements, magazines, television, movies) send about body image? If you believed only what the media says, what should you look like? Is this realistic? Why or why not?

5. Are eating disorders an issue or problem in our school or community? Why or why not?

6. If you suspected or knew that your friend was struggling with an eating disorder, what might you do? Why?

7. Do you think it is important to learn about and discuss eating disorders? Why or why not?

Post-Program Discussion 1. What is anorexia? What is bulimia? What is binge eating? 2. Why do people develop eating disorders? What factors might affect

them? 3. What are some of the physical effects and health consequences

connected to eating disorders? Why should we take these seriously? 4. Did this program change your mind or surprise you about who can

suffer from an eating disorder? Why or why not? 5. Are eating disorders a lifestyle choice? Why or why not? What are

some examples of lifestyle choices? 6. If you confronted a friend about his or her eating disorder, how do you

think he or she 6 would react? How might you be affected by his or her reaction?

7. Why can treatment for eating disorders be challenging? Why is treatment for eating disorders important?

8. What is one thing you learned about eating disorders from this program that you didn’t know before watching?

Eating Disorders: Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa: Extreme thinness A relentless pursuit of

thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight

Intense fear of gaining weight Distorted body image, a self-esteem that is

heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape, or a denial of the seriousness of low body weight

Extremely restricted eating.

Eating Disorders: AnorexiaCharacteristics

see themselves as overweight, even when they are clearly underweight.

Obsession about eating, food, and weight control.

weigh themselves repeatedly, portion food carefully eat very small quantities of only certain foods.

***Some people with anorexia nervosa may also engage in bulimia behaviors as well.

Eating Disorders: AnorexiaOther symptoms may develop over time, including: Thinning of the bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis) Brittle hair and nails Dry and yellowish skin Growth of fine hair all over the body (lanugo) Mild anemia and muscle wasting and weakness Severe constipation Low blood pressure, slowed breathing and pulse Damage to the structure and function of the heart Brain damage Multiorgan failure Drop in internal body temperature, causing a person to feel

cold all the time Lethargy, sluggishness, or feeling tired all the time Infertility.

When she looks in the mirror she sees this person staring

back at her.

Anorexia happens to men too!

Eating Disorders: Bulimia Characteristics

Tend to maintain an acceptable weight Binging and Purging

Binging – eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes

Purging – behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors

Behaviors are done secretly because it is often accompanied by feelings of disgust or shame.

The binge-eating and purging cycle happens anywhere from several times a week to many times a day.

Eating Disorders: Binging

Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food within a discrete period of time and by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode

Eating Disorders: Orthorexia

Rigid rules and obsession about “healthy” eating May call foods “clean” or “pure”. Restricts food to only those within their

guidelines

Leads to heavily restricted eating resulting in malnutrition

Eating Disorders Treatment

Anorexia involves three main phases:

(1) restoring weight lost to severe dieting and purging;

(2) treating psychological disturbances such as distortion of body image, low self-esteem, and interpersonal conflicts

(3) achieving long-term remission and rehabilitation, or full recovery

Bulimia reduce or eliminate binge eating and purging

behavior

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Causes Not known

Symptoms distractibility impulsivity hyperactivity interferes with the person's ability to function

normally

Retrieved from mentalhelp.net

ADHD/ ADD What does it feel like?

I get caught up in different thoughts My mind wanders really easy It’s like you have 3 TV channels going on at the

same time. I constantly have to have something to do or be

playing with. Help/ Support

Be patient Be empathetic Try to understand what I’m going through.

ADHD Treatments

Psychotherapy Medications

Stimulants (low level) Addictions

Statistics 4 percent of the US population has it. 1/2-2/3 of children with ADHD continue to have difficulties

into adulthood.

Normal vs. ADHD

Retrieved from mentalhelp.net

Anxiety Disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Individuals go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, (even though there is little or nothing to provoke it.)

**Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

CausesGAD sometimes runs in families, but no one

knows for sure why some people have it.TreatmentPsychotherapy, medication, or both.

Anxiety Disorders Social Anxiety/ Phobia Disorder

fear and anxiety in social situations, extreme shyness, timidity and concerns about being embarrassed in front of others.

Symptoms include: Avoiding eye contact, Speaking softly, Trembling, Fidgetiness, and Nervousness

Many children complain of headaches and stomachaches, and it is not unusual for them to miss school because of their fears

May lead to depression

Social Anxiety Disorder Causes

Traumatic social experience Low self-esteem Other anxiety disorder

Treatment Psychotherapy

Find reasons for anxiety Help person cope with anxious feelings/ thoughts Come up with ways to prevent some anxious feelings/

thoughts Medications

Helps lessen severity to make successful therapy possible

Anxiety Disorders: Panic Disorders Panic Disorders

sudden and repeated attacks of fear that last for several minutes or longer.

CausesGenetics - Stressful Life Events

TreatmentTherapy – learn techniques that work for you

to deal with the thoughts/ anxietyMedications

Anxiety Disorders: Panic Disorders

People with panic disorder may have:pounding or racing heart, - sweatingbreathing problems - weakness feeling hot or a cold chill - dizziness tingly or numb hands - chest painstomach pain.

Anxiety Disorders: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people get

after seeing or living through a dangerous event.Anyone can get PTSD at any age.

- war veterans - accidents - abuse, - disasters - survivors of physical and sexual assault,

*Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD.

Treatments- Psychological Therapy - Medication

1. Re-experiencing symptoms: Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over,

including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating

Bad dreams

2. Avoidance symptoms: Staying away from places, events, or objects that

are reminders of the experience Feeling strong guilt, depression, or worry Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable in

the past Having trouble remembering the dangerous event.

Anxiety Disorders: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

3. Hyperarousal symptoms: Being easily startled Feeling tense or “on edge” Having difficulty sleeping, and/or having angry outbursts.

Children: Bedwetting, when they’d learned how to use the toilet before Forgetting how or being unable to talk Acting out the scary event during playtime Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult.

Most symptoms are triggered by something.

Anxiety Disorders: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety Disorders Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

suffer intensely from recurrent unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or actions (compulsions), which they feel they cannot control. The rituals are thought to prevent the thoughts.

Causes Irregular brain activity patterns Deficiency of serotonin

Treatments Psychological Therapy Medication

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Anxiety Disorders - OCD Thoughts

(Obsessions)dirt, germs, or

contamination repeated doubtsviolence, Need for order,

symmetry, or exactness and attention to detail

thoughts that are against personal religious beliefs

excessive worrying

Aggressive thoughts, impulses, and / or behaviors

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Anxiety Disorders- OCD Rituals(Compulsions)

repeated hand washing

checking and rechecking repeatedly

rigid rules of order hoarding objects counting and

recounting

grouping or sequencing objects

repeating words spoken by self (palilalia) or others (echolalia); repeatedly asking the same questions

Retrieved from www.mhacolorado.org and www.cincinnatichildrens.org

Personality Disorders: Extreme and inflexible personality traits Patterns of thinking and behavior

significantly differ from the expectations of society and are extremely rigid. antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality

disorderparanoid personality disorder.

Personality Disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder Antisocial behavior in which there is

little concern for the rights of others indifference to the moral or legal standards of the

region or community. manipulative Exploitive (cruel, uses others as a door-mat) Does not recognize that others exist or matter

Behavior patterns usually include excessive drinking fighting irresponsibility

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

 People with OCD have unwanted thoughts, while people with OCPD believe that their thoughts are correct.

OCD often begins in childhood while OCPD usually starts in the teen years or early 20s.

Schizophrenia

Causes Chemical imbalance in the brain

Symptomsdifficulty distinguishing between what is

real and what is imaginary; may be unresponsive or withdrawn; may have difficulty expressing appropriate

emotions in social situations.

Schizophrenia

Treatment There is no cure. All they can do is try to reduce

the symptoms in severity and frequency Medications – anti-psychotics Psychotherapy

Help regain functional skills Relearn social skills

Specialized educational and/or structured activity programs

High functioning Autism  Severe social interaction and

communication problems tend to have a much higher Performance IQ

(P-IQ) than Verbal IQ (V-IQ). Avoid social contact Not likely to feel embarrassed in social

situations, Relatively unconcerned by other people's

opinions. 

Asperger's Syndrome Have a really hard time with social interaction, Few areas of interest and activities. Average to above average IQ, Doesn’t use the right words (in the right context or

thoughtfully) when talking with others Often speak in a monotone with little variety in their

voice. Have difficulty in interpreting and learning the skills

of social and emotional interaction with others

Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory”

Treatment Where do you even start?

First step is admittance/acceptance of the disorder’s control in your life.

Want help It is very rare that a person not open to help or dedicated to healing

will be treated successfully

Get support It is never an easy process to break down barriers, so get people

around you that can be positive, motivational, and will hold you accountable for your actions.

Set aside the time Treatment is never a quick and easy process. Know that it may take a while to defeat this disorder, but the victory

will be worth it.

Who can I talk to?Who can I talk to? There are many different types of professions There are many different types of professions

that you can see for help depending on the that you can see for help depending on the disorder.disorder.Family physicianDiablo Behavioral Health CareClergyperson (Pastor, Priest, Rabi, etc)Independent TherapistsJohn Muir Mental Health Center/ Kaiser

Mental Health CenterSchool PsychologistHotlines, crisis centers, and emergency

rooms (call 411 for Directory Assistance)

Types of Treatment Psychotherapy - talking face-to-face with a therapist. The

following are a few of the types of available therapy: Behavior Therapy – to change thinking patterns and

behavior. Psychoanalysis - Long-term therapy meant to "uncover"

unconscious motivations and early patterns to resolve issues and to become aware of how those motivations influence present actions and feelings.

Cognitive Therapy - Seeks to identify and correct thinking patterns that can lead to troublesome feelings and behavior.

Family Therapy - Includes discussion and problem-solving sessions with every member of the family.

Group Therapy - Includes a small group of people who, with the guidance of a trained therapist, discuss individual issues and help each other with problems.