© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter Three Mental Health: Creating a Balance Mental Health: Creating a Balance

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Possess high self-esteem Accept imperfections in themselves and others Have a sense of control over their lives Demonstrate social competence with relationships Able to rely on others Not overwhelmed by emotions Will not respond to negativity or hate Maintain a positive outlook upon life Altruistic Do not fear differences or diversity Capable of intimacy Show creativity Take reasonable risks in order to grow Can bounce back from adversity Characteristics of Mentally Healthy People

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Optimism: tendency to see problems as temporary and specific rather than permanent and general Self-efficacy: the belief that you are competent to perform a particular task Resilience: is the ability to bounce back from adversity People who are resilient show the following characteristics: Empathy Independence Initiative and creativity Responsibility for behaviors Sense of humor Mental Health Characteristics: Key Terms

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Psychologist Daniel Goleman (1995) argued that such qualities as self-awareness, self- discipline, persistence, and empathy are more important towards success than IQ (intelligence quotient) People who are emotionally intelligent have the ability to: Recognize, name, understand their emotions Manage their emotions and control their moods Motivate themselves Recognize and respond to emotions in others Be socially competent What is Emotional Intelligence?

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. The brain is the central control station for human intelligence, feeling, and creativity In the last 25 years, knowledge of the structure and function of the brain has increased dramatically Advances in imaging techniques have allowed for many new discoveries by researchers in the areas of mental disorders and they physiology of the brain Imbalances of neurotransmitters are believed to play a role in a variety of mental disorders The Brain’s Role in Mental Health

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. The Diathesis-stress model proposes that a person may have a vulnerability (diathesis) for an illness Certain events (stressors) could trigger the illness such as: Individual factors (genetic in origin, biochemical or hormonal) Family factors (social dynamics/interpersonal relationships) Community and Environmental factors (adequate resources available to sustain a form of stability) These risk factors can also be considered protective factors- See Table 3.1 Development of Mental Disorders

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development Erikson proposed that personality development proceeds through a series of eight life stages Each stage is shaped by the interactions of internal, biological drives, on the one hand and external, social, and cultural forces, on the other Individuals face predictable challenges, tasks, or conflicts at particular stages and will develop adaptive or mal-adaptive approaches to the central issue Erikson’s theory does suggest that difficulties later in life can be traced to a stage that was not sufficiently mastered within a psychosocial task

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Mental Disorders According to the DSM a mental disorder is a pattern of behavior in an individual that is associated with distress or disability or with significantly increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or loss of freedom Mental disorders are qualitatively different from a psychological problem that can be considered normal, and can be diagnosed from a set of symptoms Deciding when a psychological problem becomes a mental disorder is not easy and is meant to be applied by people with professional training

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Mood Disorders Known as depressive or affective disorders Considered the most common mental disorder experienced by people around the world More than 18 million adults in the United States suffer from a depressive illness, affecting more women than men Mood disorders are likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors Examples include: Major depressive disorder (depression) Dysthmic disorder (low grade chronic depression of 2 years or longer ) Bipolar disorder (manic episodes)

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Anxiety Disorders Along with depression, anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders affecting Americans Almost 19 million Americans (aged 18-54) have this disorder Many anxiety disorders can be treated with medications and various forms of psychotherapies Examples include: Panic disorder (unexpected panic attacks that reoccur) Phobias (intense fear of an situation/object, invoking immediate anxiety)

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders Disorders characterized by hallucinations and other signs that the person has lost touch with reality Schizophrenia Delusional disorders Brief psychotic disorder In most cases, symptoms of these diseases can be controlled with medication along with the involvement of a case management team of experts

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Personality Disorders Disorders characterized by long-standing maladaptive personality traits that are pervasive across most or all areas of the person’s life 10-13% of the world’s population suffer from this disorder Examples include: Antisocial personality disorder (show disregard for the rights of others) Narcissistic personality disorder (lack of empathy) Histrionic personality disorder (want to be the center of attention) See Table 3.3 for an Overview of Personality Disorders

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Mental Disorders and Suicide Suicide is the 8 th leading cause of death among all Americans, 3 rd leading cause of death in people aged In Canada, it is the 11 th leading cause of death in the general population, 2 nd leading cause of death in people aged The rate of suicide has tripled in the past 50 years in young people, with 10% of college aged students reporting thoughts about suicide

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What leads to Suicide? As many as 90% of those who commit suicide are suffering from a mental disorder, often depression The symptom linking depression and suicide is a feeling of hopelessness Depression and alcoholism may be involved in two-thirds of suicides Substance abuse can be another factor Sometimes there is no apparent precipitating event or problem

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Potential Signs of Suicide Comments about death/threats of suicide Increasing social withdrawal and isolation Increase in risk-taking behaviors Sudden improvement in mood, accompanied by such behaviors as giving away possessions

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Treating Mental Disorders Psychotherapy and Counseling Psychodynamic therapies Behavioral therapies Cognitive-behavioral therapies Pharmacological Treatments Anti-psychotic medications Anti-depressants Anti-anxiety drugs

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter Three Mental Health: Creating a Balance Mental Health: Creating a Balance