Interwork Limited presents Practical Training for Carers Mental Health Awareness

Group Rules Respect opinions Let people have their say Respect confidentiality, anything personal discussed must stay within the group.

Mental Health Awareness AIM To give a basic understanding of Mental Health and Mental Illness.

Activity 1 Leaders, scientists, authors and artists CelebritiesLeadersScientistsAuthorsArtists Jim Carrey Winston Churchill John Nash Graeme Green Vincent Van Gogh Frank Bruno Alexander The Great Stephen Hawking Samuel Becket Jackson Pollack StingNapoleon Bonaparte Isaac Newton Ernest Hemingway Edward Lear Ellen DeGeneres Oliver Cromwell Sir Charles Darwin Victor Hugo Buzz Aldrin Richard Nixon Carl Paul Link Henry James

INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH Introduction

Activity 2 MYTH OR FACT Complete the Fact or Myth Quiz

What is Mental Health? What keeps us Mentally Healthy?

Who is Affected by Mental Health? Mental health affects us all and it is important that we recognise our own vulnerabilities.

Definition Mental illness  Diagnosable  Identifiable group of symptoms/behaviours  Significant interference

Statistically how many people will have a mental health problem in the course of a year? Activity 3

 One in five Australians will suffer a mental health condition in any given year  14.4% of Australians will suffer from an anxiety disorder in any given year  6.2% of Australians will suffer from a mood or affective disorder in any given year  Annual cost of mental illness in Australia was estimated to be $20 billion in 2007 (ABS Australian Social Trends, 2008 – Mental Health) Statistics

What causes Mental Illness? Research Combination of factors  Genetics  Brain chemistry  Environmental factors Physical and mental health linked Substance abuse

Causes of Mental Illness Mental Illness Biological Factors: Chemical imbalance in brain, Genetics, Brain injury, Chronic illness, Medication Psychological Factors: Poor Self-esteem Negative thinking Social factors: Family conflict Poverty Unemployment Poor housing Having a baby Infertility Events in Childhood: Violence and abuse Emotional neglect Death of parent

ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL ILLNESS Attitudes toward mental illness

Stigma and Mental Illness Activity 4

Attitudes It is easy to understand why many people with a history of mental health problems keep quiet about it. Workplace and stigma

Attitudes Continued…… In a Survey by The Mental Health Foundation in 2000  42% of people with mental health problems didn’t tell members of their family  22% didn’t tell their partners  74% didn’t mention it on forms  19% didn’t even tell their General Practitioner (GP)

The role of the media

SELF AND PERCEIVED STIGMA Involves negative attitudes about yourself and what others think about you Barriers to seeking help

Food for Thought! If we don’t change the way we think, someday one of us may be on the receiving end of this stigma.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COMMON MENTAL ILLNESS Signs and symptoms

Mental illnesses  Anxiety Disorders  Depression  Bipolar  Schizophrenia.

Anxiety

Anxiety - Facts 25% of the population experience anxiety disorders and will require treatment 25% more will experience less severe anxieties 2007 – Anxiety Disorders most common mental health issue for those aged between 16 to 85 (ABS, Year Book)

Is Stress the same as Anxiety? Stress and anxiety

Stress  Stress is necessary part of life  May manifest in physical, mental and/or emotional responses  Perception is usually negative

Stress and Anxiety Correlation  Inability to fight or flee from perceived danger  Inability to return to previous non-aroused physiological state  Stored stress hormones  Reduced ability to think clearly and concentrate  Excessive stress levels lead to Anxiety

Common Anxiety Disorders DisorderMalesFemales Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)2%4% Panic Disorder2%3% Agoraphobia2%4% Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)2% Social Phobia4%6% Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)5%8% Source: ABS, 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Approximately 5% Australians will experience Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Most common Disproportionate excessive and uncontrollable worry Brains do not switch off

DEPRESSION Depression

Depressed Mood or Depression?  4.1% of Australians will experience major depressive disorder in any given year  Age of onset generally 25 years  Around 160,000 Australian youth live with depression  Most common mental illness for young people  Not a sad or low mood  Comorbid with anxiety and/or substance abuse disorders

Causes  Family history  Stressful event/s  Giving birth  Abuse or bullying  Low confidence at school/work  Family  Poor self esteem  Not getting on with friends or family  Stress  Inability to cope  Lack of support  Debt  Putting yourself down  Loneliness

Words to Avoid!  “ Snap out of it”.  “She is putting it on”.  “Pull yourself together”.  “Cheer up”.  “You’re bringing everyone down”.  “Don’t be so soft”.

BIPOLAR DISORDER Bipolar

Bipolar Disorder  Once called Manic Depression  2% Australians will experience Bipolar Disorder  Typified by extreme mood swings  At least one episode of mania  Episodes of depression which may become Major  Major episodes leave person feeling great despair, in some cases suicidal  Periods of ‘normal’ mood between episodes  Two polarities/poles  Bipolar I or II

Mania  Elevated mood  Inhibitions  Energy  Racing thoughts  Many ideas  Little need for sleep  Rapid speech  Difficulty focussing  Frustration and irritability

Bipolar I and II Bipolar I  One or more manic episodes; often one or more major depressive episodes  May last several weeks to several months  Alternates with intense manic symptoms  ‘Normal’ health in-between  Season affects Bipolar II  Same symptomology as Bipolar I  Manic Episodes not as extreme

Causes Multiple factors  Hereditary  Environmental  Job changes  Living arrangement  Family/relationship problems  Abuse  Trauma  Grief  Major life transitions  Physical

SCHIZOPHRENIA What is schizophrenia?

Activity 5 What does the term Schizophrenia mean to you?

Schizophrenia Firstly and most importantly Schizophrenia is not a split personality. This idea the behavior and personality of people with Schizophrenia swing dramatically between normal and dangerously disturbed, is not true. An experience

Schizophrenia It is a complex mental disorder thought to be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. May result in distorted thinking and behaviour  Hallucinations  Delusions  Social withdrawal.

Schizophrenia How many people are affected?  One in a 100 people develops schizophrenia at some time in their life.  However with support and treatment many people recover and lead normal everyday lives.

POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUPPORT Support

10 TIPS TO POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH 1.Connect with others 2.Take time to enjoy 3.Participate and share interests 4.Contribute to your community 5.Take care of yourself………

10 TIPS TO POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH continued… 6. Challenge yourself 7. Deal with stress 8. Rest and refresh 9. Notice the here and now 10. Ask for help.

WHERE TO GET HELP? General Practitioner (GP) - Family Doctor Mental Health Services Mental Health Professionals Telephone Help Lines Websites

Activity 6 Group work- case studies

Activity 7 What am I going to do now to improve my mental health and the mental health of others?

Final Thought! For centuries people with mental health illness were kept away from the rest of society, sometimes locked up, often in poor conditions, with little or no say in running their lives. Today, negative attitudes lock them out of society more subtly but just as effectively.

RECAP Evaluate the information you have received in Mental Health Awareness.