Mental Health Having a positive outlook, being comfortable with yourself and others, and being able to meet life’s challenges and demands

Signs of Good Mental Health Realistic about strengths and weakneses Responsible for personal behavior Avoid high risk behaviors, tobacco, drugs Open-minded and flexable Fun loving, able to relax alone or with others Respect both your needs and other’s needs Respect everyone’s value as a human being-including their own Express emotion in such a way as not to hurt themselves or others View change as a challenge and an opportunity

Roadblocks to Mental Health All- or-nothing thinking Expecting the “worst” in others or yourself Being a perfectionist Letting your actions or words betray your values

Self-Esteem The confidence and worth that you feel about yourself

Feedback Messages from others that indicate who they think are or what they think you are like Sources: parents, siblings, extended family, teachers, coaches, friends, and your peers

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (pyramid) At the bottom are your physical needs (hunger, thirst, sleep) The next level are emotional needs (to belong, love, be loved, achieve, to be recognized) The next level are Aesthetic or artistic needs (to know, understand, explore) At the top- Self-actualization (trying to be the best you can be)

Emotions Love Empathy Fear Anger Guilt

Fears 1. Speaking before a group (#1 fear) 2. Heights 3. Insects and spiders 4. Money problems 5. Deep water 6. Sickness 7. Death 8. Flying 9. Loneliness 10. Dogs

Phobias Irrational fears that can get in the way of leading a normal life. Having a phobia may produce the following signs and symptoms: A persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation. An immediate response of uncontrollable anxiety when exposed to the object of fear. A compelling desire to avoid and unusual measures taken to stay away from what you fear. An impaired ability to function at normal tasks because of the fear. Often, the knowledge that these fears are out of proportion with the stimulus. When facing the object of your phobia, an experience of panicky feelings, such as sweating, rapid heartbeat, avoidance behavior, difficulty breathing and intense anxiety. In some cases, anxious feelings when merely anticipating an encounter with what you fear.

Defense Mechanisms Strategies used to deal with strong or stressful emotions and situations are called. Repression Suppression Rationalization Regression Denial Compensation Projection Idealizaton

Positive ways of Dealing with Emotions Fear Anger Guilt

Qualities that can help Emotional Health 1.Your outlook on life a. pessimist b. optimist 2. Resiliency ( the ability to bounce back or recover from disappointment, difficulty, or set-backs

Stress Distress - state in which a person is unable to adapt completely to stressors. Stress can be created by influences such as work, school, peers or co-workers, family and death. Eustress - a positive stress that motivates people.

Kinds of stressors Biological (chemical imbalance, mental or physical illness, disabilities, injuries Environmental (poverty, pollution, crowding, noise, natural disasters) Cognitive or thinking (Perceive or expect from a situation) Personal behavior (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, not exercising Life situations (death of friend or pet, divorce, peer relationships

Your body’s stress response First stage – Alarm – hypothalamus, adrenaline Second stage – Resistance – body repairs itself and goes back to its normal state Third stage – Fatigue 1. Physical 2. Pathological 3. Psychological

Personality Types Type A (high achieving) Type B (laid back)

Stress (Mind-Body Connection) High Blood Pressure Headache Asthma Immune Response Ulcers Psychosomatic Response (mind causes something physically wrong in the body) examples: skin disorders, stomachaches, digestive problems and headaches.

Managing Stress Planning Rechanneling Energy Laughing and relaxing Support group Time management

Kind of Losses Stages of Loss Stage 1 – Denial Stage 2 – Anger Stage 3 – Bargaining Stage 4 – Depression Stage 5 – Acceptance Closure and grief response

Mental Disorders Illness of the mind that prevents us from leading a normal and productive life. Two General Types 1. Organic - A disorder that is clearly caused by a physical illness or an injury that affects the brain such as a brain tumor or stroke 2. Functional – No physical cause is present or can be found

Organic Disorders Brain tumors Alcoholism Stroke Inherited chemical imbalances

Functional Disorders Anxiety Somatoform Affective Personality

Anxiety Disorders Definition: An illness in which real, imagined, or persistent fears prevent a person from enjoying life. Phobia Obsessive-Compulsive disorder OCD Panic Disorders Post-traumatic stress Disorder

Somatoform Disorders Definition: Illness in which a person complains of disease symptoms, but no physical cause can be found. Hypochondria

Affective Disorder Defintion: Mood swings that last a long time Clinical Depression Bipolar Disorder

Personality Disorders Definition: Psychological condition that affect a person’s ability to get along with others Antisocial personality Disorder Passive-aggressive Disorder Schizophrenia