Developing a Healthy Mind Lesson 9

Why it’s Important  Having a healthy mind helps you to take positive view of the things in your life. “Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.”

Personality  Personality is an individual’s unique pattern of characteristics; what makes you different from others.  There are many factors that influence your personality:  Heredity  Environment  Attitudes  Behaviors  Understanding your personality helps you improve your chance of working effectively and successfully with others.

Understanding Addictions  The word “addiction” is derived from the Latin term that means “enslaved by” or “bound to.”  Addiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests itself in three distinct ways...  1. Craving for the object of addiction  2. Loss of control over its use  3. Continuing involvement despite adverse consequences.

Understanding Addictions  Looking at these three components, it’s important we recognize there are two forms of addiction.  Physiological Addiction (Physical Body)  Psychological Addiction (Mental)  Characteristics of both types of addictions.

Understanding Addictions  Although people tend to assume it’s a specific substance that causes addiction, new research is showing that it’s more likely that common underlying brain processes have more to do with an individual being prone to addiction.  With this in mind, addiction is viewed as a chronic disease that changes the brain structure and function – not just something that a person needs to overcome.  The idea is that the brain goes through a series of changes, beginning with recognition of pleasure and ending with a drive towards compulsive behavior.

Mental Disorders  Mental Disorders are defined as, “a behavioral or psychological syndrome or patterns that occurs in an individual that is associated with an increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or loss of freedom.”  There are many factors that influence ones risk for a mental disorder: genetics, physical injury, addiction, or illness.

Mental Disorders  Roughly a quarter of the adult population in the U.S. suffers from some type of mental disorder.  While some people might deal with one their entire life, many others will deal with a mental disorder at some point in their life.  It’s important to understand the nature of these disorders, and how they can be treated.

Your Task:  1. Skim though lesson 9  2. Take notes on the mental disorders listed on pages  While there are many similarities between the disorders discussed, be sure to note how they are DIFFERENT from one another.