1. Mental and Emotional Disorders

2. Mental and Emotional Disorders
Mental and Emotional Disorders are an illnesses that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors; affects the mind and reduces a person's ability to function, to adjust to change, or to get along with others. Example: mental disorders can affect a person's ability to study, keep a job, or make friends.

3. Mental and Emotional Disorders
Mental health experts see abnormal thoughts and feelings, or behaviors as signs or symptoms of a mental disorder. These “abnormal” thoughts, feelings and behaviors are highly unusual or inappropriate for a given situation.

4. Causes… Life Experiences
Physical factors: Damage to the brain- tumor, injury; imbalance of chemicals in the brain
Heredity: the person is at a greater risk
Life Experiences
Early Experiences: traumatic negative experiences- neglect or abuse as a child
Recent Experiences: death of a loved one

5. Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety: fear caused by a source you cannot identify or a source that doesn't pose as much threat as you think. Anxiety disorder: extreme fears of real or imaginary situations that get in the way of normal activities

6. Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: no identifiable source of anxiety- restlessness, fatigue, trouble sleeping and concentrating Phobias: Intense and exaggerated fear of a specific situation or object Panic Attacks: a person will experience- fast heart rate, sweating, choking sensation, rapid breathing, fear of losing control, an "out of body" sensation, fear of suffocation

7. Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a pattern of repeated thoughts/actions which force a person to do certain tasks over and over
      Obsession- an unwanted thought or image that takes control of the mind
       Compulsion- an unreasonable need to behave in a certain way to prevent a feared outcome
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: characterized by bad memories in reaction to life-threatening event; they may have flashbacks or nightmares that produce intense fear or horror.
(unable to sleep or concentrate)  

8. Other Mental Disorders
Mood Disorder: person undergoes mood swings that seem extreme, inappropriate, last a long time, or make it difficult to function in daily life
Example: manic-depressive/bipolar disorder- shift from one mood to another with no apparent reason

9. Other Mental Disorders
Depression: person feels a strong sense of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, guilt and extreme sadness (occur over long periods)
Schizophrenia: incurable mental and emotional illness characterized by paranoia and hallucinations

10. Other Mental Disorders
Impulse-control Disorder: cannot resist the impulse or drive, to act in a way that is harmful to themselves or to others. Examples: gambling- mostly males uncontrollable shopping- 85% females

11. Other Mental Disorders
Personality Disorder: display rigid patterns of behavior that make it difficult to get along with others
Group A– usually cold and distant; paranoid disorder– someone who is overly suspicious of other people
Group B– overly emotional/unstable and can be selfish; antisocial personality disorder– commit violent acts without any sense of guilt
Group C– cannot make decisions; dependent personality disorder- need help from others to properly care for themselves

12. Suicide and Depression

13. major depression suicide Suicide Vocabulary
A very serious mood disorder in which people lose interest in life and can no longer find enjoyment in anything
suicide
The act of killing oneself on purpose

14. Suicide: Intentional killing of oneself
The 3rd leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24
Affects many different people: young, old, bright, poor, rich, male, female
Depression can lead to suicide
A suicide threat is a desperate attempt to ask for HELP
Most common treatment is hospitalization

15. Cluster Suicides
A series of suicides that occur within a short period of time in the same group or community
Some involve a pact between friends

16. Causes of Teen Suicide Teens are at greater risk of suicide if they:
have family members who suffer from depression.
are living in poverty.
are using alcohol or drugs.
experience abuse or violence family.
are victims of bullying.
experience major stress.
Of course, all teens face stress, and most teens find ways to cope with it. They can turn to friends, family members, and others for help when they need it. However, some teens do not have a support network of this kind. Feeling cut off from other people increases their risk for suicide.

17. Causes of Teen Suicide Major Risk Factor: Depression
Feelings of hopelessness or isolation
Feeling like he/she has no friends
A previous suicide attempt or family history of suicide
Being influenced by the suicide of family members, peers, friends or celebrities
Having a mental disorder and a substance abuse disorder
Lack of access to mental health treatment

18. Warning Signs of Suicide
Talking about suicide or death
Talking about feeling hopeless, guilty, or worthless
Pulling away from family and friends
Loss of interest in normal activities
Sudden lack of attention to personal appearance
Teens who are thinking about suicide often show warning signs ahead of time. They may even talk about their plans. They may not use the exact words, “I’m going to kill myself.” However, they may drop hints, such as “It doesn’t matter anymore” or “You won’t have me around much longer.” Remarks like this should always be taken seriously.

19. Warning Signs of Suicide
Self-destructive behaviors, such as violence, substance abuse, or running away
Constant boredom, trouble concentrating, or a sudden drop in grades
Giving away favorite belongings
Becoming suddenly cheerful after a long period of depression
Teens who are thinking about suicide often show warning signs ahead of time. They may even talk about their plans. They may not use the exact words, “I’m going to kill myself.” However, they may drop hints, such as “It doesn’t matter anymore” or “You won’t have me around much longer.” Remarks like this should always be taken seriously.

20. Protective Factors/Prevention
Treating a person’s mental disorder (especially depression)
Treatment for abuse of alcohol or other drugs
Feeling connected to school, friends, family and others in the community
Having personal beliefs that discourage suicide
Knowing how to resolve problems in a non-violent manner

21. How to Help a Suicidal PersonDO
Trust your feelings if you believe a person may be suicidal
Take seriously a suicidal person’s threats
Tell the suicidal person how concerned you are and how much you care for him or her
Listen carefully to the suicidal person
Talk calmly with the suicidal person
Find professional help for the suicidal person.
Stay with the suicidal person until help arrives

22. How to Help a Suicidal Person
DO NOT
Dare the suicidal person to go ahead and make the suicide attempt
Judge the suicidal person
Analyze the suicidal person’s motives
Argue or try to convince the suicidal person of reasons why he/she should not attempt suicide
Keep the suicidal person’s self-destructive thoughts or actions a secret
Leave a suicidal person alone.

23. Treatment of Mental Disorders

24. When to Get Help
Seek help right away for any of the following symptoms:
Feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, or fear that don’t go away
Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
Wanting to be alone all the time
A feeling of being out of control
Loss of interest in favorite activities
Doing much worse in school all of a sudden
Hearing voices
Thoughts of suicide

25. Person does not realize they have a illness
Why are many people unwilling to seek help for mental/emotional disorders?
Person does not realize they have a illness
Blame the illness on a personal weakness
Embarrassment
Fear of being labeled “crazy”

26. Mental Health Professionals:
Psychiatrist – physician who diagnoses and treats mental disorders
Are able to prescribe medication
Neurologist – physician who treats physical disorders of the nervous system
Clinical Psychologist – trained to recognize and treat behavior that is not normal
Cannot prescribe medication, not medical doctors

27. Mental Health Professionals Cont.
Psychiatric Social Worker – helps people with mental disorders and their families accept and adjust to an illness
Mental Health Counselor – focus on specific problems or work with specific groups
ex. substance abuse counselors, school counselors

28. Kinds of Treatment:
Psychotherapy – a person talks with their therapist
Insight Therapy – helps better understand the reasons for their behavior
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy – helps person identify situations, objects or thoughts that trigger abnormal behaviors
Group Therapy – people meet with other people with the same disorder

29. Kinds of Treatment Cont.
Drug Therapy – to treat mental disorders, relieve symptoms, allow patients to function normally
Hospitalization – need constant attention or are in danger of harming themselves or others