Quiz 3

Mental Health

A state of wellbeing in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Coping strategies are important and not always learned naturally

Mental Illness

Collectively all diagnosable mental disorders or health conditions

Characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distressed and/or impared functioning

Stigma

What happens when others socially disapprove of someone often due to social, mental, or physical deficiency

Can make a person with mental illness feel badly about themselves and may prevent individuals from talking bout, learning about, or getting help for mental illness

Stressors

Pressure from the outside, such as fighting parents, homework, exams, siblings, etc.

Anything that threatens, challenges, scares, worries, and/or thrills you.

Your response to those situations is stress.

Stress

A physiological reaction to challenges, expectations, and pressures.

Stress can be positive when it helps you get things done and you feel good. It motivates us to act, study, practice, do our best, etc.

Stress can be negative when you have too much stress or experience many stressors all at once or you may not know to cope with it, and it can make you feel overwhelmed.

Impacts of chronic stress

Too much stress or stress for prolonged periods of time can affect your learning and social development.

Excessive stress interferes with executive functions of the brain, such as attention, memory, organization, and integration

Can cause health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive problems, etc. Or it can lead to development of unhealthy coping behaviors (smoking, drinking, poor eating habits) that increase these health risks

Chronic stress

Stress that lasts a long time

Anxiety

Persistent feelings of apprehension or dread as a reaction to internal stress. Anxiety continues even after the concern has passed.

Characterized by: increased heart rate, stomach pain, lump in throat, feeling panicked, worry about about everyday events/activities, constantly checking if you did something correctly, inability to function in certain specific situations.

Treatments of anxiety

Medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques

Body Image

How you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind

Heaving a healthy body image is an important part of mental wellbing and eating disorder prevention

Body dissatisfaction is the most immediate warning sign for the development of an eating disorder

Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders

Preoccupation with weight, food calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, and dieting

Foot rituals (only eating a particular food or food group, excessive chewing, doesn’t allow foods to touch)

Extreme concern with body size and shape

Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws in appearance

Dresses in layers to hide weight loss or to stay warm

Frequent trips to the bathrooms after meals

Signs and/or smells of vomiting

Healthy coping strategies

Exercise/yoga

Meditation

Positive self-talk

Stress diary

Guided imagery

Listening to music

Muscle relaxation

Discussing it with someone

Mindfulness

Managing emotional reactions

Anxiety

It’s normal for everyone to feel anxious from time to time.

Anxiety can become a mental health challenge when it involves excessive amounts of fear, nervousness, worry/dread

It can have adverse effects on a person’s daily life and happiness

Self Harm

Hurting oneself on purpose

As many as 35% of teens and young adults self-harm

Examples: cutting, burning, pulling out hair

Considered a sign of emotional distress and underlying mental illness

Depression

Diagnosable chronic illness

A feeling of severe and prolonged sadness that affects one’s behavior, physical health, appearance, academic performance, and ability to cope with everyday life

Causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities over extended period

No single cause for depression: genetics, environment, life events, chemical imbalances, thinking patterns

Treatable through counseling and/or medication

Suicide

3rd leading cause of death of 10-19 year olds

All threats of suicide should be considered a warning sign and taken seriously

4/5 students who have committed suicide have given clear warning signs

Anyone who talks of suicide should be encouraged to get help immediately

Action steps of suicide

If you notice these signs in a friend or classmate, encourage them to get help right away

Offer to go with them to a trusted adult

Even when sworn to secrecy, you must not keep secrets about threats or risks of suicide

Always tell an adult if you’re worried about someone’s safety, it could save their life

Call an emergency helpline or 911 for an immediate, life-threatening emergency

Signs and symptoms of depression

-Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness

-Sadness over extended time (two weeks or more)

-Withdrawn, have less energy

-Tearful

-Lose or gain weight

-Have trouble sleeping

-Can’t concentrate, grades plummet

-May self-medicate or numb their feelings with alcohol or other drugs

Difference between sadness and depression

Sadness	Depression
Universal	Not universal
Feelings of sadness that come and go and are often temporary	Clinical depression is a medical condition that involves persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness that continues for more than 2 weeks
Usually brought on by a specific causal event or trigger	Can be linked to an external trigger but it can also be linked to internal causes
Can affect how we go about our daily life, but the impact is not as severe	Significantly interferes with, and even impairing, our ability to function in everyday life

Respect for Self

The way you present yourself online has consequences for yourself, your family, and your community

Pause, think about what you share online and resist the disinhibition effect

Don’t share passwords and other sensitive personal information

Oversharing or sharing inappropriate information online can be dangerous and harmful to yourself and others

Respect for others

Allow others to enjoy and use social media without fear of harassment, bullying, or threats

Use positive communication skills

Report any hate speech, bullying, or offensive language

Choose images carefully and ask permission before sharing or posting

Choose language carefully and proofread before posting

Respect for community

You can positively impact your community through the contributions you make online. You matter!

Connections made through online communities can be leveraged for advancement, professional goals, etc.

You can find a job and volunteer opportunities online in your community

Social media can be used to advocate for causes and initiatives

Positive effects of Social Media

-Stay connected with friends and family

-Supporting social causes and recognition

-Workouts/activities

-Learning new skills and hobbies

-Understanding others’ viewpoints and cultures

Negative effects of Social Media

-Cyberbullying, harassment, and hate speech is easier “behind the screen”

-Impact your mental health negatively

-Misunderstanding in communication

-Information that is deleted can be retrieved

-Private conversations can be shared with others

Organic foods

Crops grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or bioengineered genes