Mental Health

mental health

• characterized by four facets:

1. high self-esteem
2. the ability to get along well with others
3. the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality
4. the ability to function in society

• mental illness: any form of psychiatric disorder
  • often caused by
  • organic mental disorder: physical cause
    • eg. brain tumors, strokes, physical accidents
  • functional mental disorder: no known physical cause or change
    • eg. stress, life crises and events
• classifications of mental disorders
  • anxiety disorders: phobias, obsessive-compulsive behavior, generally anxious behavior
  • dissociative disorders: amnesia, multiple personality disorder
  • mood disorders: depression, bipolar disorder/manic depressive disorder
  • personality diorders: avoidant, dependent, histrionic, narcissistic, passive-aggressive
  • avoidant personality disorder: isolation from others
  • dependent personality disorder: overly reliant on others
  • histrionic personality disorder: hysterical, chaos, drama
  • narcissistic personality disorder: excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance
  • passive-aggressive personality disorder: the indirect expression of negative feelings instead of openly addressing them
  • schizophrenia: paranoia
  • somatoform disorders: hypochondria, conversion disorder

stress vs. depression

stress → increased stress → mild depression → moderate depression → severe depression → consider suicide → threaten suicide → commit suicide

• depression: feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness
• signs of depression
  • loss of sleep or excessive sleep
  • loss of interest
  • loss of or excessive appetite
  • loss of concentration ability
  • physical complaints
  • withdrawal from otheres/society
  • lack of enthusiasm
  • irritability
  • anxiety
  • frequent crying
  • angry or hostile behavior
• treating depression
  • talking with others
  • examining thoughts
  • planning the day
  • making to-do lists
  • listing one’s strengths
  • planning something fun to do
  • engaging in vigorous exercise
  • dressing neatly
  • eating balanced, healthy meals
  • getting plenty of rest/sleep
• potential warning signs of suicide
  • rebellion
  • preoccupation with death
  • verbal expression of suicide
  • previous suicide attempts
  • giving away important possessions
  • sudden interest in risk taking/dangerous activities
  • depressed mood
  • increased irritability and behavioral problems
  • inattention to personal hygiene
  • changes in sleep
  • changes in appetite
  • decline in school/work performance
  • increase in or start of use of alcohol or other drugs
  • increased social withdrawal
  • history of abuse
  • frequent sleeping disorders or complaints
  • loss of interest in previous enjoyable activities
• crisis intervention
  • listen
  • don’t be misled
  • evaluate seriousness of thoughts/feelings
  • evaluate severity of emotional disturbance
  • take complaints/feeling seriously
  • ask directly if they have thought of suicide
  • be affirmative but supportive
  • evaluate available resources
  • act specifically to their situation
  • ask for assistance on consultation

5 stages of greif

1. shock and denial: refusing to think about it or believe it is happening
2. anger: becoming upset of the facts, feeling like they’ve been mistreated, life is unfair
3. bargaining: trying to get things back as if making deals
4. depression and detachment: feeling like all is lost and that it’s impossible to laugh or feel anything; nothing is true or matters anymore
5. acceptance: feeling like it’s done and that they can move on and are able to discuss it

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