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