Intro to Wellness MENTAL HEALTH WHAT IS MENTAL

Intro to Wellness MENTAL HEALTH

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH? Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse Family history of mental health problems

STIGMA A set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something Social Stigma: Characterized by prejudicial attitudes, stereotypes, and discriminating behavior directed towards individuals with mental health problems Self-Stigma: Perceptions of discrimination, feelings of shame, secrecy

STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS Some of the harmful effects of mental illness stigma can include: Reluctance to seek help or treatment Lack of understanding by family, friends, or others you know Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing Bullying, physical violence or harassment The belief that you'll never be able to succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve your situation

LITERARY DEPICTIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESS Read “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson While reading, make notes on your sheet of text examples from the story that you consider as descriptions of symptoms, treatments, and causes of the mental illness depiction in the fictional work.

DESCRIPTION Lasts at least two weeks Interferes with life Marked by changes in mood, thought and behavior EXAMPLES Depression Bipolar Seasonal Affect Disorder Mania DEPRESSIVE & MOOD DISORDERS

DESCRIPTION Overwhelming feelings of panic and fear Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts Painful, intrusive memories Recurring nightmares Physical symptoms such as feeling sick to your stomach, “butterflies” in your stomach, heart pounding, startling easily, and muscle tension ANXIETY DISORDERS EXAMPLES Generalized Anxiety Disorder Social Anxiety Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

DESCRIPTION Experience severe disturbances in their eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. They can include severe overeating or not consuming enough food to stay healthy. They also involve extreme concern about shape or weight. EATING DISORDERS EXAMPLES Anorexia Bulimia Binge Eating

DESCRIPTION Causes abnormal thinking and perceptions Lose touch with reality Suffer from delusions and hallucinations EXAMPLE Schizophrenia PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

DESCRIPTION Affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns Called a "spectrum" disorder because people with ASD can have a range of symptoms OTHER EXAMPLES Autism Spectrum Disorders