Chapter 5

1. Chapter 5 Mental and Emotional Problems

2. What do you think? • Emotionally healthy people handle life’s problems without any help. • False: emotionally healthy people often benefit from professional help, and it is well worth seeking. • Anxiety is always a sign of a serious mental problem. • False: ordinary anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. • Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. • True

3. Coping with difficult emotions • On any given day, you may experience a wide variety of emotions • Emotions are neither positive nor negative • Feelings such as anger or fear may be unpleasant, but that does not make them wrong • It’s the way you deal with these emotions that can be good or bad for your health • Emotions can be managed! Learning to handle emotions in a positive way will protect your physical, emotional, and social health.

4. Fear and anxiety • Fear is a normal, instinctive response to a dangerous situation. It can trigger the stress response that we learned in chapter four. • Fear is healthy when it encourages you to be careful in a dangerous situation. • Some things that frighten us may cause an unreasonable amount of fear. This is called a phobia(we will learn about these in the next section).

5. Fear and anxiety • Anxiety- an emotional state of high energy that triggers the stress response and is related to fear. • Anxiety is natural and can either be helpful or harmful to us. • If you feel increased anxiety while taking a test, it may help you perform better. • Extreme anxiety can hurt your performance by making you feel overwhelmed and causing you to freeze up.

6. Dealing with anxiety or fear • 1. Identify the cause. What do you fear? Write it down. • 2. Deal with the cause if you can • 3. If you can’t change the cause, let it go. • 4. Try to envision a positive outcome. Focus on success • 5. Use any extra energy for physical activity. • 6. Practice relaxation techniques.

7. sadness and grief • Sadness is a NORMAL reaction to events in your life (bad grades, break-up) • Sadness can be mild and brief or deep and long-lasting • The deepest form of sadness is grief – the emotional response to a major loss, such as the death of a loved one • People who feel sad may say that they are “depressed”, but sadness and depression are not the same thing. • Sadness is a normal and temporary emotion, while depression is a serious illness that interferes with a person’s daily life.

8. anger • During your teen years, the increased levels of hormones in your body may cause you to become angry over small things • It is important to learn how to manage your anger so you do not risk damaging your relationships with others. • To control anger you must first recognize what is causing the anger, then you can think about ways to deal with the problem • It is important to first cool off before taking any action • Take a walk • Listen to music • Write down your thoughts in a journal

9. Guilt and shame • Guilt is the normal feeling that arises from the conscience when a person acts against internal values • The best way to deal with appropriate guilt is to admit you are wrong • Sometimes people feel guilty for things that are not their fault (divorce) • Shame is a feeling of being inherently unworthy • Shame means feeling bad about who you are as a person • Feelings of shame can be linked to serious mental problems • Remember: guilt is about what you do while shame is about who you are

10. Mental and emotional disorders • Everyone experiences difficult emotions from time to time, but when emotional problems interfere with daily life, that could be a sign of mental illness. • Mental illness can interfere with work, personal relationships, and even basic daily tasks like bathing.

11. Warning signs of mental illness • Personality Change • Inability to cope with problems • Difficulty performing daily tasks • Unrealistic Ideas • Excessive Anxiety • Prolonged Depression or indifference to the world • Change in eating and sleeping • Extreme highs and lows in mood • Excessive anger, hostility, or violent behavior • Thoughts of suicide or homicide (needs immediate help!)

12. Anxiety disorders • Anxiety disorders can be severe and disabling • Phobias- an extreme, irrational fear of an object or situation • Social Anxiety- extreme fear in the presence of other people • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder- an uncontrollable fixation on specific thoughts and behaviors • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- serious stress reaction in response to a terrifying event • Panic Disorder- sudden, unexplained attacks of terror

13. Mood Disorders • Mood disorders involve extremes of emotion • Depression • Persistent feeling of apathy, hopelessness, or despair. • One of the most common mental disorders (one out of every ten people) • People who experience symptoms of depression for longer than two weeks should seek professional help • Bipolar Disorder • Extreme highs and lows of emotions • People with this disorder bounce back and forth from depression • Their mood swings can go from extreme happiness to extreme irritability or aggression • They also have difficulty concentrating and display poor judgment and reckless behavior

14. Other disorders • Schizophrenia • Severe mental disorder that causes people to lose touch with reality • Addiction • Physical or psychological dependence on a particular substance, habit, or behavior • Eating Disorders • Anorexia Nervosa • Bulimia Nervosa • Binge Eating Disorder

15. Emotional healing • Therapy is any activity or treatment that helps a person cope with a mental or emotional problem. • Many teens seek therapy to help them through troubled periods in their lives. • Some examples include: • Depression, anxiety, or stress • Eating disorders • Learning or attention problems that affect school • Painful events (serious illness, death, divorce, etc.) • Substance abuse • Everyday problems like managing anger or coping with peer pressure

16. Types of therapy • Psychotherapy • Therapy in which the patient discusses problems with a trained therapist • Family Therapy • Members of a family meeting with a therapist to discuss problems that affect them as a group • Group Therapy • Several people with similar problems receive support from each other and from a counselor • Behavior Therapy • A therapist helps a person break an unhealthy pattern of behavior through a system of rewards and desensitization (overcoming fears)

17. Seeking help • If you feel like you may need help with a mental or emotional problem, there are several places you can look. • Your first step would be to talk to a parent or guardian • Other people who may offer help: • Teachers • Guidance Counselor • Religious Leader • Doctor • Community Health Centers • Crisis Hotlines • Support Groups

18. Seeking help • If you choose a therapist, it is important to choose one you are comfortable with. • During your first visit you may want to ask the following questions: • How long have you been practicing? • What are your office hours? • How much do you charge, will my insurance cover it? • Do you work with teens regularly? • Do you have experience helping people with problems like mine? • What is your basic approach to treatment? • If you are not satisfied with the answers you get, keep looking until you find someone who is a good fit for you.

19. Mental health professionals • People with these titles are qualified to offer therapy. Any others who claim to provide mental health services may not be trustworthy

20. Helping others • Recognize when it is possible to help a friend and when professional help is necessary. • Some problems require a trained professional, an untrained person can cause more trouble by saying the wrong things. • Caring and support are important to those suffering from severe mental illness • Another way to help those who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder is to talk honestly about their condition • Do not judge or label those with a mental illness, treat them as you would treat anyone else with respect and consideration.