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Mental Health Problems & Diseases. The Health of Young People. General Nature. Young people today seems to experience increasing levels of stress due to factors beyond their control Stress : is a physiological or psychological influence that produces a state of tension in a person.
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Mental Health Problems & Diseases The Health of Young People
General Nature • Young people today seems to experience increasing levels of stress due to factors beyond their control • Stress: is a physiological or psychological influence that produces a state of tension in a person. • Since everyone is exposed to some level of stress, it is an individual’s reaction that determines how well they cope
What type of person are you? TYPE A • Aggressive • Competitive • Impatient • Time Urgent • High work involvement • Hate failure, word hard to avoid it TYPE B • Relaxed • Non-competitive • Patient • Work steadily, are not fussed by achievement • Faced with competition, do not mind losing, or back down
Coping Mechanisms • Young people need to develop personal coping mechanisms and alter their perspective of the stressors that affect them. The AIHW report Australia’s young people — their health and wellbeing 2007 indicated that one in five males and one in 10 females aged 18 to 24 years were found to have a substance (alcohol/drug) use disorder. Combined with the high frequency of mental illness and youth suicide, this indicates that not all young people are coping with life.
Mental health issues of major concernDEPRESSION • All people may feel depressed at some stage in their lives or even during a typical week. Depression becomes a serious health concern for young people when it extends for several weeks at a time and they feel ‘down’, worthless, angry, tired and irritable. • They may have difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and no longer gain satisfaction from daily activities. • It has been found that depression is linked to the increased risk of suicide and self-harm behaviours.
DEPRESSION • According to information from Mental Illness Education Australia: • Women experience a higher rate of depression and anxiety than men. This results in a greater incidence of self-harm, eating disorders and attempted suicides. • 1 to 3 per cent of young people will be affected by a major depressive disorder • 15 to 40 per cent of young people will report having symptoms of a depressed mood disorder • It is believed that by the age of 18, approximately 24 per cent of young people will have suffered from a major episode of depression.
SCHIZOPHRENIA • Schizophrenia affects the way a person behaves, feels and views the world. • It is not just a single disorder, but a group of disorders with variable causes and outcomes. • A common misconception is that it is the development of a split personality or multiple personalities. • A person suffering from this illness may experience hallucinations, delusions, diminished emotional responsibility and disjointed thought patterns, and may seek to withdraw from society. • It can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race or intelligence. • Sufferers may experience one or a few episodes and can return to normal living in between episodes; for others, it can be a daily struggle.
SCHIZOPHRENIA • According to the New South Wales Department of Health, most new cases of schizophrenia are diagnosed in adolescents or young adults. • One in three schizophrenics will have only one to two episodes in their lives.
SELF HARM • Self-harm encompasses a wide range of behaviours that are not necessarily suicide attempts or an indication that the person wants to die. • One of the behaviours attributed to deliberate self-harm is self-mutilation, which involves the person inflicting pain or punishment on themselves, usually in secret. • This can be their way of trying to cope with stress or painful emotions, or might be a means of regaining power that has somehow been lost or taken away by others. • Young people who are victims of sexual assault often exhibit this type of behaviour. It can be a cry for help and attention.
SELF HARM • It is estimated that the number of young people who have engaged in self-harm is 40-100 times greater than those who have actually ended their lives • It is difficult to estimate the rate of self harm as evidence suggests that only 10% of young people who self-harm will present for hospital treatment • Australian studies suggest that 6-7% of Australian youth aged 15-24 years engage in self-harm in any 12-month period • While suicide is more common among young men, self-harm is more common among young women
SUICIDE Suicide is an intended self-inflicted injury that is fatal. • Studies conducted in Australia estimate that 5 to 10 per cent of young people will attempt suicide and 1 in 2 will have suicidal thoughts at some time during their life. • Females tend to use drug overdoses and are less successful in taking their own lives, whereas some males use more violent methods such as firearms and hanging. • Suicidal tendencies are most prevalent in the mid-teens and many of the people who commit suicide have previously shown evidence of poor mental health.
SUICIDE • According to the AIHW,in 2004, of the 15–24 years agegroup, males suicided at a rate of 13 deaths per 100 000 people and females suicided at a rate of 6 deaths per 100 000 people. • There is a growing trend towards an increase in female suicides. • Females generally make more unsuccessful attempts, largely due to the different method used between males and females. • The Australian suicide rate is the fourth highest among Western countries, with New Zealand having the highest rate of all countries.
Young people at risk • the unemployed or economically disadvantaged • students who leave school prematurely • individuals with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds • rural males • Females • gay youth • individuals who experience incarceration or the juvenile justice system • long-term drug users • individuals who experience habitual bullying or harassment • individuals who act as a carer for parents or siblings with disabilities.
Time to be a You will be given a scenario/case concerning a mental health issue. Read through it and use pages 335-349 of your textbook to suggest coping strategies or social problem solving skills that could assist the individual. Write up your diagnosis and coping prescription
