Demythologizing Mental Illness and Suicide Steven R. Crouch Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist President, Pine Meadow Counseling.

Demythologizing Mental Illness

and Suicide

Steven R. Crouch

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

President, Pine Meadow Counseling

National Alliance on Mental Illness Statistics

34,000 people commit suicide every year

10th leading cause of death in adults 3rd leading cause of death in

adolescents

Depression ✷ Depressed mood most of the day✷ Diminished interest or pleasure in all or most all

activities✷ Significant weight loss or gain✷ Insomnia or hypersomnia✷ Psychomotor agitation or retardation ✷ Fatigue or loss of energy✷ Feelings of worthlessness or guilt✷ Inability to think of concentrate or indecisiveness✷ Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide • Symptoms present nearly every day for at least

2 weeks

Mania* Elevated, expansive, irritable mood* Inflated sense of self importance* Decreased need for sleep* Racing speech* Flight of ideas, distractibility* Increase in goal-directed activity* Risk taking activities

IED■ Intermittent Explosive Disorder:

✷ Recurrent behavioral outbursts✷ Magnitude of aggression is grossly out of proportion✷ Outbursts are not premeditated✷ Outbursts cause marked distress in individual or

impairment in occupational or interpersonal functioning, or are associated with financial or legal consequences

✷ Chronological age is at least 6 years (or equivalent developmental level)

✷ Outbursts are not better explained by another mental disorder

Marsha

http://www.3pgc.org/photos-videos/details/?m=1021

Demythologizing Mental Health

Steve’s story

The nothingness

The Pit

Insecure Busy MindHabitual Thought

Pit Thought Traits Impatience, frustration, hurriedness, reckless, Boredom, restlessness, dissatisfaction Defensiveness, self focused, pride, ego Fear, struggle, effortful, drudgery, strain Blame, judgement, self-righteousness Stress, burnout, anxiety, inefficiency Limited view, micromanage, details only Sadness, sorrow, depression, hopeless, helpless Anger, grudges, hostility, hate, revenge,

paranoia Serious, no one else understands, dis-ease,

complex

The Helicopter

Insecure Busy MindHabitual Thought

SecureFree flowInnate Health

Free Flowing Secure Thought Traits

Calm, peaceful, natural, effortless Ability to focus and concentrate without

effort Curious, inspired, creative Present, content, satisfied, fulfilled Relaxed, ease, humble, kindness,

generosity Focus on enjoyment, light-hearted Empathy, compassion, understanding Cooperation, flexibility, open-minded Optimistic, positive, in love with life Resilient, hopeful, glass ½ full Love, gratitude, and intimacy

Levels of Awareness

Elevator of Consciousness• Ground Floor: Objective Reality

• Seeing what’s really happening • experiencing the world as it is

• Lower Floors: Subjective Reality• Seeing an interpretation of reality • experiencing the world through the filter of my

thinking• Higher Floors: Constructed Reality

• Seeing it is all made up • the world is what I think it is

• Top Floors: Illusory Reality• No separation between “out there” and “in here”• I am a pure expression of the energy of life

Perceptions of Reality

Separate Realities

Life of a Thought

Thought

Feeling

Action

Result

The Movie Projector

The Three PrinciplesMindThoughtConsciousness

Pine Meadow Counseling

7070 Schirra Court, Suite 200

Bakersfield, CA 93313

661-834-7564

1-855-ilisn2u

www.pinemeadowcounseling.org