Health and Well Being

Grade 12 Healthy Active Living

HEALTH AND WELL BEING

No help =

PainSufferingFailing

HELP = Better academic achievement

Less substance abuse

Improved chances for their future

ICEBREAKERPut the following terms on separate card. • Depression• Psychic• Manic• Mad• Demented• Schizophrenia• OCD• ADHD• Eating Disorder• Anxiety and Panic Disorder• Personality Disorder• Substance Abuse• ODD (oppositional defiance disorder)

Give each group the keywords to discuss for 10 minutes. • What is there first reaction to the words?• Are they positive or negative reactions?• What images come to mind when they read the words

WHAT IS A STIGMA?

STIGMA: NEGATIVE ATTITUDES ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS• People often feel ashamed, guilty or embarrassed about having a mental

health problem (or having a child with a mental health problem).

• People may believe that the illness is a sign of weakness or that they really have no good reason to feel the way they do.

• Parents may feel guilty, that they’ve done something to cause a child’s mental illness. And others may blame or judge people who have a mental health problem.

• This kind of ‘stigma’ makes things even more difficult for children, youth and families coping with mental health problems. And it’s one reason why people don’t get the help they need.

HOW DOES STIGMA AFFECT SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS?

• Feelings of shame and isolation

• Loss of friends

• Future thrown off course – education, profession, marriage

• Lowers self-esteem

• Difficult to get them to accept treatment

• Self medicate with drugs or alcohol

Personal Health and Wellness

Essential Questions

1. What determines a good decision?

2. How do you recognize depression?

3. How do peers influence your choices?

4. Why is it important to have healthy relationships?

5. How much stress is normal?

YOUR BRAIN

MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS: CAN WE HAVE THEM BOTH?

• Yes. It may sound strange, but we can have an illness and still have health. Do you know someone with heart disease?

• They may need a special diet, exercise plan and medications, but they can still feel ‘well’, and do the things they need to do. This is also true for mental illnesses. A teen with depression may need regular ‘talk’ therapy and medications. She may need help learning to cope with stress, or how to handle her emotions.

• But when the depression is under control, he can feel well, enjoy school, friends and activities.

• Sometimes though, an illness can be very serious. Even though people do their best and follow their treatment carefully, they may have to live with limitations. The same is true for people with mental illnesses or brain conditions.

• Some mental illnesses are more serious, and people may have to live with some limitations. But we still need to accept and support people whether they have heart disease or a mental health problem

HOW COMMON ARE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH?

• Mental health problems are more common than most people realize.

• In Ontario, 1 in every 5 children and youth have some type of mental health problem.

• But most who need professional help will not get it. Just 1 in 6 children and youth get the help they need.

• Just imagine if only 1 in 6 people with broken bones got treatment.

• Mental illnesses have a powerful impact on children, youth and those who care for them.

• Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth 15-19 years (the number one cause of death in this age group is unintentional injury, or ‘accidents’).

CAN MENTAL ILLNESSES BE PREVENTED?

• Just like we can prevent physical health problems, we can also reduce our chances of developing mental health problems.

• We can do things to promote our physical health, by eating healthy food, exercising, not smoking or wearing a seatbelt.

• But even if we do all these things, we sometimes still get sick or hurt. It’s just the same for mental health.

WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?

• An illness of the mind that can affect the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of person.

• Mental disorders can prevent people from leading a happy, healthful, and productive lives.

• ORGANIC

• Caused by physical illness or injury to brain

CLICK

• FUNCTIONAL

• Occur as a result of psychological causes in which no clear brain damage is involved.

CAUSES OF MENTAL DISORDERS

WHAT ABOUT TEENS?CLICK

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Panic disorderPeople experience intense feelings of fear for a short time. The body prepares for fight or flight, even during an ordinary situation.

PhobiasA phobia is an exaggerated or inappropriate fear of something specific. Some phobias can interfere with normal, everyday activities.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

A person with this disorder may feel that he or she must perform a certain activity, such as washing his her hands several times.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

This disorder is a reaction to a very traumatic event. People with PTSD often have bad memories of the event for a long time.

MOOD DISORDERS

Depression

People with this disorder feel a strong sense of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, guilt, and extreme sadness. If depressed people begin to feel hopeless, they may consider ending their lives

Bipolar disorder

Also called manic-depression, this disorder involves extreme mood swings for no apparent reason. A person with this disorder usually experiences alternating periods of excessive activity called mania and depression.

Teens who experience any of these symptoms should seek help from a trusted adult right away.

SIGNS OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS

Loss of appetite Neglect ofpersonal appearance Nightmares

Difficulty sleeping Hearing voices Long-lasting feelingsof sadness

Angry or aggressivebehaviors

Poorconcentration

Increasedtardiness or

absences

WithdrawnWithdrawn

Anxious

Typical?

Troubled?

• Experiencing more than normal developmental challenges, inability to form healthy relationships

• Without treatment, more likely to have serious problems:

• Academic• Relationships• Employment

TroubledTeens

+ environment

What causes mentalhealth disorders?

biology

Mood disorders

Anxiety disorders

Psychotic disorders

Behavioral/disruptive disorders

TEEN MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS

CLINICAL DEPRESSION• Deep despair, sadness, crying• 1 in 13 teens experience symptoms

BIPOLAR DISORDER• Extreme changes from happy to sad• 1 in 100 teens have it• Hard to diagnose, looks like depression

ANXIETY DISORDERS• Overwhelming fear with no cause• Risk is greater with family history

EATING DISORDERS• Unrealistic thoughts about weight• 1 in 20 teens suffer; 90% females• Untreated it can result in

hospitalization or death

SCHIZOPHRENIA• Strange thoughts, unusual behaviors• High functioning, then big decline• Distrustful, no longer social, voices

ADHD• Problems paying attention• Can seriously impact ability to learn

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER• Stubborn, argumentative, hostile• Major distraction in the classroom

CONDUCT DISORDER• Verbal/physical aggression• Junior sociopaths• End up in detention centers

Psychiatrists Psychologists

Mental HealthCounselors

CHANGING A LIFE’S COURSE

ACTIVITY

• You and a partner have been asked by the “school counselor” (the class) from The Boys and Girls Club of Kingston to create a brochure relating to health and wellness.

• Your role is to develop a brochure to help students be more aware of different topics such as positive and negative stress, mental and emotional disorders, the importance of getting help and where to get it, signs of suicide, and strategies to manage stress, Mental illness and Stigma.

• The teacher, textbook, notes, internet and peers are great sources to help you accomplish this task. When you have accomplished this task, you will present your research to the “class”.