 1. What do you think causes mental illness?

 2. How do we know when someone is mentally ill?

 3. What sort of things can we do to help people with mental illness?

 4. What sorts of things aren’t helpful to mentally ill people and what might make them worse?  _funny_about_mental_illness _funny_about_mental_illness

 Apathy: lack of strong feeling, interest or concern (depression)  Stigma: mark of shame or disapproval that results in an individual being rejected by others  Compare physical illness to mental illness  Alienation: feeling of being isolated and separated from everyone else

 is a disturbance in thoughts and emotions that decreases a person’s capacity to cope with the challenges of everyday life

 Mood disorders are persistent changes in mood caused by biochemical imbalances in the brain. Major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder are two types of mood disorders.

 Feelings of hopeless and sadness that last for more than a few days.  Inability to take part in daily activities.  Activities that used to give you pleasure no longer do so.  Depression is more than occasionally feeling blue, sad, or down in the dumps, though. Depression is a strong mood involving sadness, discouragement, despair, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer.

 Uncontrollable cycles of extreme happiness and then depression. 

Psychosis is the active state of experiencing hallucinations or delusions and can be organic (mental illness) or drug-induced.

 False perceptions of reality.  Hallucinations and/or delusions. (watch video)

 Anxiety disorders are associated with feelings of anxiousness, combined with physiological symptoms that interfere with everyday activities. OCD, phobias, and PTSD are types of anxiety disorders.

physiologicalphysical TensionFear of going crazy TremblingMuscle tension WorryFear of dyingSweatingNausea PanicFear of losing control Heart poundingBreathlessness Feelings of unreality Light headedness Numbness DizzinessStomach pains Disruptive to work, social or family life

 Sudden feelings of terror that strike without warning.  Putting oneself in danger by desperately trying to escape the situation.

 Repeated, disturbing, and unwanted thoughts  Ritual behaviors that are perceived as impossible to control such as repeatedly washing one’s hands.

 Excessive or persistent fear of something that may or may not cause real danger, such as spiders, elevators, or giving a speech.  Possible panic attacks. 

 Avoidance of experiences that could trigger memories of a traumatic experience such as wartime experiences or abuse.

 Eating disorders are a range of conditions involving an obsession with food, weight, and appearance that negatively affect a person’s health, relationships and daily life. Stressful life situations, poor coping skills, socio- cultural factors regarding weight and appearance, genetics, trauma, and family dynamics are thought to play a role in the development of eating disorders.

 Obsessive behavior and thoughts about weight control.  Starvation of oneself such as anorexia nervosa.  Consumption of large amounts of food followed by vomiting.

 Difficulty concentrating  Difficulty completing tasks  Difficulty following instructions  Impulsive and hyperactive  

 Amphetamines:  fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats;  feeling light-headed, fainting;  increased blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure); or  tremor, restlessness, hallucinations, unusual behavior, or motor tics (muscle twitches).  Less serious side effects may include:  headache or dizziness;  sleep problems (insomnia);  dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in your mouth;  diarrhea, constipation;  loss of appetite, weight loss; methylphenidates:  fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats;  feeling like you might pass out;  fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;  aggression, restlessness, hallucinations, unusual behavior, or motor tics (muscle twitches);  easy bruising, purple spots on your skin; or  dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure).  Less serious side effects may include:  stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite;  vision problems, dizziness, mild headache;  sweating, mild skin rash;  numbness, tingling, or cold feeling in your hands or feet;  nervous feeling, sleep problems (insomnia); or  weight loss.

 Belief of illness when none is present.

 It’s a neurological disorder where the individual demonstrates normal intelligence and language development, but exhibits autistic-like behaviors.  Mild to severe.

 Show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space.  Overall it’s a lighter form of Autism.

 Neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain in areas of communication and social interaction.  Symptoms usually displayed before age 3. 