1. Mental Health: A Presentation for Parents
Presented by
Breanna Glasser and
Helen SwansTon-Hickie

2. Overview of Stress, Depression, and Anxiety
Stress – Our response to: change, difficult situations, threatening situations. Anxiety – A general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave and can cause physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can seriously affect day-to-day living. Depression – A mood disorder characterized by low mood, a feeling of sadness, and a general loss of interest in things.
How many of you feel under stress or pressured at times?
Unresolved stress can lead to Anxiety and Depression, among other things.
Usually we view stress as a bad thing. But stress is an essential part of life. People experience stress through all stages of life (from birth to death). (My manager told me “if you don’t experience stress, you are not breathing”)
There are some situations that stress can be a positive thing, for example it can help motivate us to get things done (family coming to visit, have to clean house). It also encourages us to adjust some aspect of our behaviour. (For example, if you are always running late, and this is causing is stress, it will likely motivate you to make a change).
However, when we don’t make the necessary changes our bad stress piles up and overwhelms us that’s when it is not helpful and can lead to further issues.

3. Common stressors for youth/teens
School Sports Other extracurricular activities Work Increased responsibility at home Getting drivers licence Preparing for university/college/workforce Preparing to move out Social life
School- homework, test or presentation anxiety, assignment deadlines.
Sports- performance anxiety, pressure to do well, pressure to win
Other extracurricular activities- music, cadets, 4H, etc. Time consuming often on weekends.
Work- time consuming after school and on weekends. Cuts into socializing time. Often has to be planned around other activities or sports. Can’t always get days off when you would like.
Certain times of year:
Spring- Seeding, recitals, final exams
Fall- everything starts up again after summer, school, sports. Harvest
Winter- Sports and activities are in full swing, games, tournaments, competitions. Mid-term exams.
Increased responsibilities at home- caring for younger siblings, chores, running errands
Getting drivers licence- pressure to get it the first time, vehicle maintenance, registration/plates, running errands for parents/siblings
Preparing for university/college/workforce- getting enough credits, getting the correct credits. Financial issues with going to post-secondary
Preparing to move out- bills, groceries, cooking
Social life
Other:
Having to meet high expectations that others set, or that you set on yourself
Conflict at home (between you and parents or parents fighting)
Relationships (boyfriend/girlfriend)
Generally summer is the time of the year that people are the happiest and seem to cope better with their stressors.
This time to decompress from the year’s events is a positive thing.
However it is not positive to feel stressed and overwhelmed for 10 months out of the year, forget about everything over summer and then become bombarded again after summer is over.
We also need to find ways to decompress and manage our stress throughout the year when all the pressures are in place.

4. Social Media Use What Can Parents Do?
Use of Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have been proven to lead to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness, stemming from:
Indirect communication
Lowering the risk of emotions
Cyberbullying
Stalking
What Can Parents Do?
While we could have added this topic into the last slide, we felt it was more important to discuss Social Media on it’s own as it is such a large aspect in youth’s lives today.
In regards to Indirect communication, teens are masters at keeping themselves occupied in the hours after school until way past bedtime. You can usually find them on their phones, texting, sharing, and scrolling. Of course before everyone had an smart phones, teens kept themselves busy as well, but they were more likely to do their chatting on the phone, or in person when hanging out at the mall. It may have looked like a lot of aimless hanging around, but what they were doing was experimenting, trying out skills, and succeeding and failing in tons of tiny real-time interactions that kids today are missing out on.
When friendship is conducted online and through texts, kids are doing this in a context stripped of many of the most personal and emotional aspects of communication. It’s easier to keep your guard up when you’re texting, so less is at stake. You aren’t hearing or seeing the effect that your words are having on the other person. Because the conversation isn’t happening in real time, each party can take more time to consider a response. No wonder kids have a fear of calling people on the phone - it requires more direct communication, and if you aren’t used to that it may well feel scary.
Peer acceptance is a big thing for adolescents, and many of them care about their image based on how many “likes” their new “selfie” received. Who wouldn’t want to make herself look cooler if they can? This leads to kids spending hours pruning their online identities, trying to project an idealized image. When kids scroll through their feeds and see how great everyone seems, it only adds to the pressure. We’re used to worrying about the impractical ideals that photoshopped magazine models give to our kids, but what happens with the kid next door is photoshopped, too? Even more confusing, what about when your own profile doesn’t really represent the person that you feel like you are on the inside?
Another big change that has come with new technology is that we are never really alone. Kids update their status, share what they’re watching, listening to, and reading, and have apps that let their friends know their specific location on a map at all times. Even if a person isn’t trying to keep his friends updated, he’s still never out of reach of a text message. The result is that kids feel hyperconnected with each other. The conversation never needs to stop, and it feels like there’s always something new happening.
Some suggestions of what parents can do include:
Limit personal use of smart phones to set a good example for children – have technology-free zones or technology-free hours in the home.
Delay the age of first use of technology as long as possible.
Don’t go through your child’s texts unless there is cause for concern – keeping trust and a healthy relationship between you and your child is important, however, do ‘friend’ them on their social media accounts and monitor their page.
Offline, the gold standard advice for helping kids build healthy self-esteem is to get them involved in something that they’re interested in. It could be sports or music or taking apart computers or volunteering—anything that sparks an interest and gives them confidence. When kids learn to feel good about what they can do instead of how they look and what they own, they’re happier and better prepared for success in real life

5. How Stress Affects the Body
Physically – Changes in sleep & appetite, upset stomach, pounding heart, cold hands and feet, perspiration, restlessness, muscle tension, headaches. Emotionally – Irritable, frustrated, worried, nervous, discouraged. Cognitively – Difficulty concentrating, negative self-talk, criticism, complaining, catastrophizing. Behaviourally – Isolating, lashing out at others, risky decision making.
Physical:
Sleep- too much or too little. Continuous feeling of fatigue.
Appetite- over eating or under eating.
Upset stomach- could also have feelings of nausea. Constipation and diarrhea.
Cognitive:
When we are stressed we have a number of things on our minds and have difficulty focusing on tasks, especially if they are what is causing our stress in the first place.
Negative self-talk: I can’t do this, it will never work out, I don’t have time, I have no help.
Criticizing and Complaining go along with the negative talk but rather than putting it on themselves the person is now directing it outwards.
Catastrophizing- making a situation much, much bigger than it actually is. (Ex: trying to move cattle, one gets away “the whole heard is gone now, we will never get them loaded!” or “making one small mistake in a routine, and believing the whole thing is ruined and no recovery can be made”)
Isolating- staying by yourself, avoiding people
Lashing out- getting angry with others, usually our closest family and friends
Risky decision making- driving fast, distracted driving, using drugs and alcohol, promiscuity
As you can see there are a number of symptoms that can be very distressing and uncomfortable. We do not like feeling uncomfortable and try to fix it as quick as we can, through instant gratification (drinking, drugs, avoidance, over sleeping, lashing out, etc) but by doing this we are not actually deal with the reasons behind the stress.

6. How anxiety affects the body
Physically – Feeling tense/the inability to relax, rapid heart beat, dizziness, headache, sweating, tingling, numbness, nausea, vomiting, aches, pains, restlessness, tremors. Emotionally – Apprehension/feeling unable to cope Cognitively – Introspection, poor concentration, fear or death of self or other, can vary from mild unease to extreme terror. Behaviourally – Avoidance, reassurance seeking,
Many of the symptoms of anxiety are up on the screen.
Introspection (under the cognitive symptoms) is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings.
When there is a continued state of high anxiety or fear, the thinking part of the brain shuts down. Children are not focusing on the words they hear.
Instead when children are living with anxiety, they look for cues from their environment such as:
-Facial expression
-body language
-tone of voice
-loud sounds
-group dynamics
If an adult becomes upset and approaches a child with an angry face or tone of voice, the child’s anxiety increases and they do not pay attention to the words. Rather they experience this as a threat and react with a survival response. A compliant child, one who becomes frozen with fear, will nod their head without actually hearing instructions.

7. How Depression affects the body
Key Symptoms – Persistent low mood/sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy and/or increased fatigue. Physically – Disturbed sleep, appetite disturbance, decreased energy. Emotionally – Tearfulness, irritability/agitation, lowering of mood, loss of interest/enjoyment. Cognitively – Reduced concentration & attention, self esteem, and self confidence, bleak & pessimistic views of the future. Behaviourally – Slowing of movements, ideas and/or attempts of self harm or suicide, decreased libido.
*Talk about some of the symptoms*

8. Fight/Flight/Freeze Response
When we are faced with a situation that causes us anxiety or fear, we react and either want to fight what we are faced with, or want to run away (flight).
This is also known as the fight/flight/freeze response.
This reaction is helpful when we are faced with an actual danger or threat (ex. Coming across a wild animal)
It is not helpful when we are faced with less threatening fears, like anxiety before a test, or a conflict between family members or friends.
The fight/flight response is a natural defense system our bodies have. It is a good indicator that you are likely stressed and even anxious.
Anxiety causes changes in the body that increase our ability to:
-Defend ourselves against the source of danger (fight)
-Get away from something dangerous (flight)
-Remain still enough to avoid being detected by a source of danger (freeze)
This reaction is helpful when we are faced with an actual danger or threat (coming across a racoon, skunk, porcupine), in a situation where we may actually have to fight something off or run away.
It is not helpful when we are faced with less threatening fears like anxiety before a test or conflict between family members or friends. These are still relevant situations to feel stressed or anxious, it’s just that the fight/flight response is not helpful.
Our bodies are not able to recognize different types of stressors or anxieties so it just reacts to all of them.

9. Negative thoughts Negative emotions Negative actions
When we are stressed, anxious or depressed our thoughts are negative which make us feel negative emotions, which leads to negative actions/behaviours. Sometimes we express that external events make us feel a certain way (this assignment is stressing me out, my parents make me so mad, etc). However it is actually our thoughts that create those emotions (this assignment is stressing me out: I am stressed about having to complete this assignment because I don’t understand it fully, or I am stressed about having to complete this assignment because I don’t’ have enough time to get it done by the deadline). Emotions(sad, frustrated, overwhelmed) Actions(hand it in late, not complete it at all, lash out at the teacher for “having such a stupid assignment”, ask someone to do it for you).
If we don’t change the way we think about things, then things won’t change. If we continue to think negatively we will continue to feel negatively and act negatively. If we try to change our thinking to be more positive and see things from a different perspective, then we may start to feel better and do better.

10. Self Harm Majority of self harm occurs between 11-25 years old.
Why do youth and teens self harm? To control mood, a way of expressing themselves, control/punishment – a form of trauma re-enactment.
Types: cutting the skin, burning the skin, punching your own body, hair pulling, interfering with wound healing, ingesting toxic substances or objects, misusing alcohol or drugs, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa or bulimia), wreckless driving, unsafe sex
We want to talk briefly on the topics of self harm and suicide, as they are factors that are an increased cause for concern.
Self-harm often happens during times of anger, distress, fear, worry, depression or low self-esteem in order to manage or control negative feelings. Self-harm can also be used as a form of self-punishment for something someone has done, thinks they have done, are told by someone else that they have done, or that they have allowed to be done to themselves.
The need to self-harm usually comes from emotions that have become difficult to manage, although sometimes it may be a sign of an underlying mental health issue.
Some people don’t find harming addictive in a physical sense but may become dependent on it emotionally. Harming may hold back unwanted feelings, so it may become a habit and part of a daily routine to reduce the risk of those feelings popping up in the first place – prevention rather than cure. Giving up harming means these feelings may surface, and that can be a frightening prospect.

11. Suicide
Ideation – is a medical term for thoughts about, or an unusual preoccupation with, suicide.
Protective factors – supportive family & friends, hobbies, sports
High risk of suicide – current untreated severe mental illness, alcohol misuse, previous suicide attempts, family history of suicide
Catching suicidal ideation is key in order to prevent suicidal actions.
The definition of suicidal ideation is on the board, as well as, it can be passive and involving a desire to die but without a plan to bring about one’s death, OR it can be active and involve a current desire and plan to die.
It is important for people who have suicidal thoughts to identify protective factors and things that they are looking forward to, in order to look ahead and plan for the future.
One big factor that we always look for in people who have thoughts of suicide is a past family/close friend history of suicide. The people who have experienced suicide first hand, may feel grief, anger, guilt, betrayal, or relief, which are all normal reactions and are important to address.

12. Problems Vs. Worries Problems can be fixed Worries can be coped with
Sometimes when we are faced with a stressor we need to ask ourselves, is this a problem or a worry.
When we are faced with a problem, we generally want to try and fix it. We think of solutions and pick the one that is the most effective or that's the best fit. Usually we weigh pros and cons, length of time it would take to implement the solution, difficulty of implementing a solution, cost, etc.
When we worry we often think of worst case scenarios and dwell on them. We focus on what “could” happen rather than what is actually happening and what can I do about it.
Thinking ahead and preparing for the future is an important skill to have, however focusing on the “what if’s” is not preparing us for anything because we have no solutions or plan. And it is a situation that does not need fixing at the moment.

13. Problems Is it a real problem I am concerned about right now?
Is it something that is happening right now?
These 3 questions can be helpful when deciding if you are faced with a problem or a worry.
Sometimes our thoughts can be unrealistic, or a prediction of the future; it is likely a worry.
If it is not happening in the immediate future, can it be dealt with at a later date? If it is a worry, giving it some time may make it disappear on its own.
If you do not have control over the situation, you are likely worrying about it and then need to use coping strategies rather than problem solving skills.

14. Examples
There have been so many terror attacks lately, what if one happens here?
My grandparent was just diagnosed with cancer; what if I get cancer when I am older?
I am always later wherever I go; I don’t like being late. I feel rushed, unorganized, and flustered when I show up late to an event.
I have a big assignment due, I have to study for a test, and I have a basketball tournament this weekend. I don’t know how I can get everything done.
Terror- Worry. Real worry to have. But it is in the future, predicting something may happen, and you have no control over it.
Medical diagnosis- Worry. (same as above)
Late- Problem. Leave earlier. Get up earlier. Prepare prior to the event.
Moving- Worry. It is not an immediate concern. Depending on your choice of schooling or career with help to determine where you will live. House, apartment, condo? This will rely on your financial situation.
Graduation- Both worry and problem. Worry because it is not immediate, focusing on future events. Problem because you have to do something. Maybe you decide to work for work for a year or two, or you decide to go straight to school. Problem solving skills are needed in this situation.
Assignments – This could be both a worry and a problem. It is a problem because, like the last example, something needs to be done. It is important to prioritize what really needs to be done in this situation and plan accordingly. If the test isn’t for another week and the assignment is due today, that is likely the priority in this case. Utilizing day planners/agendas can be really helpful in organizing what needs to be done and what can wait.
Once we determine if we are dealing with a worry or a problem we will be better able to cope with the situation and manage our anxiety.

15. Resiliency
Resiliency refers to an individual’s natural tendency to cope with stress and adversity; an individual’s ability to ‘bounce back’ from stressors/stressful events.
Tips for Parents:
Prepare children for changes ahead of time
Create a sense of calm and safety
Increase adult supports
Give your child attention before they demand it
We thought it was important to include information on this topic, as children often are very resilient.
Resiliency is enhanced when there is preparation for an event, security in attachment to caregivers, previous experience of a stressful event with a positive outcome, and information.
Talking to children to prepare them for events and changes ahead of time is very helpful.
Children more and more are turning to their peers for connection. We have begun to think this is normal but what we forget is that children do not regulate each other or keep each other safe the way adults do. It is essential to have protective adults in children’s lives to connect to while learning about who they are and who they want to become. This gives them a sense of resiliency against peer pressure.
-Calm yourself. Children who are anxious become dysregulated and rely on their surroundings for messages of safety. Adults who are calm create a sense of safety that helps children regulate themselves.
-Increase supports. Children need to have as many positive adult relationships as possible. Parents are important but cannot do it all.
-Front-loading – give your child attention before they demand it.

16. Stress management and coping
Take care of basic needs
Establish routines
Social support
Self-care
Relaxation
Mindfulness Exercises
Listening to music
Exercise
Limit social media use
Help children to take risks
Warm Bath
MODEL POSITIVE COPING SKILLS
Basic needs- sleep, eating habits, personal hygiene, grooming – no one copes well when they are tired or hungry.
Routines - Routines reduce anxiety. Have your child help plan a routine and make a schedule which gives a child a sense of control and order. Bedtime routines are especially important. Plan time for homework and projects. Be firm and consistent.
Social support- find people that will support you and help you through the difficult times. Some one you trust. Some one you can talk openly to about anything.
Self-care – doing things you enjoy, that bring you happiness
Relaxation- different types of relaxation strategies. Deep breathing. Progressive muscle relaxation. Mindfulness.
Exercise- we all know that exercise is a great stress reliever. It give you something else to think about. Doing things, even small, can help us to get motivated and we may continue making bigger changes. Often people are happy after they have exercised. When we are happy and motivated we can have a different perspective on things in our life and they may not seem so overwhelming anymore.
Social Media – Limit social media use and video games, especially at night.
Take risks - Help them to take risks like making phone calls, talking to a new friend, trying something new.
It is very important to practice the following coping skills at home with your child.

17. Mental Imagery
Includes visualizing a calming scene in the mind to relax.
Includes visualizing a calming scene in the mind to relax.
Parents may have to describe the scene to the child.
Scenes could include: their favorite holiday, sitting on a beach, or snuggling up by the fireplace.

18. Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a technique that involves tensing specific muscle groups and then relaxing them to create awareness of tension and relaxation. It is termed progressive because it proceeds through all major muscle groups, relaxing them one at a time, and eventually leads to total muscle relaxation.
PMR can reduce anxiety, stress and muscle tension. In addition, it may help you if you have trouble falling asleep or even ease headaches by focusing on the muscles of the head, neck and jaw. As you learn how tense muscles feel compared to relaxed muscles you will find a new awareness of your body and will be able to tell when you need to relax.
For children, this will like be most beneficial if a parent/support person is reading the instructions out to them to practice, especially for the first time. An important side note to this is it is a very discrete way to calm yourself, and is very good to utilize while in class.

19. Thought Stopping
1. Sit in a comfortable spot. If people are around make sure they know what you may be doing.
2. Set a timer (loudly can be better) for 1-3 minutes.
3. While the timer is on think about the worrisome thought. When the timer goes off, empty your mind and try to keep it empty of any thoughts for 20 seconds.
4. As you continue to practice you can lengthen the time you are able to keep your mind clear and you can even trying shortening the time you have to think about the worrisome thought.
5. You can also shout “Stop” (but you may not want to do that in public).
Thought stopping can be helpful when you have constant worry that will not go away. Or an unrealistic thought that keeps coming up. Going to tryouts for a sport and the thought “what if I’m not good enough” keeps coming to mind.
To do thought stopping involves concentrating on the unwanted/disturbing thought, after a short time suddenly stop thinking about it and completely clear your mind.
To Do:
Sit in a comfortable spot. If people are around make sure they know what you may be doing.
Set a timer (loudly can be better). 1-3 minutes. Any longer and you are spending more time worrying.
While the timer is on think about the worrisome thought. When the timer goes off, empty your mind and try to keep it empty of any thoughts for 20 seconds.
As you continue to practice you can lengthen the time you are able to keep your mind clear and you can even trying shortening the time you have to think about the worrisome thought.
You can also shout Stop, (but you may not want to do that in public).

20. Thought Journal Keep track of symptoms. Keep track of emotions.
Include dates and times.
Keeping a thought journal can be helpful in managing stress as it may help you to see a pattern or specific things that may be causing your stress. Writing things down can also help us to get away from the thoughts sometimes, it allows us to walk away from the journal, take a break and can come back to it. Sometimes this break is enough to get a different perspective.
It is also helpful to keep a journal if you think there is more going on than just stress. If you are going to speak with a counselor or physician having a record of specific symptoms can help in the treatment process.
**Can find thought journals on google.

21. Deep Breathing Breathing is an automatic function.
Benefits of deep breathing: focusing on your breath, gaining control over your breath, takes mind off of stressor.
To practice deep breathing:
Sit comfortably
Close eyes
Inhale through nose
Exhale through mouth. Imagine breathing through a straw, pursing lips together.
Practice for 2 minutes.
Breathing is automatic for us, it is something you do all day, everyday without thinking about it and it is essential. We tend to take our breathing for granted and forget how good it feels to take a big deep breath. When we get upset or anxious our breathing automatically changes and when we recognize that it has changed is causes us more anxiety making it more difficult to get back to normal.
By learning and how to control your breath and practicing we remind ourselves of the benefits and enjoyment of deep breathing.
Some effects of deep breathing can be felt with in moments of starting to practice, while others may take months of continual practicing to notice.

22. 5 Senses
Sometimes when we are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, our thoughts begin to go in a loop and we continue worrying about the same thing over and over. It is important to be mindful of this when it is happening. A good tool to use is identifying your 5 senses. This includes focusing on:
What am I tasting right now?
What do I feel underneath my hands or underneath my feet?
What do I see right in front of me? To my left? To my right?
What do I hear? Is the TV playing? Is someone talking?
What do I smell? Is something cooking in the kitchen? Is a candle going?
Focusing on these questions can often break the cycle of worry and bring you back to the present.

23. When to Seek Help For your child
If you feel as though your child is suffering from more than day-to-day stressors.
If you notice the warning signs listed in previous slides, consistently.
If you are unsure of if your child needs to speak to a professional – it is better to ask for help and not need it, than not ask at all.
It is important to remind your children to talk to someone they trust- parent, extended family members, staff at school. Remind them that these people may be able to help them work through the problem they are facing, or help them access the services they need.

24. Telephone Resources
For Referrals: Rural Mental Health Intake – 1(866) School Counsellor For Emergencies: (has a mental health professional on staff 24/7) Mobile Crisis – 1(306) (After 5 pm – 1(306) ) Kids Help Phone (24h) - 1(800) Local Hospital

25. Online Resources
Centre for Clinical Intervention:
U of R Online Therapy Unit:
There can be really helpful information online; however you must be very careful when doing internet research as lots of sites are not reliable sources of information.
The sites listed above are reliable sources and have good information.
CCI is an Australian website, with workbooks.

26. Questions?

27. Sources
teenagers/ symptoms-treatments Parent’s Handbook on Reducing Anxiety by Christine Lummis PPT Presentation: Parent/Carer Mental Illness and the potential impact for dependant children by Vicky Finch and Jo Farthing-Bell PPT Presentation: Mental Wellness by Amy Benko Google images