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

3. National Alliance on Mental Illness Statistics  34,000 people commit suicide every year  10 th leading cause of death in adults  3 rd leading cause of death in adolescents

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. Demythologizing Mental Health  Steve’s story  The nothingness

9. The Pit Insecure Busy Mind Habitual Thought

10. 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

11. The Helicopter Insecure Busy Mind Habitual Thought Secure Free flow Innate Health

12. 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

13. 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

14. Perceptions of Reality

15. Separate Realities

16. Life of a Thought Thought Feeling ActionResult A Thought only lives as long as you think it!

17. The Movie Projector The Three Principles Mind Thought Consciousness

18. Pine Meadow Counseling 7070 Schirra Court, Suite 200 Bakersfield, CA 93313 661-834-7564 1-855-ilisn2u www.pinemeadowcounseling.org