Mental Health 101

What are signs to look for

*NOTE: This presentation is to provide information and bring awareness about Mental Health

ONLY a qualified professional can make a mental health assessment

This presentation is brought to you by Martine Fournier, Manager, Labour Services with the United Way Durham Region

Bipolar Disorder

• Symptoms of mania or manic episodes include:

• Mood Changes• A long period of feeling “high”, or an

overly happy or outgoing mood• Extremely irritable mood, agitation,

feeling “jumpy” or “wired.”

• Behavioural Changes• Talking very fast, jumping from one

idea to another, having racing thoughts• Being easily distracted• Increasing goal-directed activities,

such as taking on new projects

• Behavioural Changes continued…• Being restless• Sleeping little• Having an unrealistic belief in one’s

abilities• Behaving impulsively and taking part in

a lot of pleasurable, high risk behaviours, such as spending sprees, impulsive sex, and impulsive business investments.

Bipolar cont’d• Symptoms of depression or a

depressive episode include:

• Mood Changes

• A long period of feeling worried or empty

• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex.

• Behavioural Changes

• Feeling tired or “slowed down”

• Having problems concentrating, remembering, and making decisions

• Being restless or irritable

• Changing eating, sleeping, or other habits

• Thinking of death or suicide, or attempting suicide.

Depression• The experience of depression varies widely

from person to person. Yet there are common threads that weave their way through this morose tapestry.

• Symptoms

• Hopeless Worthless

• Useless Might as well be dead

• Apathetic emotionless

• Unresponsive extremely fatigued

• Desire only to sleep

• Low energy level

• Sad no motivation

• Anxious Slow

• Short-tempered

• Down irritable

• Black attitude lonely, alone, abandoned

• Miserable, terrible, horrible, lousy• Void, empty, hollow• Guilty of everything• Scared• Low self-esteem• Inability to concentrate• Ugly• Inability to function• Inability to experience pleasure• Angry• Want to be alone• Tense, quiet• Heavily burdened• Cry easily, helpless, fat, paranoid etc

Anxiety Disorders

• What are the major kinds of anxiety disorders:

• Panic disorders

• Phobias of intense fear

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Post traumatic Stress Disorder

Obsessive Compulsion Disorder

• Compulsions:

• Thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over

• again and feel out of the person’s control.

• Repetitive behaviours or thought that a person engages in to neutralize, counteract, or make their obsessions go away.

• Can also include avoiding situations that trigger their obsessions

• Time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values (socializing, working, going to school, etc.).

• Fear of losing things

• What Compulsions are not:• Not all repetitive behaviours or “rituals” are compulsion. Bedtime routines, religious practices, and

learning a new skill involve repeating an activity over and over again, but are a welcome part of daily life

Schizophrenia• Schizophrenia symptoms fall into 2 categories: “Positive” & “Negative” symptoms”.

• The positive or psychotic symptoms most associated

• with schizophrenia include:– Delusions– Hallucinations and– Grossly disorganized thought, mood and behaviour.– Disturbances of feeling or affect (mood)– Ambivalence– Sensitivity

– The negative symptoms: – Deficits in attention, memory, fluency of thought and language, emotional expression, judgment, decision-

making and motivation– Can be persistent. These negative symptoms can lead to patterns of social withdrawal and alienation that

may disrupt the person’s ability to work and function normally.– Change in habits and ability to function

– People with schizophrenia will likely have one or more of the symptoms mentioned. However, some of these symptoms are not unique to schizophrenia. It is always necessary to see a doctor for diagnosis.

Panic Disorder• Symptoms

• Chest pain, pressure or discomfort.

• Heart palpitations or rapid heart beat.

• Difficulty breathing or catching your breath.

• A choking sensation or lump in the throat.

• Excessive sweating; light-headedness or dizziness.

• Tingling or numbness in parts of the body.

• Chills or hot flashes; shaking or trembling or feelings of unreality or of being detached from the body.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

• Symptoms:

• feel empty, lonely, don’t exist

• Play roles (“Who I’M “supposed” to be

• Sense or worthlessness

• Self-destructive

• Feel emotional vulnerable

• Intense grief, terror, panic, abandonment, betrayal, agony, fury or humiliation.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects 1 of 2 people at least once in their lifetime.

The truth bout PTSD

PTSD is a medical illness

It is not your fault that you feel this way

It is not something that you can control on your own.

PTSD can be treated

PTSD is a reaction to an event that caused, fear, helplessness or horror such as:

A natural disaster (flood, tornado, hurricane).

An accident (car, plane, train, boat).

A physical attack (assault, rape).

Military combat

Socio/Psychopath

• Sociopath / Psychopaths are both personality disorders, grouped under “Antisocial Personality Disorder

• Symptoms:

• Manipulative Failure to conform to Social norms

• Impulsive Ego-Centric

• Lack emotions Lack of responsibility

• Absence of personal goals Pathological lying

• Juvenile delinquency infidelity

• Relentless deception Can be charming

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

• Symptoms:

• Sense of self importance Excessive self admiration

• Believe themselves more special than others

• Can take advantage of others to benefit self

• Becoming arrogant

• Emotional Show no respect for others’ feelings

• Displays a strong personality on the exterior

• Sets unrealistic goals Self obsession and undue confidence

• Self centered Exaggerates their achievements and abilities/talents

Mental Health Statistics• Support mental health care delivery, education and

research

• 1 in 4 will experience a mental illness severe enough to affect their daily activities

• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in Canada for people between ages 10 and 34.

• Mental illnesses often develop during adolescence and young adulthood.

• Depression and anxiety represent up to 90% of mental illnesses and cause up to 35 million lost workdays a year in Canada.

• The highest proportion of people seeking mental health help are over age 65.

• 4 in 5 people will be affected by the mental illness of someone close to them.