Mental Health Medication Story

Inside your head is your brain. Each person’s

brain is very different.The brain is

like our control centre.The brain is

where our personality, our actions and

emotions are controlled.

Jobs of the Brain

Each area of the brain has a special job to do.

This picture shows where each different job is controlled in the brain. At the top of the brain, the red area receives messages FROM the

body like how the body is moving or how it is feeling. The purple

area sends messages TO the body telling it

how and when to move. These different areas are always working

together and talking to each other.

Messages go between brain and body

This picture shows how messages go around the

brain and body. A message goes from the finger to the ‘feel body’ (blue) area of the brain saying that the finger is hot. A message is then sent to the ‘move body’

(orange) area saying that the finger needs to move

away. The finger then moves away from the fire. These messages travel so

fast that we don’t even notice them.

These messages are carried around the

body by the nervous system. The nervous

system is like our “knowledge system”. There are two ways that messages are carried around the nervous system.

Part of it is electrical, like electricity. And

the other part is chemical, carried by natural chemicals in

the body.

BalanceIn a healthy person, all the chemicals in the nervous system are balanced

Like water in a healthy river system

Balance all wrongSome things can make the balance all wrong

Stress

Bad food

Bad sleep

Family history

Drugs and alcohol

?

Some things can make the balance in our nervous system go all wrong. Some of the things that can make our nervous system off balance are:- drinking grog, - using gunja - too much stress

When the balance is all wrong, there is a ‘build-up’ of strong (or poisonous) chemicals in the nervous system.This changes the messages that are sent all around the nervous system.Instead of healthy messages that make our body and brain work properly, confused messages are sent around the brain and body. When the balance is all wrong in the person’s brain and body, they may get a mental illness.

.

Balance all wrongWhat happens to this person?

The person’s balance is all wrong like a river system with dams or

bad chemicals

Balance all wrong

Mental Illness

BalanceMedicine can help to balance the chemicals in the body

Like fresh water in a healthy river system

Mental health medicine taken for one day will help balance for one day. Medicine taken every day will help balance every day

Some mental health injections (needles) will help balance for weeks. Mental health medicine needs to be checked

regularly by your doctor. Sometimes you need

more for balance, sometimes you need less, sometimes you

need to change medicine

Get the balance back

Look for problems with balancein you, & friends and family

GET HELP

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