Chapter 9, Lesson 3

Guided Reading Activity 33

1. Describe six persistent feelings or behaviors that signal the need to seek help dealing with mental or

emotional problems.

• Situations include any of the following that persist over a period of days or weeks and begin to interfere with other aspects of daily living.

1. You feel you can’t face your problems alone.

2. You feel trapped with no way out, or you worry all the time.

3.Your feelings affect your sleep, eating habits, school work, job, or relationships.

4. Your family or friends express concern about your behavior.

5. You are becoming involved with alcohol or other drugs.

6. You are becoming increasingly aggressive, violent or reckless.

2. What are four questions to ask when evaluating sources of self-help?

• Are you being advised to try medication or some other remedy?

• What are the qualification of the author?

• Is the material backed by a nationally know and respected mental health organization?

• Is a cost involved?

3. List seven signs of mental illness.

• Prolonged sadness for no specific reason

• Excessive complaints of physical ailments

• Frequent outbursts of anger.

• Inability to concentrate or to make decisions about daily life.

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety, or anger at the world.

• Unexplainable change in sleeping or eating habits.

• Social withdrawal.

4. Where are children and teens most likely to receive treatment?

• Most likely to receive treatment at school.

5. List three facts that might help you or someone you know to seek help with mental

or emotional problems.

• Asking for help shows strength rather than weakness.

• People who have mental and emotional problems often cannot get better on their own.

• Sharing one’s thoughts and unloading problems can be a great relief.

6. Describe the role of each of the following mental health

professionals

a. Psychiatrist

• Is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental disorders and can prescribe medications.

b. Neurologist

• A physician who specializes in organic disorders of the brain and nervous system.

c. Clinical psychologist

• Diagnoses and treats emotional and behavioral disorders by counseling but cannot prescribe medication.

d. Counselor

• Works to help people with personal and education matters.

e. Psychiatric social workers

• Provides guidance and treatment for clients with emotional problems.

• Usually in the setting of a mental hospital, mental health clinic, or family service agency.

f. School psychologist

• Specializes in the assessment of learning, emotional, and behavioral problems of school children.

7. List five commonly used therapy methods

1. Psychotherapy

• Is one on one with patient and mental health professional-designed to find the root cause of a problem and devise a solution.

2. Behavior therapy

• Is a treatment process that focuses on changing unwanted behaviors through rewards and reinforcements.

3. Cognitive therapy

• Is a treatment method designed to identify and correct distorted thinking patterns that can lead to feelings and behaviors that may be troublesome, self-defeating, or self-destructive.

4. Group therapy

• Involves treating a group of people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a trained counselor.

5. Biomedical therapy

• Is the use of certain medication to treat or reduce the symptoms of a mental disorder.