Mental and Emotional Problems

Coping with Difficult Emotions Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her book on death and dying show the different stages

a person will go through.

Denial and Isolation

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

Learning to handle emotions will help you protect your physical, emotional, and social health.

Fear and Anxiety Fear is a normal, instinctive response to a

dangerous situation.

It triggers the response in the body that will help it prepare to fight or flee.

Fear can be healthy in such as being cautious in dangerous situations. Fear can also be harmful to you if you are afraid to do something which can lead it to become a phobia.

Anxiety- an emotional state of high energy that triggers the stress response.

Common symptoms include rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, and heavy breathing.

Anxiety may be good such as being overly prepared for a test. While extreme anxiety can be paralyzing to make you afraid to do anything.

Sadness and Grief Sadness is a normal reaction to events

that happen in your life, such a bad grade, sports not going well, a break-up, and death.

Sadness can be mild and brief or it can be deep and long-lasting.

Grief-the emotional response to a major loss, such a death of a loved one.

Remember depressed and sadness are not the same thing.

Sadness if it lasts long enough can lead to depression. Depression is a serious illness.

Anger During the teen years increased levels in

hormones that the body is producing can lead you to become angry over small things and stay angry for long periods.

To control anger, you must recognize it and identify which may be difficult.

We may be angry about something right now and expressing right now but the true cause may have already taken place.

Give yourself time to cool off and relax. If you confront the problem when you are angry you may make the problem worse.

Find ways to calm down such as listening to music, going for a walk, writing your thoughts down, and exercising and playing sports.

Guilt and Shame Guilt- is the normal feeling that arises from

the conscience when a person acts against internal values.

Feelings of guilt may prompt you to act according to your values.

Best way to act is to admit you were wrong and say you are sorry.

Realize that you may not be wrong and the guilt has nothing to do with you.

Shame- is a feeling of being inherently unworthy. It is more destructive than guilt.

Guilt may make you correct your mistake while shame will make you think you can’t.

Mental and Emotional Disorders Mental illness- disorders, thoughts,

emotions, or behaviors that cause distress and reduce a person’s ability to function.

It ranges from mild and temporary depression to anxiety and severe long-term illnesses that affect a person’s sense of reality.

Many mental disorders stem from physical problems. A person with hardening of the arteries in the brain might experience memory loss and confusion.

Warning signs and Phobias Sudden noticeable change in personality

Inability to cope with problems

Bizarre or unrealistic ideas

Extreme highs or lows in moods

Acrophobia- Heights

Aerophobia- Flying

Arachnophobia- Spiders

Mysophobia- Germs

Claustrophobia- Small, enclosed spaces

Anxiety Disorders Phobias- an extreme, irrational fear of an

object or situation.

Social anxiety or social phobia, is an extreme fear or anxiety in the presence of other people.

Others have a more basic and general fear of being around and speaking to people they don’t know.

In social situations, people may blush, sweat, tremble, and have difficulty speaking.

People with social phobia often need therapy or medication to overcome the problem.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorders- people

have an uncontrollable fixation on specific thoughts and behaviors.

Examples: dirt, germs, cleaning, and putting things away.

People repeat behaviors over and over again where as people without will normally do something once or twice.

Examples- checking to make sure the door is locked, stove is off, lights are on/off.

Therapy and medications can be helpful in treating OCD.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD- a serious stress reaction in response to

a terrifying event.

Events that may trigger PTSD include war, terrorist attacks, bombings, serious accidents, violent crimes, natural disasters, and abuse.

People with PTSD have flashbacks, reliving the traumatic event over and over while awake or in nightmares when they sleep.

Some people become emotionally numb, irritable, and violent.

Not every person develops PTSD.

It may take months and years for it to appear. It is treated with therapy and medication.

Mood Disorders Depression- a persistent feeling of apathy,

hopelessness, or despair.

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting nearly 1 out of 10 people each year.

Depression can be difficult to diagnose, because some of the symptoms can also result from common illnesses such as the flu.

People who experience depression-like symptoms for more than a couple weeks should seek professional help. People are treated with therapy and medication.

Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder- involves extreme highs

and lows of emotion.

They will usually bounce between depression with all of its symptoms and an emotional high known as mania.

During the manic phase, the person’s energy level will shoot way up. They will do everything at top speed and sleep less.

Their moods will swing from euphoric happiness to extreme irritability or aggression.

They also tend to have difficulty concentrating and display poor judgment and reckless behavior.

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia- a severe mental disorder that

cause people to lose touch with reality.

People who have schizophrenia often have hallucinations, meaning they are seeing and hearing things others are unable to perceive.

The people with it will become fearful, anxious, and withdrawn. They have difficulty holding a job and caring for themselves.

It is partly hereditary and part faulty brain chemistry. They tend not to be violent and if they are it is usually to themselves. Increased risk of suicide.

Drugs can relieve the symptoms but they cannot cure the disease.

Eating Disorders Eating disorders- extreme, unhealthy eating

habits, often related to an obsession with weight or appearance.

Eating disorders tend to show up for the first time during adolescence or young adulthood.

Anorexia nervosa- extreme fear of gaining weight. They tend to starve themselves and exercise excessively. They maybe thin but they see themselves as fat.

Bulimia nervosa- condition where people will eat large amounts of food and then purge through vomiting or taking laxatives.

Binge eating disorder- people regularly go on eating binges, but without purging later.

Addiction Addiction- a physical or psychological

dependence on a particular substance, habit, and/or behavior.

A person who abuses drugs and alcohol may not be addicted to them.

However if people keep up the use and abuse of these substances, they may become addicted.

Gambling, credit cards, internet usage, even sweets can become addicting to a person.

A person who has an addiction may not be able to stop without help.

Teens and Suicide During one average day in the United States, about 12 young people between ages

15-24 end their lives.

Of theses 12, 10 are male and 2 are female.

Far more teens attempt to kill themselves but fail. Only accidents and homicides kill more teens than suicides do.

Most teens who attempt suicide suffer symptoms of depression, whether they receive a diagnosis of the disease.

Deep relentless feelings of despair may lead them to believe that death offers their only escape from their problems.

Receiving help and appropriate treatment, usually depression lifts and thoughts of suicide decrease.

Teens and Suicide Factors that put teens at risk are:

Substance abuse

A family history of mental illness or suicide

Abuse or violence within the family

Living in a home where guns are present

Spending time in prison

Facts and Myths:

Only happens to young people: Largest group is people 65 and older.

They aren’t serious: Anyone who talks about it, should be taken seriously.

There’s no way to stop them: Most people who talk about it are looking to end their pain or looking for someone to do something.

Its dangerous to talk about suicide with them: Some people are afraid to mention suicide to those who are depressed.

Emotional Healing Therapy- any activity or treatment that helps a person cope with mental and

emotional problems.

Seeking help doesn’t mean you are crazy, sick, and/or weak, it just means that you could use a little assistance.

Examples for seeking help: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, schoolwork, painful events, substance abuse, everyday problems.

Therapy is completely private and confidential. The only time they are allowed to discuss sessions if and only if the person say’s they will harm themselves or someone else.

Psychotherapy- a type of therapy in which a patient discusses problems with a trained therapist.

Emotional Healing Behavior therapy- therapy in which the therapist helps a person break unhealthy

pattern of behavior through a system of rewards and desensitization.

When looking for a therapist: How long have they been practicing, What are their office hours, does insurance cover it, therapists gender, age, language, cultural background.

Codependent- focused on the needs of others to the extent that the person’s own needs are neglected.

Enabling- misguided “helping” because it allows the problems to continue.