mental health

1. Chapter 12
Mental Health

2. Mental Health: What Is It?
• One definition: “how we think, feel, and act as
we cope with life”*
What is good mental health?
• One definition: “a state of well-being that
allows someone to be productive, have
fulfilling relationships, cope with difficult
circumstances, and adapt to change”
*Kellogg, “What is Mental Health?”

3. Mental Health and Physical
Health are Connected
• Mental health affects physical health (being depressed
increases the risk for heart disease).
• Physical health affects mental health (lack of air can
cause a panic attack; regular exercise lowers the risk for
and symptoms of depression).

4. Mental illness is common, but it does not mean
a person is crazy.
• One in 5 adults (45 million Americans) suffer from a
diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
• Half of all Americans will experience some form of
mental illness during their lives. Most of them will
benefit from treatment, but can still function.
• People with mental illnesses love others, hold jobs,
and contribute to society.
Mental Illness

5. What Affects Mental Health? (1 of 2)
Biology
• Some mental illnesses have genetic components.
• Neurotransmitters, hormones, physical health, and
other factors can affect mental illnesses and how
they are perceived.
Social and psychosocial factors
• The way women are treated affects their mental
health.

6. What Affects Mental Health? (2 of 2)
Stress
• Chronic stress, and the way people react to it, affects
mental and physical health.
• Women are more likely than men to internalize stress.
• Traumatic events can cause or contribute to mental
illness.
• Coping with stress in a positive manner can improve
mental health.
How do you respond to stress?

7. Healthful Ways to Cope with Stress
• Avoid it entirely!
• Regular exercise
• Creative endeavors (writing, drawing, painting,
dancing, etc.)
• Meditation or visualization (imagining yourself
on a calm beach, a quiet meadow, or some
other peaceful, relaxing situation)
• Supportive social activities

8. Costs of Mental Illness to Society
Undefined burden
• Economic and social burden for families,
communities, and countries
Hidden burden
• Stigma and violations of human rights and
freedoms associated with mental problems

9. Compared to men, women are more likely to have:
• Depression (2x)
• Seasonal affective disorder (4x)
• Anorexia, bulimia (9x)
• Phobias, panic disorder (~2x)
• Borderline, histrionic personality disorder
Women are less likely to have schizophrenia,
antisocial personality disorder, attention-deficit
disorder, or be violent as a result of mental illness.
What Mental Illnesses Affect Women

10. • Need for mental health and social services
• Lost employment and reduced productivity
• Financial burden on families and caregivers
• Increased levels of crime and threat to
public safety
• Negative effects of premature mortality
Economic Burden of Mental Illness

11. Legal Dimensions: The Mental
Illness/Crime Paradox
• Given treatment, people with mental illness are no
more likely to commit crimes than the general public.
• Without treatment, the mentally ill are more likely to
commit crimes and to be arrested.
Six out of 10 female inmates
in federal prisons are mentally
ill; more than 7 in 10 female
inmates in state prisons and
jails are mentally ill.
© absolut/Shutterstock

12. Mood Disorders
• Depression, dysthymia, and seasonal
affective disorder involve persistent,
inescapable feelings of sadness, apathy or
both.
• Bipolar disorder involves mood swings from
manic to depressive phases (as well as
phases in between).
Clinical Dimensions of Mental Health

13. Depression
Persistent, inescapable feelings of sadness, low
energy and apathy
Treatment
• Antidepressant drugs
• Psychotherapy
• Combination of
therapy and drugs

14. Both highs and lows
• Highs: feelings of wonder and euphoria and/or
overly stimulated, easily distracted, and easily
irritated
• Lows: deep, persistent feelings of sadness,
anxiety, hopelessness, or guilt; possibly low
energy, reduced sense of pleasure, lowered
sex drive, and thoughts of suicide
Bipolar Disorder

15. • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Phobias
• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety Disorders (1 of 2)

16. Anxiety Disorders (2 of 2)
Treatment for
anxiety disorders
• Cognitive behavioral
therapy
• Antianxiety
medications
• Antidepressants
• Medication and
therapy together

17. Treating Mood Disorders
and Anxiety Disorders
Treatment can and usually does help, but:
• It is difficult.
• It takes time.

18. Anorexia Nervosa
• Deprivation of food and body weight at least 15%
below normal weight based on height and age
• Symptoms
– Refusal to maintain adequate weight
– Intense fear of gaining weight
– Distorted body image
– In women, absence of three consecutive menstrual periods
Eating Disorders (1 of 3)

19. Bulimia Nervosa
• Cyclic binge eating followed by purging
• Symptoms
– Recurrent episodes of bingeing and vomiting
– Feeling out of control during a binge
– Purging after a binge
– Extreme concern with body weight and shape
Eating Disorders (2 of 3)

20. Binge Eating Disorder
• Compulsive overeating without purging
• At least three of the following symptoms:
– Rapid, continuous eating (thousands of
calories)
– Eating when not physically hungry
– Eating while alone
– Eating beyond the point of comfort
– Feeling self-disgust after a binge
Eating Disorders (3 of 3)

21. • Psychotherapy
• Behavior modification therapy
• Family therapy
• Antidepressants
Treatment for Eating Disorders

22. • Antisocial
• Avoidant
• Borderline
• Dependent
• Histrionic
• Narcissistic
• Obsessive-
compulsive
• Paranoid
• Passive-aggressive
• Schizoid
• Schizotypal
Personality Disorders

23. • Psychosis—severe mental disorder
characterized by lack of contact with reality and
severe personality changes
• Schizophrenia—type of psychosis; afflicts about
2.5 million Americans, men and women are
equally afflicted.
• Symptoms include: hallucinations, delusions,
disordered thinking, impaired ability to interact
with others
• Treatment: antipsychotics and psychotherapy
Schizophrenia

24. • Unconscious way to protect self from emotional
traumas by detaching from a part of one’s
personality
• Several types: dissociative identity disorder
(multiple personality disorder), dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative Disorders

25. Risk factors
• Adverse life events combined with depression
• Prior suicide attempt
• Family history of mental disorder or substance abuse
• Family history of suicide
• Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
• Firearms in home
• Incarceration
Suicide

26. If You or Someone You Know Has
Suicidal Thoughts
• Get help!
• Suicidal urges, while powerful, are usually only
temporary.
• Mental health professionals can help.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
(800) 273-8255, text DBSA to 741-741,
or call 911!

27. Informed Decision Making: Healthful
Ways to Cope with Stress
• Exercise (regular activity is best, but any
amount of exercise brings benefits)
• Spending time with friends, family, or members
of a community
• Meditation or prayer
• Gardening
• Spending time with a pet or pets

28. If You Have Some Form of Mental
Illness
You are not alone.
Help is available—and it can make a difference.
Therapeutic doses of bright light in the morning can help relieve
depression caused by seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
© Francisco Caravana/Shutterstock