1. MENTAL HEALTH Week 1 Lecture
Standards:
HE. H.S.1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease
prevention to enhance health.
Lecture was taken from the text:
Merki, M. & Merki, D. 1996. Health a guide to wellness. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill.
Mental Disorders and Mental Health
What are Mental Disorders?
Mental illness is a medical disease that affects the mind and prevents a person from leading a
happy, healthful life. Mental health carries a mark of shame in American society. People that
have been treated for mental illness say that their biggest problem is their inability to be accepted
by other people. Mental Health professionals are working hard to help people better understand
mental illness and lessen some of the negative attitudes that exist toward it.
Types of Mental Disorders
Mental disorder is a term that is used to describe many different types of emotional and mental
problems. There are two types of mental disorders: organic and functional. Organic disorder is
caused by a physical illness or injury to the brain such as brain tumors, alcoholism, infections
such as syphilis and meningitis, and stroke. Functional disorders are a result of psychological
causes in which no brain damage is involved which are the result of stress, emotional conflict,
fear, or poor coping skills. The categories of functional disorders are anxiety disorders,
somatoform, affective disorders, and personality disorders.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are when real or imagined fears prevent a person from enjoying life. People
usually arrange their lives so that they can avoid that which makes them anxious and fearful. The
four types of anxiety disorders are phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, general-anxiety
disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Phobia is when a person goes to the extreme to avoid a fear and reacts in a way that limits
normal functioning. They be unable to out their daily activities. Mental health professionals
believe that a phobia is related to some past experience that was upsetting to that individual.
Even if there is no longer any threat or danger, the fear is still very real to that individual.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a person has an unreasonable need to think or act in a
certain way. The obsessions are persistent thoughts or ideas that keep the person from thinking
about other things. A person may feel the need to wash their hands 20-30 times a day, or avoid
stepping on cracks in the sidewalk.

2. General Anxiety Disorder is when a person an anxiety disorder feels anxious, fearful, and upset
most of the time but for no specific reason. This constant state may lead to panic disorder, a
sudden attack of fear and terror often characterized by trembling, difficulty breathing, and a
feeling of loss of control.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition in which a person who has experienced a
traumatic event feels severe and long-lasting aftereffects. This type of disorder is common
among veterans of military combat, rape survivors, and survivors of a natural disaster such as a
flood or a plane crash. Symptoms of this disorder are dreams about the event, insomnia, feelings
of guilt or an extreme reaction to an image or sound that reminds the person of the event.
Somatoform Disorders
Somatoform disorder is a condition in which a person complains of disease symptoms but no
physical cause can be found. Hypochondria is a preoccupation with the body and fear of
presumed diseases, is an example of a somatoform disorder. A person that is a hypochondria
constantly feels aches and pains and worries about developing cancer.
Affective Disorders
Affective disorder involves different types of mood swings. The person may go from happiness
to sadness which may last for long periods of time. Affective disorder occurs when these mood
swings interfere with the person’s everyday living.
Clinical depression is feelings of sadness or hopelessness last for more than a few weeks and
interfere with daily activities and interest.
Manic-Depressive Disorder is when a person’s mood shift dramatically from one emotional
extreme to another for no apparent reason.
Teenage suicide is the intended taking of one’s own life. It has become an increasing problem in
the US. There are thousands of teenagers each year that attempt suicide and it is now the second
leading of cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 19. The rate of teenage suicide
among young people has tripled in the last 30 years and continues to increase. There are many
causes of suicide such as coping with who they are, where they belong and who cares about
them. Teenagers may have pressures to be responsible and to succeed, failure in a relationship at
school or even on a job, pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse problems, having a sexually
transmitted disease or trouble with the law can all be overwhelming to teenagers. Warning signs
can be reflected in the person’s behavior such as:
Depression, lack of energy;
A change in sleep patterns
An increase or decrease in appetite
Withdrawal from usual social activities
Frequent accidents
Drop in grades

3. Giving away possessions;
Personality change-withdrawal, apathy, moodiness;
Personality Disorders
There are a variety of conditions that are described as personality disorders. Personality disorders
do not have any distinct signs or symptoms. The person continues to function effectively in his
or her environment.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is when a person has a constant conflict with society.
Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
Schizophrenia is a disorder that means split mind. It affects about 1 to 2 percent of the
population
Lesson 2
Knowing When Someone Need Help
There are many different types of mental disorders whether they are severe or not varies greatly.
Some signs of mental problems are:
Sadness over a specific event or for no reason
Hopelessness
Violent or erratic mood shifts
Fear and anger at the world trouble getting along with others
Severe sleep disturbances-nightmares
Frequent physical aliments
Health-Care Services for Mental Health
It is difficult for a person to do their own mental health checkup. Sometimes others are needed
such as a friend that may offer emotional first aid that is support and a listening ear. The
principal health-care providers are psychiatrists, psychiatric, social workers, clinical
psychologists, neurologists and occupational therapists. The principal health care providers for
mental health are psychiatrist, neurologist, clinical psychologist, educational counselor, social
worker, behavioral therapist and occupational therapist.