Mental Health

 Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we
think, feel, and act
 Good Mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. WHO’s work is to
improve the mental health of individuals and society at large includes the promotion of mental
well-being, the prevention of mental disorders, the protection of human rights and the care of
people affected by mental disorders.
 Factors which contribute to mental health problems:
- Biological factors
- Life experiences
- Family history of mental health problems

Warning signs
 Eating or sleeping too much or too little
 Pulling away from people and usual activities
 Having low or no energy
 Feeling numb or like nothing matters
 Having unexplained aches and pains
 Feeling helpless or hopeless
 Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
 Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
 Yelling or fighting with family and friends
 Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
 Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
 Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
 Thinking of harming yourself or others

Mental Disorders
 Depression
 Schizophrenia
 Anxiety
 Psychosis and Bipolar disorders
 ADHD
 Dementia

Depression
 Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages
suffer from depression
 Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall
global burden of disease
 More women are affected by depression than men
 Depression can lead to suicide
 There are effective psychological and pharmacological treatments for moderate and severe
depression
Types of Depression
- Recurrent depressive disorder
- Bipolar affective disorder

Contributing factors and Prevention

- Depression results from complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors
- Depression can, in turn, lead to more stress and dysfunction and worsen the affected
person’s life situation and depression itself

Diagnosis and Treatment

- Behavioural activation
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
- Antidepressant medication such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and
tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

*Different psychological treatment formats for consideration include individual and/or group face-to-
face psychological treatments delivered by professionals and supervised lay therapists.

Anxiety
 The disorder is different from occasional anxiety experienced
 Anxiety disorder is when the anxiety does not go away or gets worse over time
 Can interfere daily activities

Different Anxiety Disorders

- Generalized anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Phobia-related Disorders
 Specific phobias
 Social anxiety disorder
 Agoraphobia
 Separation anxiety disorder
Symptoms
- Excessive anxiety and worry
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Impaired concentration
- Increased muscle aches
- Difficult sleeping

Risk Factors
- Temperamental traits or shyness or behavioural inhibition in childhood
- Exposure to stressful and negative life environment in early childhood or adulthood
- History of anxiety or mental illness in biological relatives
- Some physical conditions
-
Treatment and Therapy
- Psychotherapy
 Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Medication
 Anti-anxiety medications
 Antidepressants
 Beta-Blockers
- Support groups

Benzodiasepines – treatment for anxiety disorder

Schizophrenia
 Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder affecting 20 million people worldwide
 Schizophrenia is characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense
of self and behaviour
 Worldwide, schizophrenia is associated with considerable disability and may affect educational
and occupational performance
 Schizophrenia is treatable

Causes
- No identified single factor
- Psychosocial factors
- Gene + environment

Management
- Treatment with medicines and psychosocial support is effective
- Training primary health care personnel
- Providing access to essential drugs
- Supporting families in providing home care
- Educating the public to decrease stigma

Bipolar
 Formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression
 Causes and unusual shift in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and ability to carry out
day-to-day tasks

3 types:
- Bipolar I disorder
- Bipolar II disorder
- Cyclothymic disorder

Psychosis
 Experienced by some people with bipolar disorder
 Unrealistic belief that they are famous, have lot of money, or have special powers (manic)
 Unrealistic belief that they are penniless, have an unrecognized serious illness (depressive)
Risk factors
- Brain structure and functioning
- Genetics

Treatments
- Medications
- Psychotherapy
- Electroconvulsive therapy
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation

 Regular exercise and keeping a life chart is proven to be beneficial to people with this disorder

Bipolar Disorder in Numbers

- Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7M adult Americans or about 2.6% of the US
population age 18 years & up (NIMH)
- Median onset age is 25 years
- Equal numbers in men and women (age, race, ethnic groups)
- More than 2/3 of people with bipolar disorder have at least one relative with the illness or
with unipolar major depression
- Bipolar disorder is the 6th leading cause of disability in the world
- Bipolar disorder results in 9.2 years reduction in expected life span, and as many as one in
five patients with bipolar disorder completes suicide

ADHD
 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder
 Marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention OR hyperactivity-impulsitivity that interferes with
function or development
 Estimated number of children ever diagnosed with ADHD, according to a national 2016 parent
survey, is 6.1 million (9.4%)
 Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls (12.9% compared to 5.6%)

Risk factors/Causes
- Genes
- Cigarette smoking, alcohol use during pregnancy
- Exposure to environmental toxins during pregnancy
- Exposure to environmental toxins at a young age
- Low birth weight
- Brain injuries

Treatment/Therapy
- No definite treatment
- Medication
 Stimulation
 Non-stimulant
- Psychotherapy and Psychosocial interventions
 Behavioural therapy
 Cognitive behavioural therapy
  Family and marital therapy
 Parenting skills training specific behavioural classroom management
 Stress management technique
 Support groups
Dementia
 Decline in mental ability which affects memory, thinking, problem-solving, concentration and
perception
 Not a normal part of ageing
 Around 50 million people have dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year
 One of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide
 In 2015, the total global societal cost of dementia was estimated to be US$ 818 billion,
equivalent to 1.1% of global gross domestic product (GDP)

Causes
- A lack of blood or oxygen supply to these brain areas
- A head injury (from boxing or whip lash after a car crash, for instance)
- Pressure on the brain (from a tumour, for example)
- Hydrocephalus (fluid build up between the brain and the brain lining)
- A neurological disease (such as Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeld Jakob disease (CJD)
- An infection (such as AIDS)
- Vitamin deficiency
- A long period of excessive alcohol intake
- Most common is Alzhemer’s

Prevention, Treatment and Cure

- No cure for dementia
- Lifestyle change are encouraged to prevent dementia
- Cognitive stimulation therapy
- Environmental adaptations
- Providing information and long-term support to carers

Mental Health and Wellness

- Positive mental health allows people to:
 Realize their full potential
 Cope with the stresses of life
 Work productively
 Make meaningful contributions to their communities

Ways to maintain positive mental health include:

- Getting professional help if you need it
- Connecting with others
- Staying positive
- Getting physically active
- Helping others
- Getting enough sleep
- Developing coping skills
- Limit social media use