Mental Health

► Includes our emotional, psychological and social

well-being.
► Affects how we think, feel & act
► Also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to
others and make choices
► Important at every stage of life, from childhood and
adolescence through adulthood
Causes
► Inherited traits= more common in people whose blood relatives also have a
mental illness. Certain genes may increase risk of developing a mental
illness, and life situation may trigger it
► Environmental exposure before birth= exposure to environmental stressors,
inflammatory conditions, toxins, alcohol or drugs while in the womb can
sometimes be linked to mental illness
► Brain chemistry= neurotransmitters are naturally occurring brain chemicals
that carry signals to other parts of brain and body. When neural networks
involving these chemicals are impaired, function of nerve receptors and
nerve systems change, leading to depression and other emotional disorders
Risk Factors
► History of mental illness in blood relative( parent/sibling)
► Stressful life situations(financial problems, death of loved ones/divorce)
► Ongoing chronic medical condition( diabetes mellitus)
► Brain damage(traumatic brain injury/violent blow to head)
► Traumatic experience(military combat/assault)
► Use of alcohol/recreational drugs
► Childhood history of abuse/neglect
► Few friends/few healthy relationships
► Previous mental illness
Early signs & symptoms
► Feeling sad/down
► Confused thinking/reduced ability to concentrate
► Excessive fears/worries/extreme feelings of guilt
► Extreme mood changes of highs & lows
► Withdrawal from friends & activities
► Significant tiredness, low energy/problems sleeping
► Detachment from reality(delusions), paranoia/hallucinations
► Inability to cope with daily problems/stress
► Trouble understanding & relating to situations & to people
► Problems with alcohol/drug use
► Major changes in eating habits
► Excessive anger, hostility/violence
► Suicidal thinking
Types of Mental Health Disorders
► Depression
► Anxiety
► ADHD
► Insomnia
► Addiction & Substance Abuse
► Bipolar Disorder
► Schizophrenia
► PTSD
► Eating Disorders
► Borderline Personality Disorder
Depression

► About 1 in 10 Filipino young adults

experience moderate to severe
depression.
► At least 3.6 million Filipinos are
battling mental health issues as the
Philippines continues to grapple
with the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Department of Health (DOH)
► About 1.14 million Filipinos have
depression, 847,000 are battling
alcohol-use disorders, while
520,000 others were diagnosed
with bipolar disorder
► Depression is a serious condition
that negatively affects how a
person thinks, feels, and behaves.
In contrast to normal sadness,
clinical depression is persistent,
often interferes with a person’s
ability to experience or anticipate
pleasure, and significantly
interferes with functioning in daily
life.
Anxiety
► Anxiety is a normal reaction to
stress and can be beneficial in
some situations. It can alert us to
dangers and help us prepare and
pay attention. Anxiety disorders
differ from normal feelings of
nervousness or anxiousness and
involve excessive fear or anxiety.
► Types:
✔ General Anxiety Disorder
✔ Obsessive-compulsive disorder
✔ Panic disorder
✔ Post-traumatic stress
disorder(PTSD)
✔ Social phobia/Social anxiety
disorder
ADHD(Attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder)
► Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) is one of the most
common mental disorders affecting
children. ADHD also affects many
adults. Symptoms of ADHD include
inattention (not being able to keep
focus), hyperactivity (excess
movement that is not fitting to the
setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts
that occur in the moment without
thought).
Addiction & Substance Abuse

► Drug addiction, also called

substance use disorder, is a disease
that affects a person's brain and
behavior and leads to an inability
to control the use of a legal or
illegal drug or medication.
Substances such as alcohol,
marijuana and nicotine also are
considered drugs. When you're
addicted, you may continue using
the drug despite the harm it
causes.
Bipolar Disorder
► Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder
that causes changes in a person's
mood, energy, and ability to
function. People with bipolar
disorder experience intense
emotional states that typically
occur during distinct periods of
days to weeks, called mood
episodes. These mood episodes are
categorized as manic/hypomanic
(abnormally happy or irritable
mood) or depressive (sad mood).
People with bipolar disorder
generally have periods of neutral
mood as well. When treated,
people with bipolar disorder can
lead full and productive lives.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

► Psychiatric disorder that may occur

in people who have experienced or
witnessed a traumatic event such
as a natural disaster, a serious
accident, a terrorist act,
war/combat, or rape or who have
been threatened with death,
sexual violence or serious injury.
Eating Disorders

► Eating disorders are behavioral ► Types of eating disorders include:

conditions characterized by severe
✔ Anorexia nervosa
and persistent disturbance in
eating behaviors and associated ✔ Bulimia nervosa,
distressing thoughts and emotions.
✔ Binge eating disorder
They can be very serious conditions
affecting physical, psychological ✔ Avoidant restrictive food intake
and social function. Types of disorder
eating disorders include anorexia
✔ Rumination disorder.
nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge
eating disorder, avoidant
restrictive food intake disorder,
other specified feeding and eating
disorder, pica and rumination
disorder.
Behavioral Health Assessment

► Consists of a series of questions, interviews and mental & physical

examinations that clinicians use to understand patients
► This is not intended to provide complete diagnoses, instead, their purpose is
to lay the groundwork and better frame of patient’s concerns.
► Information collected from assessment tools offers valuable insight into
patient’s health & provides a starting point for diagnosis & treatment
► Standardized mental health assessment tools provide an opportunity for
clinicians to understand their patients better-their struggles, concerns, habits
& behavior
10 Examples of Assessment Tools for Mental
& Behavior

► Anxiety
Anxiety assessment tools, such as listed below can help identify which
type of anxiety your patient’s symptoms are most closely associated
with, as well as the severity of those symptoms:
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale( DASS)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener ( GAD-7)
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale
Zung Anxiety Scale
► Addiction
There are several tools available for all types of addiction, including
addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling. These are the following:
✔ Addiction Severity Scale( ASI)
✔ Brief Addiction Monitor
✔ Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)
✔ Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C)
✔ South Oaks Gambling Screen Assessment
► Mood Disorder
Symptoms of different mood disorders may manifest similar
symptoms, assessment tools can be used to identify which
disorder your patient most closely aligns with.
✔ Mood Disorder Questionnaire
✔ Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale
► Depression
Each patient experiences symptoms of depression differently from one
another. Example tools that can be used:
✔ Geriatric Depression Scale
✔ Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale

Personality Disorder
Popular personality disorder tool:
✔ Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale
► Suicide
Patient is playing suicidal warning signs, assessment tools like Columbia Suicide
Severity Rating Scale

Trauma
Two common tools for diagnosing trauma are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
checklist and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

Eating Disorder
Eating Disorder Diagnosis Scale is helpful when handling cases of suspected
anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating behavior
► Behavioral
Behavioral health assessments are designed to provide a better view of
patient’s home life, mental well-being, daily activities, habits & more.
Data from these assessments can be used to support information from
other tests. Examples are:
✔ Wahler Self-Description Inventory
✔ Daily Living Activities
✔ Parents Stress Scale
► Children & Youth
Screening tools to assist the diagnosis & treatment of children & youth. Examples
are:
✔ Revised Children’s Anxiety & Depression Scale ( RCADS)
✔ Traumatic Events Screening Inventory for Children( TESI-C)
✔ Mood & Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ)
✔ Child PTSD Symptom Scale
✔ Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT)
✔ Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC)
How is Mental Health Assessment Done?
► Observation- patient’s attitudes, expressions, words & actions
► Interview-allow patients to present their feelings & experiences
► Family Interview-can provide additional insight into patient’s
condition & help family better understand what patient is
experiencing
► Checklists- provide insight into patient’s mental health status
► Rating scales-provide numerical data & help patients sort confusing
feelings & emotions into simple responses.
► Questionnaires/ Standardized tests- serves like screening
questionnaires
Complications
► Unhappiness & decreased enjoyment in life
► Family conflicts
► Relationship difficulties
► Social isolation
► Problems with tobacco, alcohol & other drugs
► Missed work/ school, other problems related to work/school
► Legal & financial problems
► Poverty & homelessness
► Self-harm & harm to others, including suicide/ homicide
► Weakened immune system(body has hard time resisting infection)
► Heart disease & other medical conditions
Ways to maintain positive mental health
► Getting professional help if you need it
► Connecting with others
► Staying positive
► Getting physically active
► Helping others
► Getting enough sleep
► Developing coping skills