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Chapter 9
Mental and Emotional Problems
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Lesson 1
Mental Disorders
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Mental Disorders
• Mental Disorder – an illness of the mind that can affect
the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of a person,
preventing him or her from leading a happy, healthful
and productive life
• Of the 20% of children and adolescents who suffer from
mental health problems, only one-third receive the help
they need
• Stigma – a negative label or mark of shame
• There are misconceptions and stereotypes which lead
people to be embarrassed
• Many mental and emotional disturbances involve
chemical imbalances in the brain chemistry
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Types of Mental Disorders
• Organic Disorder: caused by a physical
illness or an injury that affects the brain
– May results from brain tumors, infections,
chemical imbalances, exposure to drugs and
toxins, or injuries resulting in brain damage
• Functional Disorder: a psychological
cause and does not involve brain damage
– May result from heredity, stress, emotional
conflict, fear, ineffective coping skills, or other
conditions
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Anxiety Disorders
• Anxiety Disorder: a condition in which real
or imagined fears are difficult to control
– Phobia: a strong and irrational fear of
something specific, example – heights
– Obsessive-compulsive disorder: the person is
trapped in a pattern of repeated thoughts or
behaviors. Obsessive: persistent, recurrent,
and unwanted thoughts that prevent people
from attending normal daily activities.
Compulsive: repeated, irresistible behaviors
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Anxiety Disorders, cont.
• Panic Disorder: has sudden, unexplained
feelings of terror. “Panic Attacks” –
accompanied by symptoms such as trembling, a
pounding heart, shortness of breath or
dizziness. A condition in which fear and anxiety
get it the way of a person’s ability to function and
enjoy life
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: a condition that
may develop after exposure to a terrifying event
that threatened or caused physical harm
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Mood Disorders
• Mood Disorder: an illness, often with an organic cause,
that involves mood extremes that interfere with everyday
living. The emotional swings of mood disorders are
extreme in both intensity and duration.
• Clinical Depression: feelings of sadness, hopelessness,
or despair that last for more than a few weeks and
interfere with daily interests and activities. Affect a
person’s ability to concentrate, sleep, perform at school,
and handle everyday decisions and challenges. Can be
biologically based or caused by life events
• Bipolar Disorder: aka, manic-depressive disorder,
marked by extreme mood changes, energy levels, and
behavior. Figure 9.1
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Eating Disorders
• Anorexia
• Bulimia
• Psychological pressures, possible genetic
factors, and an obsession with body image and
thinness can lead to an eating disorder
• Eating disorders are real, treatable medical
illnesses
• A person with an eating disorder can experience
a wide range of physical health complications,
including serious heart conditions and kidney
failure which may lead to death
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Conduct Disorders
• Conduct Disorder: a pattern of behavior in which
the rights of others or basic social rules are
violated
• Children and adolescents who act out their
impulses toward others in a destructive way may
have this disorder
• Lie, theft, aggression, violence, truancy, arson,
and vandalism
• They may project an image of toughness, with
this disorder however they have low self-esteem
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Schizophrenia
• A severe mental disorder in which a person
loses contact with reality
• Symptoms include:
– Delusions, hallucinations, and thought disorders
• People who suffer from schizophrenia have
difficulty understanding the difference between
real and imaginary events
• Misconception is that they are violent and have
multiple or split personalities, however they are
not a threat to others
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Personality Disorders
• Personality refers to an individual’s unique traits and
behavior patterns
• People with healthy personalities can cope with day-to-day
challenges of life
• Antisocial personality disorder: tend to be irritable,
aggressive, impulsive, and violent
• Borderline personality behavior: experience a series of
troubled behaviors, tend to engage in high risk activities,
poor self-esteem, lash out violently at the people they need
most
• Passive-Aggressive personality disorder: uncooperative,
resent being told what to do, but rely on others’ for
direction, angry over issues of control, show their anger, but
only indirectly
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Lesson 2
Suicide Prevention
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Suicide
• Alienation
– Feeling isolated and separated from everyone
else
– When such painful feelings become
unbearable, some people may try drastic,
self-destruction measures to escape their pain
• Suicide
– The most dramatic of all measures
– Is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life
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Suicide Risk Factors
• Most suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and actions
are expressions of extreme distress, not bids for
attention
• More than 90 percent of people who commit
suicide are suffering from depression or another
mental disorder or are abusing alcohol or drugs
• Other suicidal risk factors include a history of
physical or sexual abuse, history of previous
suicide attempts or a family history of emotional
disorders or suicide
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Teen Suicide: Recognizing the
Warning Signs
Verbal Signs
• Direct statements:
– “I want to die”
– “I don’t want to live anymore”
– “I wish I were dead”
• Indirect statements:
– “I won’t have to put up with this
much longer”
– “I just want to go to sleep and
never wake up”
– “They’ll be sorry when I am gone”
• Writing poems, song lyrics, or diary
entries that deal with death
• Suicide threats or insinuations that are
either direct or indirect
Nonverbal or Behavioral Signs
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An unusual obsession with death
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Withdrawal from friends
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Dramatic changes in personality, hygiene, or
appearance
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Impulsive, irrational, or bizarre behavior
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An overwhelming sense of guilt, shame, or
rejection, negative self-evaluation
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Significant deterioration in schoolwork, or
recreational performance
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Preoccupation with giving away personal
belongings
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Substance abuse
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Frequent complaints about physical
symptoms
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Persistent boredom and indifference
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Violent actions, rebellious behavior or
running away
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Intolerance for praise or rewards
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Preventing Suicide
• Your ability to be able to recognize the signs
from figure 9.2 in yourself or others can mean
the difference between life and death
• Never bargain with someone who is thinking
about suicide
• Whether someone is talking serious, casual or
even humorous, you must take it seriously
• Untreated depression is the leading cause of
suicide
• People suffering from mental health problems
need to seek help
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Helping Others
Suicidal people often believe that their death
will not matter to anyone. Therefore it is
critical to show concern and empathy for
someone who is talking about suicide.
• Initiate a meaningful conversation
• Show support and ask questions
• Try to persuade the person to seek help
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Multiple Suicides
• Cluster Suicides: a series of suicides occurring within a
short period of time and involving several people in the
same school or community
• In the US cluster suicides mainly occur among teens and
young adults
• Some result from pacts or agreements between two or
more people
• Others result when individuals commit suicide in
response to the suicide of a friend or a suicide that has
been broadcasted in the media
• Prevention: evaluation and counseling for friends and
relatives of suicide victims
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Lesson 3
Getting Help
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Knowing When to Get Help
• You feel trapped with no way out, or you worry
all the time
• Your feelings affect your sleep, eating habits,
school work, job performance, or relationships
• Your family or friends express concern about
your behavior
• You are becoming involved with alcohol or other
drugs
• You are becoming increasingly aggressive,
violent, or reckless
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Signs that Professional
Help is Needed
• Some symptoms that are severe enough to
require intervention by a mental health
professional include:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Prolonged sadness for no specific reason
Frequent outbursts of anger
Overwhelming fear
Anxiety
Anger at the world
Unexplainable change in sleeping or eating habits
Social withdrawal
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Seeking Help
• Most people tend to wait too long before seeking
help
• Figure 9.3 is a list of mental professionals
• Asking for help from a professional does not
mean that a person is weak
• People cannot get better on their own when
suffering from a mental disorder
• Most people will be surprised and happy t find
that unloading problems is a great relief
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Therapy Methods
• Psychotherapy: an ongoing dialogue between a patient and
a mental health professional
• Behavior therapy: a treatment process that focuses on
changing unwanted behaviors through rewards and
reinforcements
• Cognitive therapy: a treatment method designed to identify
and correct distorted thinking patterns that can lead to
feelings and behaviors that may be troublesome, selfdefeating, or self-destructive
• Group therapy: involves treating a group of people who
have similar problems and who meet regularly with a
trained counselor
• Biomedical therapy: is the use of certain medications to
treat or reduce the symptoms of a mental disorder
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Lesson 4
Understanding Death and Grief
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Expressions of Grief
• Different kinds of loss that can cause pain
• Coping: dealing successfully with difficult
changes in your life
• Grief Response: an individual’s total
response to a major loss
• The way a person responds to loss is
unique to the situation and to the individual
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The Grieving Process
• It occurs during the grief response
• The purpose is to reach closure or
acceptance of loss
• There is no correct way of experiencing
loss, but the stages of grief reflect a
variety of reactions that may occur as
people work through the process
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Reactions - The Grieving
Process
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•
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Denial or Numbness
Emotional Releases
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Remorse
Acceptance
Hope
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Coping with Death
• To help cope with death, allow some time
to reflect on who you were before the loss
and who you will be after the grieving
• Remember the wonderful things and the
good times you shared
• Seek support from others
• Writing a letter to say good-bye
• Mourning: the act of showing sorrow or
grief
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Coping with Disasters
and Crises
• Traumatic or sudden events can leave people
feeling a range of emotions
• Using effective coping mechanisms can ease
the process of recovery
– Spend time with other people and discuss your
feelings
– Get back to daily routines as quickly as possible
– Eat nutritious foods, exercise and get enough rest
and sleep
– Do something positive to help your community
through the event
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