Chapter 2-2 Personal Responsibility

Objectives:

- Know the main causes of stress

- Know the suicide risk factors and signs

- Know resources available that can help potential suicide victims

-Know good study habits, techniques, and time management

symptoms of stress in adolescents:Lack of energy

ApathyViolenceWithdrawalNightmaresDrug or alcohol useHeadaches

“I’m afraid that if we keep going the direction we are heading, we will eventually get there”.

“I’m excited that if we keep going the upward direction we are heading, we will get there”.

Which statement is better?

Why 21?Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more young people than all other illegal drugs combined. Youth who drink alcohol are 7 ½ times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than youth who never drank. An adolescent’s central nervous system and brain are not yet fully developed and are especially sensitive to alcohol and other drugs. Addiction happens much faster—in as little as 6-18 months. Underage drinking is the leading cause of adult alcoholism. National data reveals more than 16,500 traffic deaths have been averted since states started raising the minimum drinking age to 21. Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than youth who wait until 21.

I. Stress management:

A. The main cause of stress is _________; especially unforeseen and unwanted.

A. The main cause of stress is change; especially unforeseen and unwanted.

Change:

“Never fear change. Change gives you the opportunity to spread your wings and discover all you are capable of being.”

B. Stress is an emotional, chemical, physical factor that causes bodily or mental tension.

C. There are two types of stress. They are _____ and _____.

C. There are two types of stress. They are distress and eustress.

Which of the two is good for you and why?

Eustress. Can help prepare you for action.

D. Distress occurs when stress becomes too intense, prolonged, or frustrating. (Tell about Zweibrucken)

E. Stress is necessary and inevitable part of life.

F. Stress can actually help you to be _______________________________________.

More alert and ready to respond in a time f crisis

G. Stress is defined as your body’s response to demands, real or imagined, given a situation, event, or environment.

H. It is a chemical reaction which occurs in the body

1. Muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, the heart speeds up, extra adrenaline rushes through your system.

2. This reactions purpose is to give

Extra strength to fight off change or to flee from it.

3. Life stresses include those that are sought after and those that are unforeseen. (tragedies) (tell about this job)

II. Causes of stress:

A. Adolescence

1. The transition from being a child to becoming an adult.

- This time of your life should not be used as an excuse to behave badly!!!

a. Significant changes are taking place, both physical and emotional.

b. Hormones are released to increase height and weight.

c. Sexual characteristics are developed to transform girls to women and boys men.

d. Mood swings range from sudden _________

Burst of anger to depression to apathy.

3. During this time of life, there is the temptation to experiment sexually. (Give your two cents about not having sex until marriage. Also discuss why drug companies and condom companies want you to be sexually active.)

4. Social roles are blurred - where they fit in. This causes them to seek the _______________________________________

The support and security of their peers. It’s a known fact during the stage of life, it seems the views of your peers mean more than the adults in their lives .

5. One way to reduce the stress of this blurring of social roles is to ______________________

Group with others who are similar in dress, behavior, and attitude.

Why?Helps you to feel like you belong – wanted – needed.

Another area that causes stress is:

B. Family Problems:

1. Divorce

a. The familiar environment no longer offers the feeling of safety and security.

b. Emotions such as confusion, depression, guilt, and anger are triggered.

c. Finances?

- Less of it…2. Moving (tell about Kathy)

3. A death in the family

A death in a family can produce:

a. Produces feelings of helplessness, anger, and grief.

b. In addition of missing the loved one, it could cause one to feel like they are_____________

Next!

4. Communication ( the lack of or frustrated communication)

a. Realize you don’t have to argue

b. Always stay respectful in tone

c. Listen!!!!!!

5. Abuse

a. Abuse can be emotional, physical, verbal or _______

Sexual (no one deserves to be abused in any of these ways.)

b. If you have ever been abused, don’t feel like you are the reason.

c. The shame of the abuse might prevent?

The one being abused from reporting it thus causing distress; also causing the one being abused to shoulder the burden and destroying themselves from within.

6. Another area of stress is adjusting to a single-parent home:

a. Some of the changes associated with a single-parent home that could cause stress are:

- Income

- Residence - where you live

- Home responsibilities

b. Kids end up with too many

adult responsibilities!

7. Stepparents:

a. Accepting a stepparent is difficult at best especially if doing so would mean rejecting their biological parent.

b. This is also stressful for the stepparent

8. The birth of a sibling:

a. What kind of feelings do the older children have when this happens?

Uncertainty, competition for the parent’s attention, and resentment

b. Expecting the older child to instantly love the new baby

C. This could result in bad behavior as a way of gaining attention.

9. The next area of stress is school:

a. What are some things that make school stressful?

Scholastic achievement, taking test, success in sports, peer acceptance.

b. What could parents/guardians do to help lessen your stress in school?

Take an interest in your classes, friends, activities, and teachers

c. Always be willing to talk about what’s bothering you

(Parents/guardians can’t read minds!!!)(instructors can’t either)

Talk to them!!!

10. Another stress maker is medical problems:

a. Cause both emotional and financial stresses. Affects the one who is ill as well as other family members.

b. The well child will at times feel _____________

Neglected and guilty. Neglected due to the sick child getting so much of the attention and guilty because they’re not the one sick.

Best thing is to talk it out. Tell how you are feeling.

These two types of personalities:

Type “A” and type “B”

a. Type “A” is thought to be caused due to a lack of self-confidence.

b. They feel threatened if they can’t control their environment.

c. When circumstances don’t go the way they want them to, they get frustrated, angry, and hostile.

(Talk about the cadet that went ballistic when she knew she was not prepared for a test.)

e. Type “B” personalities are more laid back and relaxed

f. They are more patient

g. They relax and have fun - no need to prove they are superior

h. An individual will not always have all of type “A” or type “B” - they may possess a little of both

C. How stress affects you:

1. Yourself. It attacks your self-esteem and lessens positive feelings of self-worth.

2. Other people. Unless you take time to relax and recharge you will not be able to ________

Effectively relate to other people - say goodbye to your friends!

3. The world. You become unaware of what’s going on in the world around you - you don’t seem to have the energy to care.

(9-11-01)

D. Let’s talk about the results of stress:

1. Stress causes stress related illnesses but particularly heart disease. There are two types of personalities – “A” and “B”- one is more prone to stress related illnesses than the other.

2. Which one?

E. Physical effects of stress:

1. Upon perceiving an event to be stressful, the brain sends signals to the body to prepare it for action.

a. Adrenaline is released to increase the heart rate and raise blood pressure.

b. Cortisone is released to help fight off infections

c. The muscles tighten in preparation to absorb blows

d. To provide additional energy, the adrenal glands increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood and the liver is directed to increase the amount of sugar

F. Stress related illnesses:

1. Heart disease, hypertension, rheumatism, ulcers, headaches, upset stomachs, depression, cancer, and backaches just to mention a few

2. Focusing on the heart, stress causes heart disease by the prolong increase of cholesterol in the blood leading to blocked arteries. The prolonged increase of heart rate and pressure overtax the heart.

G. Stress management:

1. How do you spell RELIEF?

a. R elax

b. E at properly

c. L earn to be assertive (does not mean to verbally kill someone)

d. I gnore circumstances that can’t be changed

e. E xercise

f. F ind a hobby

2. Other ways of reducing stress are:

a. Identifying the source of stress and the things that make you tense. Stress is a result of how you react to things. You make choices!

b. Reach out by talking to your parent/guardian, friends, pastors, teachers, etc.

c. Set realistic goals - not too easy and not too hard.

d. Be good to yourself

e. Keep a journal

f. Find ways to “let off steam” like listening to music, talking to a friend, breathing

g. Use “self-talk”

h. Learn relaxation methods

II. Suicide: “A permanent solution to a temporary problem”

A. Background: Suicide has been viewed in different ways over time and across cultures, ranging from acceptance to indifference to severe condemnation.

B. Suicide: The problem

1. Suicide is a whispered word, a taboo subject that stigmatizes not only the victim but the survivors (so what have we done in the USA, we have tried to legalize it. Oregon state for example)

2. People who are suicidal are usually under a tremendous amount of mental strain which they feel Incapable of solving.

If a person succeeds in taking their lives, those left behind are truly the ones that suffer - this includes family as well as friends. (talk about my dad’s friend)

Suicide Prevention

High School AFJROTC

July 2005

Teen Suicide

• The rate has tripled in last 25 years– No clear reason identified

• Adolescent boys 4x more suicides than girls– 20/100,000 vs 5/ 100,000

• Firearm 64% cause of death• Around 5000 young people a year 15 – 24 • 3rd leading cause of death

– 1st is accidents– 2nd is homicides

• Every six hours, a youth aged 10-19 commits suicide with a gun

Teen Suicide

• 1990 survey 12,000 students around the coutry– 28% of students seriously considered suicide

the previous year– 16% had made a specific plan– 8% had attemtped

• Family discord vs boyfriend/girlfriend trigger

Teen Suicide

• Another story– They said the girls are so close to one another that if one

successfully committed suicide, the others would be so distraught they would probably kill themselves as well. "We all had the feeling, and the notion was in the air, that if one of us did it, we all would, because we'd feel so worthless," said a 14-year-old who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "We wouldn't know what else to do.“

– "I think that the really depressed people stick together because they are the only people they can relate to," said Uttmark, 16, who will be a junior at the high school. "So if they start losing the only people they can talk to, then there's really nothing left."

Teen Suicide

• Two Victorville, CA 14-year-old girls had a suicide pact and left 20 notes around town for several people to find. One of the notes was given to their best friend with instructions not to open it until a certain time. It was determined that one hour before that time is when the girls inflicted single gunshot wounds to their heads, completing their suicide attempts. This double-suicide occurred in March, and by the end of June, 30 children in the surrounding areas had been hospitalized for suicide attempts. And the trend continued. At the beginning of July, another child completed suicide.

• National Association of School Psychologist

Warning Signs•Previous suicide attempts •The verbalizing of suicide threats •The giving away of prized personal possessions•The collection and discussion of information on suicide methods •The expression of hopelessness, helplessness, and anger at oneself or the world•Themes of death or depression evident in conversation, written expressions, reading selections, or artwork •Statements or suggestions that the speaker would not be missed if he or she were gone

Warning Signs•Recent loss of a friend or a family member (or even a pet) through death or suicide; other losses (for example, loss of a parent resulting from divorce)

•Acute personality changes, unusual withdrawal, aggressiveness, or moodiness, or new involvement in high-risk activities.

•Physical symptoms such as eating disturbances, sleeplessness or excessive sleeping, chronic headaches or stomachaches, menstrual irregularities, apathetic appearance

•Sudden dramatic decline or improvement in academic performance, chronic truancy or tardiness, or running away

•Use or increased use of substance

•The scratching or marking of the body, or other self-destructive acts

4. Experts believe that many accidental deaths involving automobiles, drugs, and firearms are actually disguised suicides

E. Why suicide?

1. People, especially kids, are under greater pressures today than in times past. Couple this with the breakup of the family, greater violence in our society, the cheapening of life, people are more likely to suffer more mental disorders including depression.

2. A leading factor of adolescent suicide is a prevailing sense of Hopelessness and helplessness

3. Some teenagers believe that their families would be better off without them (so very untrue!)

4. The breakup of a relationship (boy friend/girl friend), moving to a different town, and family loss due to a death or divorce.

Now Time Management!

How can you manage your time to reduce stress?

Prioritize tasks.

Do it right the first time.

Review your goals each day and plan for the next day.

Improve your listening skills.

Keep telephone calls short.

Plan for long-range projects.

Allow time for the unexpected.

Don’t do things that don’t matter.

Don’t tackle too many tasks at the same time.

Don’t work with unclear instructions.

Finish one task before starting another. Don’t procrastinate.

•Learn how to say “no.”

Learn from your mistakes.

Schedule the most difficult or most important tasks first.

Why are effective study habits important?

Effective study habits:

Help reduce stress

Make studying more pleasant

Increase speed of learning

Improve grades

Plan regular study periods.

Work on big assignments right away.

Take short breaks.

Limit study time by subject.

Begin with the most boring or hardest subject.

Study similar subjects at separate times.

Avoid studying when tired.

Create a schedule.

Use weekends wisely.

Fit in time for your health.

How can you use the OK4R method of studying?

O. Overview

K. Key Ideas

R1. Read

R2. Recall

R3. Reflect

R4. Review

What is the best way to memorize material?

Memorize actively, not passively.

Ask questions if you don’t understand.

Verbalize some types of study.

Use flashcards to memorize words, formulas, etc.

-In summary

Stress is a part of life. Change is a part of life. It is all on how you choose to see and handle these things that happen to you and others.

- Stress happens to everyone.