Mental and Emotional Health

Mental and Emotional HealthLesson 2: Health, Habits and ExerciseWhy Study Mental Health?They actually affect one another.People with physical health problems often experience anxiety or depression.Recovery from this is longer.

Mental Illness increase the risk of:DiabetesHeart diseaseWeight gain/lossReduced immunityGastrointestinal problemsProblems with relationships, education and productivity.Approx. 20% of all Canadians will exp. Mental illness during their lifetime.What is Mental and Emotional Health?It is the state of balance of a persons thoughts, feelings, and actions.People with good mental health will have:Sense of well-beingAbility to enjoy life, laugh, and have fun.Ability to deal with lifes stressors and bounce back from adversity.Participation in life to the fullest.Capacity to change, grow, and experience a range of feelings.Sense of balance in own life.Self-Care that attends to the needs of the whole person.Ability to care for others.Self-ConfidentWhy is Mental and Emotional Health Important?Our minds are not separate entities from us.Physical health is affected negatively by distress.Many physical conditions are actually rooted in a state of mind (psychosomatic illness).Take care of the mind, body and spirit.What is Mental Illness?It is alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior.Symptoms vary from mild to severe depending on the person, and environment they are in.During a lifespan, every person will deal with isolation, loneliness, emotional distress or disconnection.People can bounce back, but in some cases the duration and intensity of these feelings need help to regain a balance.Mental illnesses can occur together.E.g. A person may experience depression and anxiety all at once.

How Common are Mental Illnesses in Canada?Mental IllnessEstimates over One Year PeriodMood Disorders Major Depression Bipolar Disorder Dysthymia

4.1 4.6%0.2 0.6%0.8 3.1%Schizophrenia0.3%Anxiety Disorders12.2%Personality Disorders---------Eating Disorders Anorexia, BulimiaAnorexia 0.7% women 0.2% men

Bulimia 1.5% women 0.1% menDeaths from Suicide1998 (2% of all deaths in Canada)24% (15-24)16% (25-44)Estimated percentage of the population who have the disorder during a 1 year period.Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps.

Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and depression.

Dysthymia is a chronic type of depression in which a person's moods are regularly low.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that makes it difficult to: Tell the difference between real and unreal experiences; Think logically; Have normal emotional responses, Behave normally in social situations.

Anxiety is a generalized mood condition that can often occur without an identifiable triggering stimulus.

Personality disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions in which a person's long-term (chronic) behaviors, emotions, and thoughts are very different from their culture's expectations and cause serious problems with relationships and work.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a disorder characterised by deliberately maintained low body weight and distorted body image.

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder in which people binge on food and then try to make up for this by extreme measures such as making themselves sick, taking laxatives or starving themselves

6Who is Affected by Mental Illness?Affects people in all occupations, educational and income levels, and cultures.No one is immune to mental illness.

At the present time, hospitalization data provides the best available description of individuals with mental illnesses.1999, rates among women were higher than men.Nearly half of admissions for 1 of the 7 most common were between the ages of 25-44.Ages between 15-24 accounted for 23.7% of all admissions.Most responsible diagnosis is one of anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, and attempted suicide.7Healthy Lifestyle PracticesDefinition: Any behaviour that has an effect on a persons health and well-being.Coping Mechanisms help a person deal with everyday living.This is important when developing mental emotional health.The engagement in healthy lifestyles contributes to both the quality and duration of life.

8Activity #1Identify 10 basic health habits.Once you have comprised a list, you will then share your ideas with someone. When you are sharing your ideas look for similarities and differences.After you have a consensus as a pair, then join with another pair to compare to reach a consensus.Be sure to include items of physical activity.

Students start this activity on their own. (5min.)When they get into pairs, give them (3min.) to reach a consensus and then let the pair join with another pair to reach a consensus (3min.)

Get each group to share their ideas by writing them on the board.

The list should include the following: healthy eating, sleep, substance abuse, body weight, personal and dental hygiene, stress, relationships, and general safety.9Activity #2On your own, identify and record mental health benefits of healthy lifestyle practices on the worksheet provided for you.After you have recorded your top 10, share with a friend and gain a consensus on each others top 10.Present top 10 mental health benefits to the class.Provide each student with a copy of RM 1-MH. Use the think-pair-share strategy to complete this activity.

While each group is presenting their top 10, write them on the board.10Effect of Exercise on Mental HealthAs a result of exercise, the body releases different chemicals that affect the brain.One group is called endorphins.This chemical increases and produces an analgesic effect on the body as well as a feeling of euphoria.Decreased anxietyReduced depressionBetter able to cope with stress.Raised self esteem.Improved mood.Improved sleep.Increased cognition (ability to think, reason, and remember)In the article Exercise is a State of Mind, Miller states that for several decades weve known about one effect of exercise on the brain, the endorphin high that makes us feel good during and right after exercise.11Effect of Exercise on Mental HealthSeveral biological changes occur, such as:Nerve cells are more active or increase the ability of neurons to communicate with one another.How does this work?Exercise produces proteins called neurotrophic factors.

Causes the hippocampus to be fertilized.Responsible for regulating mood and storing memories.Releases other chemicals such as:Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, melatonin, and insulin.How does this work? Exercise fuels the body with blood, which carries energy and oxygen to the brain, which in turn tells the body to produce more proteins called neurotophic factors or growth factors. This substance allows for the stimulation for nerve cells to grow and connect with one another or to develop new nerve cells.

Hippocampus, is a sea horse shaped region in the temporal lobe of the brain. With exercise, Neuropeptide Y and Brain Derived neurotophic factor are created with exercise.

Serotonin: is a neurotransmitter, involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. It is manufactured in your body using the amino acid tryptophan. It is manufactured in your body using the amino acid tryptophan. Release of serotonin or other drugs (depending on the type of nerve) causes the other nerve to fire and continue the message along the "cable".

Dopamine:, which makes people more talkative and excitable. It affects brain processes that control movement, emotional response, and ability to experience pleasure and pain. All of these chemicals are natural chemicals that affect our bodily processes.

Melatonin: Some people become more depressed in the winter months when days are shorter and darker. The sun and bright light seem to trigger a response to a brain hormone known as melatonin (produced by the pineal gland), which is, in part, responsible for preventing the "blues." Stay in brightly-lit rooms on dark days. Research reveals that two hours of morning sun is very effective in lifting depression. The evening light had comparatively little results.

Insulin: is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body.

Norepinephrine is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. As a hormone, secreted by the adrenal gland, it works alongside epinephrine / adrenaline to give the body sudden energy in times of stress, known as the "fight or flight" response. As a neurotransmitter, it passes nerve impulses from one neuron to the next.

12Activity #3Describe how healthy lifestyle practices affect mental-emotional health issues.How do the identified lifestyle practices affect mental-emotional health?How does mental-emotional health affect lifestyle practices?Which lifestyle practice has the greatest impact on mental-emotional health, and why?Hand out the Healthy Lifestyle Practices for Mental-Emotional Health.

After completing the chart, the students are to answer the questions that pertain to this slide on discussion on the questions shown on the slide on the back of the handout.13Economic Impact of Mental IllnessThere is a major impact on the Canadian economy in terms of productivity and health care costs.1993 Health Canada estimated the cost of mental illness at $7.331 billion. (hospitalization data and physician billing)1996/97 Economic impact was $14.4 billion. (Loss of income to businesses)1999/2000 9,022,382 hospital days were utilized by individuals with mental illnesses.

Is It Important to Seek Help for Mental-Emotional Problems?People encounter stressful situation that could range from minor to major on a day-to-day basis.Seek help if reaction to stressors becomes long term or interferes with other aspects of life.Most people can overcome mental health problems, and learn to live with them.Some believe it is shameful to seek help for mental illnesses due to peer pressure or showing a sign of weakness.It is OK to seek help and you should learn how to access help for mental-emotional problems when needed.15What Increases the Risk of Problems?Based on experiences such as:EnvironmentHereditary HistoryPsychological FactorsSociological FactorsIt is the loss of control of any of these factors that can bring the onslaught of illness.Researchers also suggest a complex interaction of:Genetic makeupBiological makeupPersonalityFound to be more common in close family members have mental illness.Genetic makeup Research dictates that people with genetic factors affecting brain chemistry which make family members more susceptible to the illness.

Biological Makeup This is how a person handles the interaction between the brain biology and lived experiences to work both ways.

Personality Age and sex can have an affect on mental illnesses. Ones environment such as family situations, workplace pressures, and socio-economic status can bring on mental illness. This also includes lifestyle choices such as substance abuse can bring on mental illness (depression)16Poverty and Mental IllnessIndirect AssociationLower expectation and ambition can lead to mental illness because of low levels of education and occupational achievement.The term Drift is associated with mental illness because people may drift into poverty that are already ill.Direct AssociationThis implies that the social experience of individuals who are poor increases the likely hood that they may develop a mental illness.Poverty may lead to lack of opportunity and a sconce of hopelessness, thus bringing on illness through prolonged exposure.This relationship is complicated. Many studies have found that socio-economic status is inversely related to the development of mental illness. Two frameworks have been proposed.

This indirect association between poverty and mental illness may be mitigated by the Class effect, whereby the networks of support around people in higher socio-economic classes prevent their drift into poverty.

It is important to note that most people who are poor do not have mental illness.

17Life Experiences Leading to Mental Health IssuesIdentify life experiences that could lead to mental health issues.Which situations do not have control over and situation have some control over.Discuss ways to control a given situation.Reflect on the situation do not have control on.Brainstorming exercise Deal with each question separately and comprise a list under each heading.

Refer to RMH-3 for help in starting to get the students to think.18Helping OneselfAll life experiences, whether positive or negative, are character building.Develop skills for coping and managing our feelings and emotions and to learn from all experiences.ResilienceCapability to cope with significant adversity or stress in ways that are not only effective and result in an increased ability to respond constructively to future adversity.Towards a Comprehensive SystemEducation at schoolCommunity EducationSelf-Help Aid NetworksPrimary and Special CareHospitalsCrisis response systemsCase Management / Community Outreach ProgramsWorkplace Supports

20Self Care MeasuresGet enough sleep.Eat a well balanced diet.Avoid caffeine, tobacco, drugs.Get activeRelaxAttend self spiritual needs.Write down problems.Prioritize personal challenges.Spend ample time with people whose company is enjoyable.Talk to trustworthy friend or family member about your own feelings and concerns.21Journal Entry #2Pick one of the two questions to respond to.What is one thing that you learned today and how will it help you in the future?Is there something that was not discussed or something you were afraid to ask? Ask and tell me why?