Mental Health Flashcards
what is well-being?
capacity of each and all of us to feel, think and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face
- not about being always happy but being able to deal with challenges and still have quality of life and enjoy the good
- it is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual wellbeing that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections and personal dignity
- dif btw distress and crisis?
what are some red flags that someone is in distress vs in crisis? (9)
DISTRESS: can be discussed, not well, but not too too bad
IN CRISIS: some threat to safety (yourself, others, physical health like fainting) –> requires immediate response
- overwhelmed
- trouble coping
- disorganized/confused
- inconsistent
- disheveled, tired
- socially withdrawn –> isolating
- looks stressed/fearful/worried/sad
- angry outbursts
- a change in their behaviour
difference between mental health and mental illness?
- explain their continuum
MENTAL HEALTH –> we all have mental health
- ranges from optimal or poor (top down)
MENTAL ILLNESS: we don’t all have mental illness –> has to meet criteria for diagnosis
- ranges from serious mental illness to no symptoms of mental illness (left right)
- can have mental illness & optimal mental health –> spectrum of functionality
- or poor mental health without mental illness
what are 3 key points of her Shanon’s presentation?
- having symptoms doesn’t mean actually having a diagnosis
- no person is their diagnosis
- as a helper, we are not there to save but to support
is it wrong to say “i’m depressed, i feel bipolar, i am so OCD today”?
- incorrect saying as you don’t have the diagnosis
- we want to decrease stigma and encourage people to talk about mental health & illness but we need to stay sensitive and use terms correctly
how are mental illnesses diagnosed in Canada?
- guided by what?
- diagnosed by medical doctors or psychologies
- guided by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) –> published by American Psychiatric Association
Name a few eating disorders
- anorexia nervosa
- bulimia nervosa
- binge eating disorder
- orthorexia, overexercising
- other specified feeding and eating disorders
- avoidant restrictive intake disorder (ARFID) –> picky eater, sensitive to shape, texture…
- unspecific feeding or eating disorder (UFED)
- rumination disorder
what are some reasons you might hesitate to intervene when you see a student in difficulty?
- think you will make it worse (in real life, really hard to make it worse. usually pretending we didn’t notice is making it worse)
- i will wait for them to bring it up –> we think it’s the most respectful thing to do –> but they might feel weird that you didn’t notice anything
- i will say the wrong thing, hurt their feelings and make them feel judged
what are 4 things to do during an intervention?
- provide safe space
- initiate contact
- express concern while actively listening
- roles and collaboration
what are 3 key aspects of providing and valuing a safe space?
- validate their need for support + show warmth while respecting boundaries + not there to save but to support (will alleviate your own stress/pressure you put on yourself)
what are 2 tips for the most powerful interventions?
- little to do with the person’s story/advice given –> don’t follow the details, follow the feelings (usually what the client makes you feel is how the client is feeling = transference)
- a lot to do with their leaving the interaction feeling seen, heard and connected
how do you initiate contact with the other? without offending them?
- ” i am concerned about changes I’ve seen in you”
- “This behaviour seems really different for you…”
- “can we talk about what is going on” “do you want to talk about it?”
*meet people where they are at to support them –> many nutrition consults, you will not even talk about nutrition…
how to actively listen to the other? (3)
- verbal and non-verbal behaviors
- open questions
- normalize, validate
how to take care of your mental health as a helper? (4)
- self-care
- mindfulness
- compassion
- support
what is self-care?
- setting boundaries
- asking for help
- spending time alone
- putting yourself first
- asking for what you need
- staying at home
- saying “no”
- forgiving yourself
- taking a step back
- journaling 5’ every morning
- exercise
- music
- baking
- shower, skincare
- find the little things and pepper them in your life
*if you stop doing it when you feel overwhelmed, you should make it a non-negotiable
what is mindfulness? (3)
being aware in a way that is:
- purposeful
- in the present moment
- non-judgmental –> be compassionate towards yourself
how to make sure you have the right support?
- 2 categories of supported ish
- friends and family
- professional
*ask for the support you need!
what is the professional compass?
- inner knowing –> follow your gut –> you are allowed to change the plan of the session
- if you make the wrong call –> own your mistake, client might react with their body language or straight up tell you
- also your order and liability, organizational expectation, systems perspective, your own compass
what are some benefits of nutrition interventions on mental health?
- reduced nutrition-related side effects of psychiatric medications
- better self-management of health conditions
- improved mental health and physical health
- enhanced social inclusion
- self-reliance
- food security
- a healthier body image
what 2 things that are kinda similar (one is a lived experience, the other one is a clinical disorder) can lead to unhealthy relationship with food, compromised nutritional status, various forms of disordered eating?
- 4 symptoms
- explain
Trauma! vs PTSD (clinical disorder)
- 1/3 of people with trauma will develop PTSD
SYMPTOMS:
1. intrusive thoughts such as flashbacks
2. avoidance
3. altered cognition and mood
4. altered arousal and reactivity; which can include anxiety symptoms and increased threat vigilance, as well as sleep difficulties
*food can become form of self-medication
*food addiction, or binge eating disorder can be associated with trauma
- bipolar disorder –> formally called (2) –> mental disorder that causes (5)
- how many types?
- moods range between what 2 forms
- manic-depressive illness OR manic depression –> causes unusual shifts in mood, shift in energy, activity levels, concentration and ability to carry out day-to-day tasks
- 3 types! all 3 involve clear change in mood, energy and activity levels
MANIC episodes - up, elated, irritable, energized behavior
- less severe manic periods = hypomanic episodes
DEPRESSIVE episodes: - down, sad, indifferent, hopeless
what are the 3 bipolar disorders? describe
BIPOLAR 1 disorder
- manic episodes that last >7 days OR so sever that needs hospital care
- depressive episodes typically lasting >2 weeks
- episodes of depression with mixed features (with manic symptoms) also possible
BIPOLAR 2 disoder:
- pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but not the full-blown mani episodes that are typical of bipolar 1 disorder
CYCLOTHYMIC disorder (cyclothymia):
- defined by periods of hypomanic symptoms + periods of depressive symptoms for >2 years
- BUT symptoms don’t meet diagnostic reqs for hypomanic episode and a depressive episode
- depression, also know as (2) –> interferes with what? (6 ish)
- what does NOT characterize this disorder?
- how often do these people experience symptoms?
- known as major depressive disorder OR clinical depression
- interferes with hoe people feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating or working
- sadness does NOT characterize. can be a symptom
- nearly every day for at least 2 weeks
CLINICAL depression vs major depressive episode
clinical = constant
MAJOR depressive episode –> ie losing someone, grief
- symptoms won’t occur frequently
- might only happen to you once in your life