Transcript Mental Illness and Youth Exchange: Four Cornerstones of

Mental Illness and Youth
Exchange:
Four Cornerstones of
Mental Illness Affecting
an Exchange
Sieglinde Warren, LCDC III
and
Terri Nicole Sawyer, CSW
The 4 Cornerstones
The
Cornerstones:
In this workshop, we
will examine FOUR
cornerstones of mental
illness found in Rotary
Youth Exchange
Students.
Why Attend this
Workshop?
Let’s look!
You will receive an overview of four
mental health problems with which
youth
struggle while on exchange: Anxiety,
Depression, Eating Disorders and
Substance Abuse. This interactive
session will describe the mental health
issues and help you identify signs and
symptoms and develop an action plan.
Let’s Start By Picking Work
Teams
Depression
What is Depression in Teens?
Signs and symptoms of depression in teens
Sadness or hopelessness, Irritability, anger, or hostility
Tearfulness or frequent crying, Withdrawal from friends and family
Loss of interest in activities, Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
Changes in eating and sleeping habits, Restlessness and agitation
Lack of enthusiasm and motivation, Fatigue or lack of energy
Difficulty concentrating, Thoughts of death or suicide
If you’re unsure if an adolescent in your life is depressed or just “being a
teenager,” consider how long the symptoms have been present, how severe
they are, and how different the teen is acting from his or her usual self. While
some “growing pains” are to be expected as teenagers grapple with the
challenges of growing up, dramatic, long-lasting changes in personality, mood,
or behavior are red flags of a deeper problem.
If our youth could put how
they are feeling in words we
could understand.
Clinical Vignette
Chloe is an 18 year old girl living in her second host
family. For the last four weeks, she has been feeling
unusually sad. She has always loved playing lacrosse,
but doesn’t seem to care about it anymore and lately
has been trying to avoid training sessions. She has
lost quite a bit of weight because she is not eating
properly. She seems to be finding it difficult to
concentrate and make normal day to day decisions.
This is having a negative effect on her training and
school work. She also seems to be very tired and run
down. Friends, teachers and her coach are all
concerned about her.
Special Guest - Ted
Group Work
Break up into your groups
Read the Mental Health Treatment Plan Steps to
Think About Before Creating your Plan
Use a Mental Health Treatment Plan to work out a
pathway to help this student receive the help they need.
Be ready to present your plan in 15-20 minutes
Time to Work
Volunteer Group to Present
Anxiety
What are the signs of Anxiety?
What Are the Symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder?
Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness
Problems sleeping, Muscle Tension
Cold or sweaty hands and/or feet
Shortness of breath, dry mouth
Heart Palpitations
An inability to be still and calm
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Nausea, Dizziness
If our youth could put how
they are feeling in words we
could understand
Clinical Vignette
A 17 year old exchange student has always
felt "shy" and avoids answering questions in
her literature class. Last Monday, she stayed
home although she had to give a speech in
class, because she did not want to "make a
fool out of herself" in front of her
classmates. She has the English skills and
speaks without mistakes.
Group Work
Break up into your groups
Read the Mental Health Treatment Plan Steps to
Think About Before Creating your Plan
Use a Mental Health Treatment Plan to work out a
pathway to help this student receive the help they need.
Be ready to present your plan in 10-15 minutes
Time to Work
Volunteer Group to Present
Eating Disorders
Anorexia vs. Bulima
Warning Signs of an Eating
Disorder
Clinical Vignette
A 16 year-old female is under pressure at school. She has SATs this year
and has a number of other big exams that, in total, will have a huge
impact on where she will be accepted to college next year. She has a
history of "obsessing" over schoolwork. She is an "overachiever",
participating in many different extra- curricular activities, i.e. seasonal
sports teams, clubs and the school play. On top of this, she has social
pressures as she is in the popular social circle at school and it takes a
lot of effort to maintain that status. She is about 5'3" and has gained
about 30 pounds over the past year. She is overweight in appearance.
When asked, she reports that she tends to eat when she is nervous,
particularly at night when she is by herself and thinking about all of
her responsibilities and worries about the future. The amount of food
she eats at these times is more than she eats all day. After each time she
eats, she quietly goes into the bathroom and vomits.
Group Work
Break up into your groups
Read the Mental Health Treatment Plan Steps to
Think About Before Creating your Plan
Use a Mental Health Treatment Plan to work out a
pathway to help this student receive the help they need.
Be ready to present your plan in 10-15 minutes
Time to Work
Volunteer Group to Present
Substance Abuse
References
Depression Section
http://www.cnsspectrums.com/UserDocs/ArticleImag
es/fred_jefferson_table1.gif
http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/fa
cts_for_families/04_the_depressed_child.pdf
Bonus info on Depression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQr1G1OOEEQ
References
Anxiety Disorder Section
http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/
Glossary_of_Symptoms_and_Illnesses/Anxiety.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfrueeBmfXo
References
Eating Disorder Session
http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/fa
cts_for_families/02_teenagers_with_eating_disorders.p
df
http://www.anred.com/warn.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbxZmOHbktg
Contact Information
Terri Nicole Sawyer,
CSW
[email protected]
1-801-319-3714