Transcript Understanding students` mental health issues

Understanding students'
mental health issues:
Demystifying
psychiatric services
Dr. Paula Cook
August 17, 2010 - [email protected]
Living on Earth
is expensive,
but it does
include a free
trip around the
sun every year.
Outline
• What are mental health issues?
• How prevalent are mental health issues?
• What resources are available to address
students with mental health issues?
What is Mental Health?
Mental health means
striking a balance in all
aspects of one’s life:
-social,
-physical,
-spiritual,
-economic, and
-mental aspects
(CMHA)
Mental illnesses (mental health issues) are brain
disorders that cause:
1. significant altercations of thinking, mood, behaviour and
emotional functioning,
2. significant distress & discomfort for the person, and
3. impaired functioning, over an extended period of time, in
one or more of the following areas:

at school,

at work,

in social situations

and with family
interactions and relationships.
What are its effects?
Disrupts and influences:
• behavior,
• mood,
• feelings,
• thinking processes,
• coping skills, and
• the ability to relate to others
Causing behavioral & emotional
symptoms that:
1. delay the development of social skills,
2. impede progress at school,
3. affect family & peer relationships
4. affect family & peer interactions,
5. cause poor coordination, and
6. affect recreational, social &
athletic pursuits.
What causes mental illness?
Combination of factors including:
 disturbances in the brain’s "wiring" process (brain
development) during pre and post natal growth,
 genetic or biological influences,
 chemical imbalances,
 brain trauma,
 severe life stress or
 a combination of the above
Childhood onset
brain disorders can
be more severe and
more complex than
adult onset disorders.
Indicators of Mental Illness
in Children & Adolescents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
severe, persistent behaviour problems
behaviour problems that impact on daily activities/functioning
changes in appetite and/or sleep
social withdrawal
fearfulness
behaviour that regresses to earlier phases, like bedwetting
signs of distress, ex. sadness or tearfulness
self-destructive behavior, ex. head banging,
self mutilation
tendency to have frequent
injuries
But……
• Because many everyday stresses
cause changes in behavior, youth
with suspected mental illnesses
must be thoroughly
evaluated by trained
pediatric mental health
professionals.
Real women don’t
have hot flashes…
...they have
power surges
Outline
• √ What are mental health issues?
• How prevalent are mental health
issues?
• What resources are available to address
students with mental health issues?
Mental health issues, (mental
illnesses) are the leading cause
of disability (lost years of
productive life) in North America,
Europe and other industrialized
countries.
How Prevalent?
It is estimated that 1in 5 of Canadian youth are
affected by a mental illness or disorder
 - the single most disabling group of
disorders worldwide (CMHA).
Canada's youth suicide rate the third highest in
the industrialized world (CMHA).
Suicide is among the second leading causes of
death in 15-24 year olds (CMHA).
Stats
• On average, there is a 10 yr gap
between the onset of symptoms and
diagnostic interventions (Papolaos & Papolos, 2002)
• Only 20% of children with mental health disorders get
needed treatment (DeAngelis, 2004).
• Pediatricians miss 83% of children with psychiatric
diagnoses (NIMH, 2004).
• Mental disorders in youth are ranked as the 2nd highest
hospital care expenditure in Canada (CMHA, 2008).
• Serious mental illnesses can
now be treated effectively,
bringing a 70-90% percent
reduction in symptoms (NIMH, 2005).
• Usual treatment includes a
combination of pharmacological
and psychosocial support (NIMH,
2005).
• Early treatment of the major
psychiatric disorders can lessen
the severity of recurrence over a
lifetime (NIMH, 2003).
I read this article that said the
typical symptoms of stress are
eating too much, impulse
buying, and driving too fast.
Are they kidding? That is my
idea of a perfect day!
Outline
• √ What are mental health issues?
• √ How prevalent are mental health issues?
• What resources are available to
address students with mental health
issues?
Diagnosis
1.
Based on DSM-VI….the 5 Axis System
2.
a review of the child’s development,
3.
any important medical problems he/she might have had,
4.
family history of mental disorders, &
5.
physical and psychological traumas or situations that may have
caused stress
DSM IV Diagnostic Criteria
Axis I - Clinical disorders
•
LD, ADHD, depression, depression, anxieties, Bipolar, phobias, etc
Axis II - Personality Disorders
•
long lasting personality disorders, metal retardation, autism
Axis III - Acute medical conditions/physical disorders
•
-brain injuries and physical conditions
Axis IV - Contributing psychosocial and environmental factors
Axis V
•
-general functioning levels according to Childrens’ Global Assessment Scale
Description of Mental Health Services Available Through
the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA)
Centralized Intake – Mental Health
• Provides the single port of entry for all services in the
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Program
• Focus is to enable clients and families to access
appropriate programs and services based on their
individual needs
• Referrals for service can be made by families,
caregivers, physicians, mental health professionals, or
the clients themselves
Basic Principals
Regarding mental health issues
Principle #1
1. Seek specific diagnoses to
be used to help others
(and that includes us!)
to understand and to
provide guidance for the
interventions used.
Principle #1 continued…
Diagnoses ARE NOT to be used:
1.as an excuse for unacceptable
behaviour:
-on the part of the person with the
diagnosis, or
-yourself and others-the people
interacting with the person
2.as an excuse for automatic exclusion
Principle #2
2. Language difficulties can be
common. That is having
problems with:
• Identifying,
• articulating,
• expressing,
issues, feelings, situations, etc.
Principle #3
3. The same
behaviour may
mean something
different every time
it is displayed.
Principle #4
4. If problem
behaviours and
other symptoms
occur in most or
all settings, it is
MORE likely due
to mental health
issues.
Principle #5
5. If there is little or no
change in behaviour or
other symptoms even
with appropriate,
consistent behavioural
interventions, it is
MORE likely due to
mental health issues.
Good judgment comes
from experience, and a lot
of that comes from bad
judgment.