Transcript Document

Getting Help For
Yourself Or Your Friend
EMOTIONAL HEALTH 101
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FIRST RULES
 You don’t need to know exactly what is wrong just that there is a problem
 It is courageous and sensible to ask for help
when it is needed
 Trust your gut - if you think there is a problem,
discuss it with someone
 Trust your friends - if they are telling you they
are worried about you, listen to them
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WE ARE ALL HUMAN
 People have problems all the time
 Many times we can work our troubles out with
help from friends, family or by ourselves
 Dealing with problems and personal
challenges provides us with opportunities to
grow, mature, and learn about ourselves and
the world
 They are an inevitable part of life
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BUT YOU SHOULD GET
HELP IF…
 Problems:
 Are severe or intense
 Last a long time
 Keep getting worse
 Seem to be repeating themselves
 The usual ways of dealing with things are not
working
 You are having thoughts or impulses of harming
yourself or someone else
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THE BIG CATEGORIES
Problems in:
Feeling
Thinking
Behavior
These categories are not exactly exclusive. This is a way of
organizing information to help you understand and
remember
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PROBLEMS IN FEELING
Anxiety
(“I feel really nervous, tense, panicky”)
Depression
(“I feel really sad, down, blue, always tired”)
Mania
(“I feel too good, can’t stop”)
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ANXIETY
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ANXIETY
 Feeling tense, nervous, frightened
(especially if there is nothing
specific to be afraid of)
 Also often called “stress”
 Constant or frequent worrying or
brooding
 Might cause problems in sleep,
concentration or sitting still
 Might present as panic (intense,
discrete periods of anxiety)
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DEPRESSION
Play Video 3
7/20/2015
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DEPRESSION
 Feelings of sadness, feeling “blue” or “down” all
or most of the time or for an extended period
 Sleeping and eating troubles (too much or too
little)
 Feeling slowed down or sped up/tense; trouble
concentrating
 Lack of interest in usually enjoyable activities
(hobbies, TV or video games, sex, seeing friends)
 Social withdrawal
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DEPRESSION
 Might have physical complaints (aches, pains) or
worries about health
 Poor self care (not bathing, changing clothes, etc.)
 Irritable (men often get irritable or angry when they
are depressed)
 Feeling worthless, guilty, that life is not worth living
 Thoughts or impulses of harming yourself or others
(we’ll discuss this more later on)
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MANIA
 Mania is the “up” side of bipolar disorder
 It is rare – much less common than anxiety and
depression
 Often feel “great” or very revved up
 Person may not be aware of a problem
 Often show very poor judgment
 Impulsive (sexual, spending money) or risk taking
behaviors are common
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BOTTOM LINE
If problematic feelings like
anxiety, depression, or
mania are intense or last a
long time, you should reach
out for help
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PSYCHOSIS
 A problem in thinking
 Occurs in the context of major psychiatric illnesses
 A serious disconnection with reality manifested by either
hallucinations or delusions
• Hallucinations - sensory experiences when there is no real
sensory experience (e.g., hearing voices when no one is
speaking)
• Delusions - strongly held beliefs out of the realm of reason
(e.g., “The FBI is reading my thoughts”)
 Often (but not always), people with psychosis will have:
• Disorganized speech and behavior
• Poor Self-Care
It is fairly rare - but in almost all cases requires professional
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treatment
BOTTOM LINE
When anyone has thinking that is:
Severely Disturbed
Disconnected from Reality
It is important to get professional
help as soon as possible (more on
this later)
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PROBLEMS IN BEHAVIOR
Obsessive/Impulsive Behaviors
Substance Abuse
Self Harm
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COMPULSIVE/IMPULSIVE
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
 Often feel like you have an urge to do something
you don’t really want to be doing
 Excessive hand washing
 Triple+ checking (e.g., door locks,
electrical outlets)
 Taking things that don’t belong to you
 Problems controlling eating (too much or too
little) or self harm like burning or cutting can be
serious problems
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SUBSTANCE ABUSE
 30% of college students report that
substances are interfering with their
school functioning
 Alcohol and marijuana are the most
frequent substances abused, but
stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall) have
become more common
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PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
 Medications like Adderall, Ritalin and similar drugs used to
treat ADHD are safe and effective when used to treat
ADD/ADHD as prescribed
 When misused, they might cause acute anxiety or panic,
psychosis, and heart problems for some users
 If they are misused regularly, users can suffer severe
depression or physical withdrawal upon stopping them
 Narcotic drugs like Vicodin, Oxycontin or Percocet can
be severely addicting and dangerous
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Play Video 4
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ALCOHOL MISUSE
 Alcohol misuse can occur in episodes, such as
binges, or in regular chronic use
 People sometimes use alcohol to cover up anxiety or
depression but alcohol can worsen both of these
issues
 Episodes of heavy alcohol misuse can lead to coma
and death, along with increased rates of accidents,
fights, and sexual assaults on campus
 Regular misuse is associated with poorer school
performance and increased rates of drop-outs
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INTOXICATION
 Results from use of:
• Alcohol
• Hallucinogens
(LSD, Mushrooms)
• Stimulants
(Cocaine, Ecstasy)
•
•
•
•
Thinking
Perception
Judgment
Behavior
 These problems can resolve when the substance has left the
 Can disturb:
system (but might not for some individuals)
 Can be dangerous if the intoxicated person is:
• Severely agitated
• Behaving in threatening ways to self or others
• Has a change in consciousness – appears to be passing out
It is important to get help if any of these occur
SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM
Suicide - while rare in college students - most
often occurs among people who are depressed
Factors that increase risk and danger include:
 Past history of suicide attempts
 Impulsivity
 Feeling trapped or hopeless
 Withdrawal
 Intense guilt
 Access to means for self harm
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SUICIDE CONCERNS
Many young people have thoughts of suicide and
it almost always suggests the presence of a
serious problem
If you are having thoughts or impulses
to harm yourself (or others) it is
extremely important to get help as soon
as possible
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GETTING HELP:
KNOW YOUR OPTIONS!
 It is important to know where you can get help or support on
campus
 Find location of:
 Counseling Services
 Health Services
 Chaplain
 Dean of Students
 Student Affairs Office
 Does your school have emergency services on campus? Find
out and know how to contact - it is often through the campus
security office. Add them to your phone contacts!
 In a crisis you can always call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
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HELPING A FRIEND
How do you know when your friend is
in trouble?
Listening Skills
How to Help
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Play Video 5
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HOW DO YOU KNOW?
Look for CHANGE
Changes in:






Self-care
Dress
Eating
Sleeping
Social interactions
Patterns of substance use
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TOO MUCH OR TOO LONG
Remember what we said about emotional
problems:
If they seem too intense or are lasting too
long…
This could indicate a problem
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LISTENING SKILLS
 Just talking to a person and listening is helpful
 Listen with an “open mind” – don’t try to fill in the
gaps with your own thoughts or words
 If something doesn’t make sense, ask about it
 Try to be patient and non-judgmental
 Don’t try to solve the problem (if it is difficult or
complicated)
 Don’t be afraid to ask about suicidal thoughts
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HOW TO HELP A FRIEND
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7/20/2015
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
 Let your friend know that we all go through tough
times
 Make sure to convey that it is possible to feel
better! Counseling CAN help
 Let them know that it is OK to ask for help when it is
needed
 Trust your instincts - if you are worried about your
friend, speak to someone about it
 If your friend is thinking of suicide - let campus
counseling or security know right away
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KNOW CAMPUS RESOURCES
 If you need to get help for your friend, call the
counseling center
 In an emergency, don’t leave him or her alone! Call
campus security or 911
 Again, if your friend is talking about wanting to die,
harming himself or someone else, call campus
security or 911 right away
 If you are unsure what to do and it may be a crisis,
consult campus security, counseling, or the National
Crisis Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
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FINAL THOUGHTS
1. These Things Happen!
2. Look for Change
3. Ask for Help
Know that you are not alone
and help is available
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MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES
For more information on mental health conditions and
substance abuse please consult the following
websites:
 ULifeline
http://www.ulifeline.org/
 Half of Us
http://www.halfofus.com
 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness
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MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES
 National Institute on Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
 The Trevor Project
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
 Community Conversations About Mental Health:
Information Brief
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/
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MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES
 The Partnership for DrugFree.org
http://www.drugfree.org/
 National Institute of Drug Abuse
http://www.drugabuse.gov/
 College Drinking—Changing the Culture
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/
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