Understanding Stress, Anxiety and Mental Health

• Perception is the act of becoming aware through the senses.
• Fatigue occurs when prolonged exposure to stress causes tiredness and an inability to effectively manage stressors.
• Resistance is the stage where the body adapts and reacts to a stressor for a brief period.
• The alarm stage prepares you to defend yourself or flee from a threat; the "fight or flight" response.
• Psychosomatic responses are physical reactions that result from stress, rather than an injury or illness.
• Chronic stress is associated with long-term problems beyond a person's control.
• Relaxation response is a state of calm.
• Anxiety is a condition of feeling uneasy or worried about what may happen.
• Depression is a prolonged feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness.
• Apathy is a lack of strong feelings, interest, or concern.
• Mental disorders are illnesses of the mind that can affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, hindering a happy, healthful, and productive life.
• Stigma is a mark of shame or disapproval resulting in individuals being shunned or rejected.
• Anxiety disorders are conditions in which real or imagined fears are difficult to control.
• Mood disorders are illnesses that involve mood extremes that interfere with everyday living.
• Conduct disorders are patterns of behavior where the rights of others or basic social rules are violated.
• Alienation is the feeling of being isolated and separated from everyone else.
• Cluster suicide is a series of suicides occurring within a short period and involving several people in the same school or community.
• Constructive criticism involves non-hostile comments to point out problems and encourage improvement.
• Integrity is a firm observance of core ethical values.
• Personality is a complex set of characteristics that makes you unique.
• Hormones are chemicals produced by your glands that regulate the activities of different body cells.
• Hostility is the intentional use of unfriendly or offensive behavior.
• Defense mechanisms are mental processes that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations.
• The five different causes of stressors are life situations, environmental factors, biological factors, cognitive factors, and personal behavior.
• Mental, emotional, and social effects of stress can include difficulty focusing, irritability, and mood swings.

Understanding Depression

• Major depression is intense and can last for weeks or months.
• Mild depression has less severe symptoms but can last for years.
• Adjustment disorder is a reaction to a specific life event.
• Stressors activate the nervous system and specific hormones.
• The hypothalamus is also activated by stressors.
• The pituitary glands are stimulated, and a hormone is released.
• Adrenal glands are stimulated.
• Danger signals are received from other parts of the brain.
• One way to overcome test anxiety is to use positive affirmation throughout the test.
• Answer all the questions you know, then go back to the questions you don't know.
• Briefly review the test a week in advance.
• Anxiety and depression are treatable mental health problems.
• A health professional's treatment plan includes medication, changes to the home or school environment, and counseling.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 to 19.
• A neurologist is the mental health professional who treats physical disorders of the brain.
• The factors most strongly associated with suicide are suffering from a mental disorder and having a history of abusing alcohol or other drugs.

Anxiety Disorders

• A phobia is a strong, irrational fear of something specific, such as heights or social situations.
• OCD can cause one to be apathetic, sad, irritable, or angry.
• Panic disorder involves attacks of sudden, unexplained feelings of terror, often with trembling, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, or dizziness.
• PTSD is a condition that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event, with symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, guilt, sleeplessness, and problems concentrating.
• GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) is exaggerated worry and tension for no definable reason; people with GAD startle easily and have difficulty concentrating, relaxing, and sleeping.

Impulse Control Disorders

• Kleptomania: unplanned theft of objects.
• Cutting: Repetitive cutting on parts of the body that can be hidden.
• Pyromania: Setting fires to feel pleasure or release tension
• Excessive Gambling: Continuing to gamble despite heavy losses.
• Compulsive: Spending money on items that are not needed and are unaffordable

Treatments

• Psychotherapy is an ongoing dialogue between a patient and a mental health professional.
• Behavior therapy is a treatment process that focuses on changing unwanted behaviors through rewards and reinforcements.
• Cognitive therapy is a treatment method designed to identify and correct distorted thinking patterns that can lead to troublesome, self-defeating, or self-destructive feelings and behaviors.
• Family therapy focuses on helping the family function in more positive and constructive ways by exploring patterns in communication and providing support and education.
• Group therapy involves treating a group of people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a trained counselor.
• Drug therapy is the use of certain medications to treat or reduce the symptoms of a mental disorder.

5 Stages of Grief

• Denial/Numbness: It may be difficult to believe the loss has occurred at first.
• Anger: The person may feel powerless and unfairly deprived.
• Bargaining: The true reality of the loss sets in; one may try to make promises to change in the hope of bringing back what has been lost.
• Depression: One becomes preoccupied with thoughts of how the loss could have been prevented.
• Acceptance: The person faces the reality of the loss and experiences closure.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Level 1 includes basic survival needs such as food, water, sleep, and shelter.
• Level 2 includes physical safety, security, stability, and protection from harm.
• Level 3 involves emotional connections, relationships, friendships, and a sense of belonging in a community.
• Level 4 includes the need for self-esteem, respect from others, recognition, and achievement.
• Level 5 is the desire to reach one's full potential, personal growth, creativity, and self-fulfillment.

Defense Mechanisms

• Repression: Unconsciously blocking out unpleasant thoughts or memories.
• Regression: Reverting to earlier, childlike behaviors in response to stress.
• Denial: Refusing to accept reality or facts.
• Suppression: Consciously pushing away unpleasant thoughts or feelings.
• Rationalization: Creating logical excuses for undesirable behavior or situations.
• Compensation: Overachieving in one area to make up for feelings of inadequacy in another.
• Projection: Attributing one's own undesirable feelings or thoughts to others.