Understanding
Mental Health
& Mental Illness
What is
Mental Health??
Mental health refers to the maintenance of
successful mental activity.
What is
Mental Health??
Mental health refers to the maintenance of
successful mental activity.
This includes maintaining productive daily activities
and maintaining fulfilling relationships with others.
It also includes maintaining the abilities to
adapt to change and to cope with stresses.
It is definitely NOT easy
being a teenager!
Sometimes it’s tough to avoid
feeling stressed, and pressure
can build up in many areas of
life (socially, in school, at
home, and while making big
life decisions)
Worrying about these
pressures is NORMAL.
But feeling VERY sad,
hopeless or worthless
might be a sign of a
mental health problem.
Mental illness can occur when the brain
(or part of the brain) is not working well
or is working in the wrong way.
When the brain is not working properly,
one or more of its 6 functions will be disrupted
Behavior
Thinking
Perception
Physical
Emotion
Signaling
Symptoms can include
Thinking difficulties
or problems
focusing attention
Extreme emotional
highs and lows
Sleep problems
When these symptoms
significantly disrupt a person’s life,
we say that the person has a
mental disorder
or a mental illness.
So, what are the
CAUSES
of mental illness??
Well, the causes of mental illness are
COMPLICATED!!
+
Genetics
→
Environment Brain Disorder
What do we know about the
causes of mental illness?

The symptoms of mental
illness are a result of
abnormal brain functioning.
Mental illness is a brain
disorder.
Mental illness is rarely if
ever caused by stress alone
What do we know about the

causes of mental illness?
It is not the consequence of poor
parenting or bad behavior.
It is not the result of personal
weakness or deficits in personality.
It is not the manifestation of
malevolent spiritual intent.
Only in exceptional cases is it caused
by nutritional factors.
It is not caused by poverty.
Many mental illnesses begin
during childhood and
persist into adolescence.
Some of these include:
•
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD)
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD
BUT… some illnesses begin
during adolescence.
The illnesses that most often
begin during adolescence
include:
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Major Depression (MD)
Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Panic disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Eating Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Addictions
What do we know about people
with mental illnesses?
•
Most people with mental disorders live
productive and positive lives while receiving
treatments for their mental illness.
•
Some people have severe and persistent
mental disorders which respond poorly to
current treatments (as in all other illnesses)
•
Mental illness does not respect any
boundaries of race, class or geography.
•
The majority of people have a friend,
acquaintance or family member who has or
has had a mental disorder.
Mental health problems can be treated!
If you feel VERY sad, stressed or worried, it might help to
talk to someone about how you are feeling.
Do you ever…
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Often feel very angry or very worried?
Do reckless things that could harm you or others?
Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?
Think your mind is controlled or out of control?
Use alcohol or drugs?
Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?
Hurt other people or destroy property?
Do you ever…
●
●
●
●
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Often feel very angry or very worried?
Do reckless things that could harm you or others?
Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?
Think your mind is controlled or out of control?
Use alcohol or drugs?
Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?
Hurt other people or destroy property?
If you feel any of these
things, it might help to talk
to a parent, teacher, school
counselor or physician.
Sun Life Financial Chair
In Adolescent Mental Health
For more information visit
WWW.TEENMENTALHEALTH.ORG
Image Credits
Slide 1: Paulo Correa aka Nookiez - http://www.sxc.hu/profile/nookiez
Slide 14: mohsen rasoulov - www.moosville.com/photoblog
Slide 15: Paulo Correa aka Nookiez - http://www.sxc.hu/profile/nookiez