Interwork Limited
presents
Practical Training
for Carers
Mental Health Awareness
Group Rules
Respect opinions
Let people have their say
Respect confidentiality, anything personal discussed
must stay within the group.
Mental Health Awareness
AIM
To give a basic understanding of Mental Health and Mental Illness.
Activity 1
Celebrities
Leaders
Scientists
Authors
Artists
Jim
Carrey
Winston
Churchill
John
Nash
Graeme
Green
Vincent
Van Gogh
Leaders, scientists, authors and
artists
Frank
Bruno
Alexander
The Great
Stephen
Hawking
Samuel
Becket
Jackson
Pollack
Sting
Napoleon
Bonaparte
Isaac
Newton
Ernest
Hemingway
Edward
Lear
Ellen
DeGeneres
Oliver
Cromwell
Sir Charles
Darwin
Victor
Hugo
Buzz
Aldrin
Richard
Nixon
Carl
Paul Link
Henry
James
INTRODUCTION
TO
MENTAL HEALTH
Activity 2
MYTH OR
FACT
Complete
the
Fact or Myth
Quiz
What is Mental Health?
What keeps us Mentally Healthy?
Who is Affected by Mental Health?
Mental health affects us all
and it is important that we
recognise our own
vulnerabilities.
Definition
Mental illness
 Diagnosable
 Identifiable group of symptoms/behaviours
 Significant interference
Activity 3
Statistically
how many people will have a
mental health problem
in the course of a year?

One in five Australians will suffer a mental health condition in any
given year

14.4% of Australians will suffer from an anxiety disorder in any
given year

6.2% of Australians will suffer from a mood or affective disorder in
any given year

Annual cost of mental illness in Australia was estimated to be $20
billion in 2007
(ABS Australian Social Trends, 2008 – Mental Health)
What causes Mental Illness?
Research
Combination of factors
 Genetics
 Brain chemistry
 Environmental factors
Physical and mental health linked
Substance abuse
Causes of Mental Illness
Biological Factors:
Chemical imbalance
in brain, Genetics,
Brain injury, Chronic
illness, Medication
Events in Childhood:
Violence and abuse
Emotional neglect
Death of parent
Mental
Illness
Social factors:
Family conflict
Poverty
Unemployment
Poor housing
Having a baby
Infertility
Psychological Factors:
Poor Self-esteem
Negative thinking
ATTITUDES
TOWARD
MENTAL ILLNESS
Activity 4
Stigma
and
Mental Illness
Attitudes
It is easy to understand why many people with a history of mental
health problems keep quiet about it.
Workplace and stigma
Attitudes Continued……
In a Survey by The Mental Health Foundation in 2000
 42% of people with mental health problems didn’t tell members of
their family

22% didn’t tell their partners
 74% didn’t mention it on forms
 19% didn’t even tell their General Practitioner (GP)
SELF AND PERCEIVED STIGMA
Involves negative attitudes about yourself and what others
think about you
Barriers to seeking help
Food for Thought!
If we don’t change the way we think, someday one of us may
be on the receiving end of this stigma.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
OF
COMMON MENTAL ILLNESS
Mental illnesses
 Anxiety Disorders
 Depression
 Bipolar
 Schizophrenia.
Anxiety
Anxiety - Facts
25% of the population experience anxiety disorders and will
require treatment
25% more will experience less severe anxieties
2007 – Anxiety Disorders most common mental health issue for
those aged between 16 to 85 (ABS, 2009-2010 Year Book)
Is Stress
the same
as Anxiety?
Stress

Stress is necessary part of life

May manifest in physical, mental and/or emotional responses

Perception is usually negative
Stress and Anxiety Correlation

Inability to fight or flee from perceived danger

Inability to return to previous non-aroused physiological state

Stored stress hormones

Reduced ability to think clearly and concentrate

Excessive stress levels lead to Anxiety
Common Anxiety Disorders
Disorder
Males
Females
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
2%
4%
Panic Disorder
2%
3%
Agoraphobia
2%
4%
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)
2%
2%
Social Phobia
4%
6%
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
5%
8%
Source: ABS, 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Approximately 5% Australians will experience Generalised Anxiety
Disorder (GAD)
Most common
Disproportionate excessive and uncontrollable worry
Brains do not switch off
DEPRESSION
Depressed Mood or Depression?
 4.1% of Australians will experience major depressive disorder in any
given year
 Age of onset generally 25 years
 Around 160,000 Australian youth live with depression
 Most common mental illness for young people
 Not a sad or low mood
 Comorbid with anxiety and/or substance abuse disorders
Causes

Family history

Stress

Stressful event/s

Inability to cope

Giving birth

Lack of support

Abuse or bullying

Debt

Low confidence at school/work

Putting yourself down

Family

Loneliness

Poor self esteem

Not getting on with friends or
family
Words to Avoid!
 “Snap out of it”.





“She is putting it on”.
“Pull yourself together”.
“Cheer up”.
“You’re bringing everyone down”.
“Don’t be so soft”.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar Disorder

Once called Manic Depression

2% Australians will experience Bipolar Disorder

Typified by extreme mood swings

At least one episode of mania

Episodes of depression which may become Major

Major episodes leave person feeling great despair, in some cases suicidal

Periods of ‘normal’ mood between episodes

Two polarities/poles

Bipolar I or II
Mania

Elevated mood

Inhibitions

Energy

Racing thoughts

Many ideas

Little need for sleep

Rapid speech

Difficulty focussing

Frustration and irritability
Bipolar I and II
Bipolar I

One or more manic episodes; often one or more major depressive episodes

May last several weeks to several months

Alternates with intense manic symptoms

‘Normal’ health in-between

Season affects
Bipolar II

Same symptomology as Bipolar I

Manic Episodes not as extreme
Causes
Multiple factors
 Hereditary
 Environmental
 Job changes
 Living arrangement
 Family/relationship problems
 Abuse
 Trauma
 Grief
 Major life transitions
 Physical
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Activity 5
What does the term
Schizophrenia
mean to you?
Schizophrenia
Firstly and most importantly Schizophrenia is not
a split personality.
This idea the behavior and personality of people with
Schizophrenia swing dramatically between normal and
dangerously disturbed, is not true.
An experience
Schizophrenia
It is a complex mental disorder thought to be caused by an imbalance of
chemicals in the brain.
May result in distorted thinking and behaviour
 Hallucinations
 Delusions
 Social withdrawal.
Schizophrenia
How many people are affected?
 One in a 100 people develops schizophrenia at some time in their
life.
 However with support and treatment many people recover and
lead normal everyday lives.
POSITIVE
MENTAL HEALTH
AND
SUPPORT
10 TIPS TO POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH
1. Connect with others
2. Take time to enjoy
3. Participate and share interests
4. Contribute to your community
5. Take care of yourself………
10 TIPS TO POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH
continued…
6. Challenge yourself
7. Deal with stress
8. Rest and refresh
9. Notice the here and now
10. Ask for help.
WHERE TO GET HELP?
General Practitioner (GP) - Family Doctor
Mental Health Services
Mental Health Professionals
Telephone Help Lines
Websites
Activity 6
Group work- case studies
Activity 7
What am I going to do now
to improve my mental health
and the mental health of others?
Final Thought!
For centuries people with mental health illness were kept away from
the rest of society, sometimes locked up, often in poor conditions, with
little or no say in running their lives.
Today, negative attitudes lock them out of society more subtly but just
as effectively.
RECAP
Evaluate the information you have received in
Mental Health Awareness.