Mental Health Information Package
Information you need:
1.
How would you describe the disorder? Does it have other names or acronyms? Is it part of a larger spectrum of disorders?)
2.
Do psychiatrists or neuroscientists know what causes it? (genetic, environmental?)
3.
What parts of the brain are affected and how? Is it related to brain structure or neurotransmitters? (Show a diagram)
4.
When is the onset of this disorder (at birth, later in life?)
5.
How would I know I had it? (Symptoms) Is it recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) used by psychiatrists?
6.
Is there a test for it?
7.
Is this disorder limited to a certain type of person? (Young people, teens, older people, all ages?)
8.
How prevalent is the disorder (how often does it occur in the population)? (one in 100 000? 1 in a million) (need statistics,
Cdn)
9.
Is there a famous person who has or had the disorder? How did it affect their life?
10. What is life like for someone who has it? (case studies are helpful) (how is life affected for the individual, family) (include
work life, education, social life, family life implications)
11. Is there anything that can be done to help or cure it? (treatments? How successful are they?)
12. What professionals do individuals suffering from the disorder tend to see? (psychiatrists, medical doctors, psychologists,
family counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, self-help groups, nurses, on line help groups, chat rooms, telephone
help lines, religious leaders, support group websites
13. Where can I seek support or help? (national and local organizations)
14. Is there a famous person who supports the group either because they have or had the disease or have a family member
with the disorder or support it financially? How do they help? (Website, fund-raisers)
15. Is there a video addressing some aspect of the disorder?
16. Is there a stigma to having the disorder? If so, what can be done to lessen the stigma with the public, other students,
police, etc.?
17. If someone in the family suffers from the disorder, what laws cover the rights of the sufferer? Who can speak for the
sufferer? Can they be committed or checked into a hospital for treatment by another person?
18. If you knew someone with the disorder, how could you support them?
19. Are there helpful sources of information on this topic online? (List of good websites)
Possible disorders:
Panic disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Agoraphobia
Borderline Personality Disorder
Social phobia
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Schizophrenia
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Painkiller addiction
Generalized Anxiety disorder
Drug addiction
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder
Asperger’s disorder
Psychotic disorders
Autistic disorder
Acute stress disorder
Tourette’s disorder
Self-mutilation
Anorexia Nervosa
Hypochondria
Bulemia
Alzheimer’s
Depression
Binge eating
Bipolar disorder
Trichotillomania
Cyclothymic disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Delirium
Post-natal depression
Dementia
Body dysmorphic disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Resources:
Virtual Library
Find general databases here too with magazine articles having case studies:
Questia (FC email, Ancaster)
Directories:
http://directory.psychlinks.ca/
http://www.mentalhelp.net/
Websites:
Links to Resources in Canada
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/Resources.asp?lang=e
Canadian Mental Health Association
http://www.cmha.ca/mental-health/understanding-mental-illness/
Internet Mental Health
http://www.mentalhealth.com/
CAMH
http://www.camh.ca/en/education/Patients-FamiliesPublic/public/mental_health_and_addiction_101_series/Pages/mental_health_and_addiction_101_series.aspx
Collaborative Mental Health Care
http://www.shared-care.ca/toolkits
Coastal Mental Health
http://www.coastmentalhealth.com/links.html
Mental Health Canada
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/ConditionsandDisorders.asp?lang=e
Resources
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/Resources.asp?lang=e
AllPsych On-line
http://allpsych.com/disorders/dsm.html
Fact sheets at your fingertips
http://www.fact-sheets.com/health/mental-health/
Fact sheets (use the drop down menu to find disorder)
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/fact-sheets.shtml
PsychArticles
http://search.proquest.com/psycarticles
http://search.proquest.com/psycarticles/advanced\
shslibrary; trojans
Other On-line Sources:
Med-line Encyclopedia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
http://medlineplus.gov/
Merck Manual – On-line
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/
Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.html
Invisible Web Directories
Infomine
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
Sweetsearch –search engine for students
http://www.sweetsearch.com/
Librarians’ Internet Index
http://www.lii.org/
SCIRUS a free-science encyclopedia/article site.
http://www.scirus.com/
Mental health dictionary
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/resources/dictionary.aspx
Some other websites:
Centre for addiction and mental health
CAMH
http://www.camh.net/
“Check up from the neck up.ca”
http://www.checkupfromtheneckup.ca/
Mental Health Canada
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/ConditionsandDisorders.asp?lang=e
Depression:
Learn about depression: an intro site:
http://www.learn-about-depression.com/index.php3
Self-mutilation behaviour
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012875
Bipolar Disorder
Gateway to bipolar disorders:
http://www.pendulum.org/
Schizophrenia
Intro website:
http://www.schizophrenia.com/
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive organization :
http://www.ocfoundation.org/
Phobias/Panic disorder
http://www.phobialist.com/
A list of phobias :
http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/phobias.html
National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Intro site:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe01.html
Another site with more links:
http://open-site.org/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/Psychiatric_Disorders/
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Internet Mental Health site:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe04.html
Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s home site:
http://www.alz.org/
Alzheimer’s Disease Education and referral site:
http://www.alzheimers.org/
General Medical Sites you can search for your topic:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000921.htm
American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/
MENTAL HEALTH WEBSITES
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Internet Mental Health
Continuing Medical Education Mental Health
Depression and Primary Care
American Psychological Association
National Institute of Mental Health
Change to National Alliance on Mental Illness
Schizophrenia.com
McMaster - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences
Canadian Mental Health Association - Ontario Chapter
Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada
NHS Direct/Mental Health/Mental Distress
American Psychiatric Association
National Empowerment Center
Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Mental Wellness
Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative
Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments
Example of Research for this topic:
Where I would go for information:
1. How would you describe the disorder? Does it have other names or acronyms? Is it part of a larger spectrum of disorders?)
Find a book on it or an encyclopedia entry on it to start
2. Do psychiatrists or neuroscientists know what causes it? (genetic, environmental?)
Search disorder with extra keyword: causes
3. What parts of the brain are affected and how? Is it related to brain structure or neurotransmitters? (Show a diagram)
Find a book on it or an encyclopedia entry on it to start
4. How would I know I had it? (Symptoms) Is it recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) used by
psychiatrists? When is the onset of this disorder (at birth, later in life?)
Find a book on it or an encyclopedia entry. Get as much factual information as possible from this source to answer any of the questions below.
5. Is there a test for it?
Search disorder with extra keyword: tests or diagnosis
6. Is this disorder limited to a certain type of person? (Young people, teens, older people, all ages?)
Search disorder with extra keyword: incidence; affliction
7. How prevalent is the disorder? (one in 100 000? 1 in a million) (need statistics, Cdn)
Search disorder with extra keyword: prevalence
8. What is life like for someone who has it? (case studies are helpful) (how is life affected for the individual, family) (include work life, education,
social life, family life implications)
Search disorder with extra keyword: “case studies”
9. Is there a famous person who has or had the disorder? How did it affect their life?
Look for “celebrities” “and the name of your disorder”
10. Is there anything that can be done to help or cure it? (treatments? How successful are they?)
Search disorder with extra keyword: treatments; cures; medications;
11. Where can I seek support or help? (national and local organizations)
Search disorder with extra keyword: support organizations
12. What professionals do individuals suffering from the disorder tend to see? (psychiatrists, medical doctors, psychologists, family counsellors,
psychotherapists, social workers, self-help groups, nurses, on line help groups, chat rooms, telephone help lines, religious leaders, support
group websites
Search disorder with extra keyword: support or treatment or “mental health professionals”
13. Is there a famous person who supports the group either because they have or had the disease or have a family member with the disorder or
support it financially? How do they help? (Website, fund-raisers)
14. Is there a video addressing the disorder?
Search YouTube or TeacherTube or look on mental health association websites for video
15. Are there helpful sources of information on this topic online? (List of good websites)
List quality websites here that provided you with valid, quality information
16. Is there a stigma to having the disorder? If so, what can be done to lessen the stigma with the public, other students, police, etc.?
17. If someone in the family suffers from the disorder, what laws cover the rights of the sufferer? Who can speak for the sufferer? Can they be
committed or checked into a hospital for treatment by another person?
18. If you knew someone with the disorder, how could you support them?