Impact of Mental Illness
and Special Needs on
Students Mental Health.
Agenda
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What is Mental Health?
Who are we talking about?
The Numbers.
Mental Illness and Special Needs
The Impact.
How do we Help?
What is Mental Health
• Mental health is how people think, feel,
and act as they face life's situations. It
affects how people handle stress,
relate to one another, and make
decisions. Mental health influences the
ways individuals look at themselves,
their lives, and others in their lives.
Like physical health, mental health is
important at every stage of life.
• All aspects of our lives are affected by
our mental health.
• Department of Health and Human
Services National Mental Health
Information Center
(www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)
Mental Health
• Mental Health is the capacity of
each and all of us to feel, think
and act in ways that enhance our
ability to enjoy life and deal with
the challenges we face. It is a
positive sense of emotional and
spiritual well being that respects
the importance of culture, equity,
social justice, interconnections
and personal dignity. (MHPU,
Kids
• Spanning roughly 20 years,
childhood and adolescence are
marked by dramatic changes in
physical, cognitive, and socialemotional skills and capacities.
(Surgeon General, 1999)
Kids
• ‘You have to have chaos within
you to give birth to a dancing star’
• Friedrich Nietzsche
Chaos?
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Growth and development
Peer relationships
family roles and relationships
ethical/moral development
developing identity
achievement pressure
sexuality, puberty
Kids Mental Health
• ‘Mental health in childhood and
adolescence is defined by the
achievement of expected
developmental cognitive, social, and
emotional milestones and by secure
attachments, satisfying social
relationships, and effective coping
skills. Mentally healthy children and
adolescents enjoy a positive quality of
life; function well at home, in school,
and in their communities; and are free
of disabling symptoms of
psychopathology’ (Surgeon General,
1999)
The Numbers
• ‘Studies show that at least one in
five children and adolescents
have a mental health disorder. At
least one in 10, or about 6 million
people, have a serious emotional
disturbance.’
(www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)
The Numbers cont’d
• Approximately one in five children and
adolescents experiences the signs and
symptoms of a DSM-IV disorder during
the course of a year, but only about 5
percent of all children experience what
professionals term “extreme functional
impairment.
• Mental Health: A report of the Surgeon
General.
(http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/
mentalhealth/toc.html)
OSDUS 2005
• Grade 7-12 within last 12 months
• 12% reported a visit to a mental
health professional
• 2-4% used prescribed meds for
mental health reasons
• 2% reported using crisis line
• 10% reported low self esteem
(11% female vs. 8% male)
OSDUS cont’d
• 30% reported increased psychological
distress
• Losing sleep over worry 19%
• Feeling constantly under stress 28.7%
• Feeling unhappy 12.5%
• Unable to overcome difficulties 12.7%
• Losing self confidence 11.1%
• Unable to concentrate 10.2%
• Think they’re worthless 9.4%
• Unable to enjoy daily activities 9.6%
OSDUS cont’d
• Unalbe to face problems 8.9%
• Not feeling useful 8.3%
• Incapable of making decesions
5.7%
OSDUS cont’d
• Seriously considered suicide 11%
(female 16% vs. 7% male)
• 113800 Ontario students
• Where to go?
Mental Illness and Special
needs
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NIMH
Mental Help Net
Internet Mental Health
The Learning Disabilities
Association of Canada
Impact
• ‘Like adults, children and adolescents
can have mental health disorders that
interfere with the way they think, feel,
and act. When untreated, mental
health disorders can lead to school
failure, family conflicts, drug abuse,
violence, and even suicide. Untreated
mental health disorders can be very
costly to families, communities, and
the health care system’
(www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)
Impacts
• Externalizing behaviours:
delinquent, violent, fire setting,
bullying, substance misuse,
gambling, etc (OSDUS, 2005)
How do we Help
• Fight Stigma by education and
listening
• Fight Stigma by talking and early
identification
• Fight Stigma by providing
perspective
• More Early Risk Identification
• Know your local rewources
References
• Public Health Agency of Canada
Mental Health Promotion Unit
(http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/mhsm/mentalhealth/mhp/index.html)
• World Health Organization
(http://www.who.int/en)
References
• Department of Health and Human
Services National Mental Health
Information Center
(www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)
• Internet Mental Health
(www.mentalhealth.com)
• Mental Help Net (mentalhelp.net)
• NIMH (nimh.nih.gov)
• The Learning Disabilities Association
of Canada (www.ldac-taac.ca)
References
• Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health. Ontario Student Drug Use
Survey .
http://www.camh.net/research/osd
us.html
• United States Department of
Health and Human Services
National Mental Health
Information Center
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov