Getting Help For Yourself Or Your Friend EMOTIONAL HEALTH 101 Play Video 1 2 FIRST RULES You don’t need to know exactly what is wrong just that there is a problem It is courageous and sensible to ask for help when it is needed Trust your gut - if you think there is a problem, discuss it with someone Trust your friends - if they are telling you they are worried about you, listen to them 3 WE ARE ALL HUMAN People have problems all the time Many times we can work our troubles out with help from friends, family or by ourselves Dealing with problems and personal challenges provides us with opportunities to grow, mature, and learn about ourselves and the world They are an inevitable part of life 4 BUT YOU SHOULD GET HELP IF… Problems: Are severe or intense Last a long time Keep getting worse Seem to be repeating themselves The usual ways of dealing with things are not working You are having thoughts or impulses of harming yourself or someone else 5 THE BIG CATEGORIES Problems in: Feeling Thinking Behavior These categories are not exactly exclusive. This is a way of organizing information to help you understand and remember 6 PROBLEMS IN FEELING Anxiety (“I feel really nervous, tense, panicky”) Depression (“I feel really sad, down, blue, always tired”) Mania (“I feel too good, can’t stop”) 7 ANXIETY Play Video 2 8 ANXIETY Feeling tense, nervous, frightened (especially if there is nothing specific to be afraid of) Also often called “stress” Constant or frequent worrying or brooding Might cause problems in sleep, concentration or sitting still Might present as panic (intense, discrete periods of anxiety) 9 DEPRESSION Play Video 3 3/19/2016 10 DEPRESSION Feelings of sadness, feeling “blue” or “down” all or most of the time or for an extended period Sleeping and eating troubles (too much or too little) Feeling slowed down or sped up/tense; trouble concentrating Lack of interest in usually enjoyable activities (hobbies, TV or video games, sex, seeing friends) Social withdrawal 11 DEPRESSION Might have physical complaints (aches, pains) or worries about health Poor self care (not bathing, changing clothes, etc.) Irritable (men often get irritable or angry when they are depressed) Feeling worthless, guilty, that life is not worth living Thoughts or impulses of harming yourself or others (we’ll discuss this more later on) 12 MANIA Mania is the “up” side of bipolar disorder It is rare – much less common than anxiety and depression Often feel “great” or very revved up Person may not be aware of a problem Often show very poor judgment Impulsive (sexual, spending money) or risk taking behaviors are common 13 BOTTOM LINE If problematic feelings like anxiety, depression, or mania are intense or last a long time, you should reach out for help 14 PSYCHOSIS A problem in thinking Occurs in the context of major psychiatric illnesses A serious disconnection with reality manifested by either hallucinations or delusions • Hallucinations - sensory experiences when there is no real sensory experience (e.g., hearing voices when no one is speaking) • Delusions - strongly held beliefs out of the realm of reason (e.g., “The FBI is reading my thoughts”) Often (but not always), people with psychosis will have: • Disorganized speech and behavior • Poor Self-Care It is fairly rare - but in almost all cases requires professional 15 treatment BOTTOM LINE When anyone has thinking that is: Severely Disturbed Disconnected from Reality It is important to get professional help as soon as possible (more on this later) 16 PROBLEMS IN BEHAVIOR Obsessive/Impulsive Behaviors Substance Abuse Self Harm 17 COMPULSIVE/IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS Often feel like you have an urge to do something you don’t really want to be doing Excessive hand washing Triple+ checking (e.g., door locks, electrical outlets) Taking things that don’t belong to you Problems controlling eating (too much or too little) or self harm like burning or cutting can be serious problems 18 SUBSTANCE ABUSE 30% of college students report that substances are interfering with their school functioning Alcohol and marijuana are the most frequent substances abused, but stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall) have become more common 19 PRESCRIPTION DRUGS Medications like Adderall, Ritalin and similar drugs used to treat ADHD are safe and effective when used to treat ADD/ADHD as prescribed When misused, they might cause acute anxiety or panic, psychosis, and heart problems for some users If they are misused regularly, users can suffer severe depression or physical withdrawal upon stopping them Narcotic drugs like Vicodin, Oxycontin or Percocet can be severely addicting and dangerous 20 HOW YOU CAN HELP Play Video 4 21 ALCOHOL MISUSE Alcohol misuse can occur in episodes, such as binges, or in regular chronic use People sometimes use alcohol to cover up anxiety or depression but alcohol can worsen both of these issues Episodes of heavy alcohol misuse can lead to coma and death, along with increased rates of accidents, fights, and sexual assaults on campus Regular misuse is associated with poorer school performance and increased rates of drop-outs 22 INTOXICATION Results from use of: • Alcohol • Hallucinogens (LSD, Mushrooms) • Stimulants (Cocaine, Ecstasy) • • • • Thinking Perception Judgment Behavior These problems can resolve when the substance has left the Can disturb: system (but might not for some individuals) Can be dangerous if the intoxicated person is: • Severely agitated • Behaving in threatening ways to self or others • Has a change in consciousness – appears to be passing out It is important to get help if any of these occur SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM Suicide - while rare in college students - most often occurs among people who are depressed Factors that increase risk and danger include: Past history of suicide attempts Impulsivity Feeling trapped or hopeless Withdrawal Intense guilt Access to means for self harm 24 SUICIDE CONCERNS Many young people have thoughts of suicide and it almost always suggests the presence of a serious problem If you are having thoughts or impulses to harm yourself (or others) it is extremely important to get help as soon as possible 25 GETTING HELP: KNOW YOUR OPTIONS! It is important to know where you can get help or support on campus Find location of: Counseling Services Health Services Chaplain Dean of Students Student Affairs Office Does your school have emergency services on campus? Find out and know how to contact - it is often through the campus security office. Add them to your phone contacts! In a crisis you can always call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 26 HELPING A FRIEND How do you know when your friend is in trouble? Listening Skills How to Help 27 HOW YOU CAN HELP Play Video 5 28 HOW DO YOU KNOW? Look for CHANGE Changes in: Self-care Dress Eating Sleeping Social interactions Patterns of substance use 29 TOO MUCH OR TOO LONG Remember what we said about emotional problems: If they seem too intense or are lasting too long… This could indicate a problem 30 LISTENING SKILLS Just talking to a person and listening is helpful Listen with an “open mind” – don’t try to fill in the gaps with your own thoughts or words If something doesn’t make sense, ask about it Try to be patient and non-judgmental Don’t try to solve the problem (if it is difficult or complicated) Don’t be afraid to ask about suicidal thoughts 31 HOW TO HELP A FRIEND Play Video 6 3/19/2016 32 HOW YOU CAN HELP Let your friend know that we all go through tough times Make sure to convey that it is possible to feel better! Counseling CAN help Let them know that it is OK to ask for help when it is needed Trust your instincts - if you are worried about your friend, speak to someone about it If your friend is thinking of suicide - let campus counseling or security know right away 33 KNOW CAMPUS RESOURCES If you need to get help for your friend, call the counseling center In an emergency, don’t leave him or her alone! Call campus security or 911 Again, if your friend is talking about wanting to die, harming himself or someone else, call campus security or 911 right away If you are unsure what to do and it may be a crisis, consult campus security, counseling, or the National Crisis Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 34 FINAL THOUGHTS 1. These Things Happen! 2. Look for Change 3. Ask for Help Know that you are not alone and help is available 35 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES For more information on mental health conditions and substance abuse please consult the following websites: ULifeline http://www.ulifeline.org/ Half of Us http://www.halfofus.com National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness 36 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES National Institute on Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml The Trevor Project http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ Community Conversations About Mental Health: Information Brief http://store.samhsa.gov/product/ 37 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES The Partnership for DrugFree.org http://www.drugfree.org/ National Institute of Drug Abuse http://www.drugabuse.gov/ College Drinking—Changing the Culture http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/ 38