Intro to Mental Health Education
I want to preface this blog by saying this is not a tool to self-diagnose or diagnose your friends or family. Rather, we want to provide some easy to digest facts and symptoms to the most common mental health disorders as a way to provide education. In this blog we cover anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder. If you or anyone you know are experiencing any of the things we will talk about below, please reach out. We are here for you.
Let’s start with anxiety.
The most common symptoms of anxiety include:
Feeling nervous, on edge, or keyed up
Not being able to stop worrying or control your worrying
Worrying too much about different things
Inability to relax
Having trouble sitting still
Increased irritability
Feeling that something awful is going to happen
Muscle Tension and/or tension headaches
Difficulty concentrating or having your mind going blank
Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting restful sleep
Growing up I always heard people describing someone with “bad nerves” or dismissing anxiety by saying someone was “just a nervous person”. Anxiety can feel overwhelming and make it impossible to complete daily living activities. But, there is hope. Through therapy and if needed, medication-anxiety can move over to the passenger seat and you regain control of your life.
Depression:
Now let’s talk about depression. Depression is so much more than feeling sad or “having the blues”. Sometimes a depressive episode can occur once but for most people that experience depression the symptoms are reoccurring. The most common symptoms of depression include:
Having little interest or pleasure in doing things (including things that once brought you joy)
Feeling down or hopeless
Trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much
Feeling tired or having little energy
Changes in appetite and/or weight
Feeling bad about yourself
Trouble concentrating
Moving or speaking slowly-like you are moving at half speed
OR being more fidgety/restless than usual
Having thoughts that you would be better off dead or thoughts of hurting yourself
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can occur in any age and happens after a person has experienced a traumatic event and then develops longer term symptoms. These symptoms typically will begin around three months after the exposure to the traumatic event.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
Re-experiencing the event: This includes flashbacks, intrusive thoughts (thinking about the event when you don’t want to), bad dreams
Avoidance: avoiding people, places, or things that might trigger symptoms
Mood Problems: Feeling numb, detached, guilty, depression, anxiety
Cognitive issues: Trouble remembering the event, having negative thoughts about yourself
Hypervigilance: feeling on guard and unable to relax, easily startled.
Treatment for PTSD includes therapy, medications, and developing self-management tools such as grounding and mindfulness.
Bi-Polar Disorder:
Bi-Polar disorder is characterized by dramatic shifts in mood and thinking. These highs and lows are typically very extreme and differ from the typical ups and downs that most of us experience. Symptoms can be different for each individual. Some may experience very distinct periods of depression or mania rapidly while others may go long periods of time without symptoms. Bi-polar symptoms are divided into two categories: mania and depression.
At least one episode of mania (or hypomania) but be present in order to be diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
Mania:
Distractibility and easy frustration
Irresponsibility and erratic uninhibited behavior
Grandiosity
Flight of Ideas or racing thoughts
Activity increased
Sleep is decreased
Talkativeness
Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions
Depressive Episode:
Generalized dissatisfaction with life
Lack of pleasure in things that used to bring joy
Sleeping too much, or not getting enough sleep
Weight loss/gain OR Decrease/increase in appetite
Feeling slowed down or sluggish
Fatigue/Loss of energy
Feelings of guilt/worthlessness
Poor concentration/indecisiveness
Recurrent thoughts of death
Treatment for Bi-polar can include medication management services, therapy, self-management strategies-most common a combination of the above.
Please remember that all the information provided is intended for education. If you or someone you know are experiencing symptoms mentioned please reach out for support and treatment options. It can be scary when someone we know is exhibiting symptoms of mental health issues but the best way we can help is to listen, support, and encourage them to seek out help.
Resources:
NAMI Helpline: 800-950-6264 or text “helpline” to 62640
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1800-487-4889
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
