This paper makes a comprehensive analysis of mental health in primary and secondary schools from the aspects of common mental diseases, early warning signals of mental health, triggering factors of crisis events, prevention of mental health crisis, communication skills, mental health awareness and self-care.
1. What is mental health and what are the common mental diseases?
Mental health is the synthesis of our emotional, psychological and social functions, which will affect our way of thinking, feeling and behavior.
Our mental health will also affect the way we deal with stress, get along with others and make decisions. People with good mental health management can cope with the pressure of life, work productively and make meaningful contributions to the community.
However, those who try to manage mental health may also suffer from mental illness. Mental illness involves emotional changes, thinking patterns and behaviors, and is a comprehensive health condition. Actually:
About one-fifth of adults in the United States suffer from mental illness.
12 people, 1 people have substance use disorder.
Of the 24 people, 1 suffered from severe mental illness.
Although this is more common in adults, children may also have mental health problems. Mental health conditions affecting children and adolescents include:
Anxiety disorder: Examples of anxiety disorder include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobia and separation anxiety disorder. There may be more than one kind of anxiety disorder, and some may need medication.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder, including a combination of a series of persistent problems, such as difficulty in concentration, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Although it is called adult ADHD, its symptoms begin in early childhood and continue into adulthood.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Autism spectrum disorder is a disease related to brain development, which will affect a person's perception of others and social styles, leading to problems in social interaction and communication. This obstacle also includes limited and repetitive behavior patterns. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to a wide range of symptoms and severity.
Eating disorder: Eating disorder is a serious disease related to continuous eating behavior, which will have a negative impact on your health, mood and function in important areas of life. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Emotional disorder: If you have emotional disorder, your general emotional state will be distorted or inconsistent with your situation and interfere with your normal life. You may be extremely sad, empty or irritable, depressed, or you may experience a period of alternating depression and excessive happiness (mania)
Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia involves a series of thinking, behavior or emotional problems. It may lead to hallucinations, delusions and some combinations of thinking and behavior disorders, thus damaging your child's operational ability. Schizophrenia in children is essentially the same as schizophrenia in adults, but it occurs in the early life and has a far-reaching impact on children's behavior and development. For children with schizophrenia, early diagnosis, treatment, education and emotional and social development bring special challenges.
Second, what is a mental health crisis?
Mental health crisis refers to a person's behavior of hurting himself or others, unable to take care of himself effectively, impaired social function and unable to adapt to community life well. Usually, crises may involve suicidal thoughts of adults and children.
Let's look at the data and statistics about children's mental health.
9.4% children aged 2- 17 (about 665,438+10,000) were diagnosed with ADHD.
7.4% children aged 3- 17 (about 4.5 million) have been diagnosed with behavioral problems.
7. 1% of children aged 3- 17 (about 4.4 million) have been diagnosed with anxiety.
3.2% of children aged 3- 17 (about10.9 million) were diagnosed with depression.
1/6 American children aged 2-8 (17.4%) were diagnosed with mental, behavioral or developmental disorders.
Among children aged 2-8, boys are more prone to mental, behavioral or developmental disorders than girls.
Age and poverty affect the possibility of children receiving treatment for anxiety, depression or behavioral problems.
Although children's mental health crisis is the main threat to public health and may be fatal, clinical professionals are not always in the front line to intervene or prevent such crises. Doctors and nurses sometimes don't realize that patients are vulnerable to the sudden escalation of mental illness, or even that mental illness is afflicting their patients.
This is the main reason for the need for school psychological teachers. Psychological teachers can help educate the public, formulate new intervention strategies, and help ensure that vulnerable groups will not get into trouble in times of crisis.
However, everyone (not only medical staff, psychological teachers and class teachers) needs to know the risk factors, early warning signals and intervention measures that can help others through the mental health crisis.
Warning signals of crisis events
Signs of mental health crisis events may not always be obvious in children. Through proper education, teachers, principals and other staff will know what to look for when the following signs of mental health crisis appear.
Abuse: Usually, a person will show abuse to himself and others. This may include self-harm, drug abuse, physical abuse, etc.
Unable to complete daily tasks: this may include the simplest tasks, such as taking a bath, brushing your teeth, combing your hair and wearing clean clothes.
Emotional excitement: when children show signs of emotional excitement, they will verbally threaten, get out of control of violence, and destroy property.
Isolation: Children and young people tend to be isolated from family and friends at school and at work.
Disconnected from reality (mental illness): This includes not knowing family or friends-showing signs of confusion, strange ideas, thinking that they are not themselves, not understanding what people are saying, hearing voices that don't exist, and seeing things that don't exist.
Paranoia: This shows that people or their actions are suspicious and distrustful without evidence or reason.
Rapid mood swings: This includes increased energy levels, inability to stay still, pacing, sudden depression and withdrawal, and sudden happiness or calm after a period of depression.
Other warning signs and risk factors include:
Eat or sleep too much or too little.
Stay away from people and things
Low or no energy.
There is unexplained pain, such as persistent stomachache or headache.
Feel helpless or desperate
Excessive smoking, drinking or using drugs, including prescription drugs.
Always worry-feel guilty but don't know why
It is difficult to adapt to family or work life.
Third, suicide warning signals.
Teenagers' suicide can be prevented if people around them learn to recognize warning signs and intervene appropriately:
Significant changes in eating or sleeping habits
Unexplained or seriously abnormal violence or treason.
Stay away from family or friends.
Sexual promiscuity, truancy and sabotage
A sharp change in personality
The act of excitement, irritability, pain or panic.
Talking or writing about suicide, even joking.
Give away valuables
There has been a sharp decline in academic performance
It is important to take any talk about suicide seriously. "Suicide is a difficult topic to discuss," Jeffrey Borenstam, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University's School of Internal Medicine and Surgery, said in an article about the importance of openly talking about suicide. "But silence will bring tragic results, and knowledge can save lives. The information that things will get better is more important today than ever. "
Four. Examples of triggers for crisis events
The trigger point of a crisis event is an external event or environment that may produce very uncomfortable emotional or mental symptoms, including anxiety, panic, depression, despair or negative self-talk.
People with mental illness usually deal with triggers in a different way from others. Psychologist Arlin Cuncic believes that from the perspective of mental health, "triggered" means that patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relive the symptoms of traumatic events (such as actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual assault) after being exposed to the trigger as a catalyst or reminder.
There are internal and external triggers that can remind a person of past traumatic events.
? Internal trigger:
angry
Anxious
The feeling of being abandoned
Feel lonely
Feel out of control
Feel at a loss
postpone
Increased heart rate
yearn for
sadder
pressure
tense；nervous
External trigger:
anniversary
Stay alone for too long
Crowded place
End a relationship
Feel judged
Go to a specific place to remind the traumatic event.
Speak loudly; Speak loudly
The problem of money
News reports on adverse events
Specific interactions (for example, quarrels)
A specific time of day (for example, sunset)
A special smell (for example, incense)
Physical illness
See celebrities who are too thin (taking anorexia as an example)
Seeing others taking drugs (abusing drugs)
sexual harassment
Violent movies
Knowing someone's personal triggers is particularly helpful because it allows others to identify sensitive situations, provide enough warnings to those who may be triggered, and take other measures to prevent known triggers from leading to crisis situations.
How verbs (abbreviation of verb) prevent mental health crisis
Fortunately, mental health crisis can be prevented. Therefore, it is very important for teachers, parents and peers to deal with children's mental health crisis. The authorities should decide the way to talk according to their relationship with children.
? Family and friends: If a family member or friend shows signs of mental health crisis, you can help prevent the situation from happening/worsening in the following ways:
Ask questions, listen to ideas, and respond to mental health problems when they arise.
Educate others and let them know the facts of mental health problems without discrimination.
Express your concern and support.
Find out whether this person is getting the care they need/want-if not, offer help.
Include your friends or family in your plan-keep inviting them; Don't be overbearing, even if they refuse your invitation.
Take the initiative to help your friends or family members with their daily affairs.
Promise them that you care about them.
Remind them that they can get help to treat mental health problems.
Treat people with mental health problems with respect, sympathy and empathy.
Students: When helping students with signs of mental health crisis, educators should: educate other staff, parents and students about the symptoms of mental health problems and how they can help.
Encourage health
Encourage helping others.
Help ensure access to school-based mental health support
Help ensure a positive and safe school environment.
Improve social and emotional skills and build adaptability.
Teach and strengthen positive behavior and decision-making
Your children/other dependents: Especially after the loss of relatives, separation of parents and/or any other major changes, it is very important for caregivers to pay special attention to their children. This is because it is often difficult for children to understand complicated and difficult situations. However, if you are worried that your child is on the verge of a mental health crisis, you should:
Ask your child's psychological teacher if your child needs a counselor with experience in child behavior problems for further evaluation.
Ask your child's counselor if he has any experience in treating the problems you have observed.
Talk to your child's doctor, school nurse or other health care provider for more information about behaviors or symptoms that worry you.
Discuss any medications and treatment plans with your healthcare provider.
Six, communication skills and talking points
No matter how necessary, it is uncomfortable to start a conversation about mental health. Here are some suggestions for parents and educators to talk about their mental health with their children.
Create a sense of belonging
Cultivate ability
Educate employees, parents and students about symptoms and mental health help.
Encourage health
Encourage helping others.
Ensure access to school-based mental health support.
Ensure a positive and safe school environment.
Establish a crisis response team
Lifting elasticity
Provide continuous mental health services.
Teach and reinforce positive behaviors/decisions.
7. Seek professional help.
Mental illness can be treated. The following is a list of medical professionals who can be used when seeking psychotherapy.
Addiction counselor: Addiction counselor treats addicts. Although this usually involves drug abuse or gambling, it may also include less common addictions, such as sex addiction or hoarding.
Art therapist: Art therapy includes using creativity in painting, sculpture and writing to explore and help treat depression, medical diseases, past traumatic events and addiction.
Family and marriage counselors: Family and marriage counselors specialize in dealing with common problems that families and married couples may encounter, from differences to quarrels.
Counselor: "Counselor" is a broad term used to describe people who provide counseling services. It is important to ask the consultant about his education, experience and the type of services involved, because the term is vague. Psychological counselors can pay attention to work stress, addiction, marriage, family and general stress.
Psychologist: The science in which psychologists specialize in behavior, emotion and thinking. They work in private offices, hospitals or schools. Psychologists treat a series of problems through consultation, from interpersonal problems to mental illness. Psychologists usually have a doctorate. In our country, psychologists can't prescribe drugs.
Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists mainly diagnose, treat and help prevent mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. They use psychotropic drugs, physical examinations and laboratory tests. Psychiatrists' specialties include children and adolescents, forensic psychiatry and learning disabilities.
Psychoanalysts: Psychoanalysts follow sigmund freud's theory and practice to help people explore their repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties and internal conflicts. This is accomplished through free association, dream interpretation, analysis, resistance and empathy.
Psychiatric nurses: Psychiatric nurses are registered nurses specializing in mental health. They are famous for their therapeutic relationship with people who seek help.
Psychotherapist: Psychotherapist is a general term for many types of mental health professionals. This may include psychologists and therapists. These professionals provide psychotherapy: a talk therapy aimed at improving your mental health and overall happiness.
Eight. Provide support
It is very important to provide support for relatives when they suffer from mental crisis. This ensures that they are not alone in this process and minimizes the possible harm caused by mental illness. Here's how you can help your relatives with mental illness:
Avoid falling into the role of savior
Find support groups for family members with mental illness.
Have realistic expectations
If the loved ones suffer from serious mental illness (mental illness or suicidal tendency), it may be the wisest and best choice to let them be hospitalized.
Learn as much as possible about the disease you are facing.
It is better to ask than to guess.
Stay healthy and adjust your pace-in the long run, overwork will only lead to more problems
You know, even if your actions don't seem to be effective, they are working.
The value of objectivity, sympathy and acceptance is immeasurable.
Seek advice for yourself
Start a dialogue, not a debate.
Nine. Immediate crisis response and emergency intervention
Crisis response refers to all plans and actions taken to deal with natural and man-made disasters, crises, major events and tragic events. Of course, in an emergency, you should always dial 1 10 and 120. In addition, in some cases, it is also helpful to make a crisis response and intervention plan.
Crisis intervention is beneficial because it can reduce adverse reactions, promote coping and planning, help determine and obtain available support, normalize crisis response, and evaluate the ability and demand for further support or referral to the next level of care.
The three main objectives of crisis intervention are:
stable
Relieve symptoms
Restore adaptive function or promote access to continuous care.
Some key principles to remember about campus suicide crisis are:
dull
to tell the truth
Report the current situation to all teachers and staff.
Ensure the safety of students in crisis.
Notify parents (as appropriate)
Let the students know what is happening.
Protect the safety of other students.
Know your limits
Listen to the students' voices
Monitor your surroundings.
Ask for help.
Parents and teachers can help prevent mental health crisis by helping teenagers improve their emotional intelligence and develop healthy coping skills.
X. Situation assessment
Before making any rash decision, please assess the situation and ask yourself: Is this person dangerous to yourself or others? Do you need emergency assistance? Can I call someone for guidance? Are there any resources that can help me and people at risk? What caused the crisis? Can I handle it myself?
It is important to evaluate the situation, because the person you are trying to help may not be able to communicate clearly.
If you can use your own assessment of the scene to find out what happened, you may find it easier to help control this moment.
XI。 Emergency resources and suicide prevention hotline
Be sure to dial 1 10 in an emergency, especially when someone tries to hurt themselves or others or threatens to hurt them. You can also provide 24/7 extra help through the special emergency hotline. List of national free psychological hotlines. When you are in trouble, you can call, send text messages or chat online.
Techniques to alleviate the crisis:
The following are 10 tips to ease the crisis. Remember, you can only do it yourself if you feel comfortable doing it. If not, call the emergency personnel immediately.
Allow silent reflection
Set aside time to make a decision.
Avoid overreaction
Be empathetic and don't judge.
Choose wisely what you insist on.
Pay attention to feelings
Ignore challenging questions
Respect personal space
Set restrictions
Use non-threatening body language
Twelve, the importance of mental health awareness
In order to implement preventive measures, we need to deconstruct the stigma related to mental illness. This will help make the communication on this topic feel more natural and help students realize that it is ok to talk about this topic: they are not alone.
Preparing appropriate mental health resources for students is just one of many ways to eliminate stigma and show the importance of mental health awareness.
Mental health awareness is very important, because with awareness, it will provide more support and care for those in need.
When the public accepts all the knowledge about mental health and mental illness, these topics are more likely to become less taboo and negative. Mental health is as important as physical health, or even more important. This is because it is difficult to stay healthy without healthy psychological ability.
Thirteen. coping strategy
Students can take action on their mental health problems and should feel capable of doing so. The following is a list of coping strategies and mental health resources for teenagers:
Talk to your parents, guardians or other trusted adults.
Use online resources, such as adolescent mental health.
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