Highlights:

1. Mental health

• A state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community (WHO, 2014)

2. Characteristics of an emotionally healthy person

• With the ability (1) to recognize and express emotions properly and (2) to cope with stress, worries and depression in daily life

3. Factors affect mental health

Biological Perspective

• Mind and body are connected as a holistic system
• Emotions and memory are managed by brain

Psychological Perspective

• Experience in personal development
• Self-concept

Social Perspective

• Family, community, society and culture etc.
• Social / economic changes / welfare system etc.

Reading:

• Booklet
• The Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Castle Peak Hospital
• Mental Health Education, Kwai Chung Hospital

Application:

• Tasks & Worksheets

4. Stress

What is stress?

• Stress is the physiological, emotional and behavioural reactions to a particular stressor, when the existing resources are not sufficient to cope with the external demand.

Types

• Eustress – a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in a person’s life
• Distress – a negative form of stress, usually related to keeping people from doing the things they need to do or cause discomfort

Stressors

• Disastrous Events
• Life events
• Physical environment

Stress reaction

• Physiological reaction – e.g. heavy breathing
• Emotional reaction – e.g. the feeling of tension
• Behavioural reaction – e.g. nail biting

Strategies for coping with stress

• Coping with problem Directly dealing with stressors
• Coping with emotion Strategies to relieve emotions

5. Types of mental problems/disorders:

Depression

• Presence of persistent depressed mood, lack of interest or motivation and negative thinking

Phobia

• Excessive or irrational fear to a particular object or situation

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

• Intrusive memory of the traumatic event, avoidance of situations that are reminders of the trauma, and hyper-arousal symptoms such as being easily startled and difficulty in sleeping

Schizophrenia

• Disturbance of thinking and perception

6. Social isolation / exclusion and mental illness

Labelling

• prone to violence
• unpredictable behavior
• inability to make rational decisions

Negative Impacts

• Discrimination: unfair treatment to patients
• Social isolation: patients isolate themselves
• Higher risk of relapse: patients may conceal their case history and hinder early diagnosis of the problem / treatment

7. Possible impact of poor mental health and stress:

Suicide

• the risk of suicide attempts is higher among those with depression

Productivity / efficiency loss

• unable to cope with stress in normal life and work effectively

Burden on family members

• taking care of a mental patient is a major stressor
• caregivers may need to quit their jobs
• conflicts between the patients and family members

8. Rehabilitation

Deinstitutionalization

• Long-term hospitalization : dependency and social withdrawal / adaptation problems of reintegration after long term segregation
• Release of hospitalized patients into the community : closer contact with families and the community

Rehabilitation service

• Hospital Authority :
  • in-patient, e.g. occupational therapists;
  • out-patient, e.g. community psychiatric services
• NGOs : e.g. sheltered workshops, halfway houses

Family care and support

• Care
  • help patients to follow the treatment and medication;
  • take care of the patients in daily lives
• Emotional support

Integration into the community

• Self-help groups
• Training on social skills and living skills
• Vocational training

Power-point