Understanding Emotional Health: Seeking Help for Yourself or a Friend

1. Getting Help For Yourself Or Your Friend

2. EMOTIONAL HEALTH 101 Play Video 1

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 yourselfor someone else

6. 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

7. 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”)

8. ANXIETY Play Video 2

9. 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)

10. DEPRESSION Play Video 3

11. 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

12. 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)

13. 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

14. BOTTOM LINE If problematic feelings like anxiety, depression, or mania are intense or last a long time, you should reach out for help

15. PSYCHOSIS • A problem in thinking • Occurs in the context of major psychiatric illnesses • A serious disconnection with reality manifested by either hallucinationsor 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 treatment

16. 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)

17. PROBLEMS IN BEHAVIOR • Obsessive/Impulsive Behaviors • Substance Abuse • Self Harm

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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, andheart problemsfor 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

21. HOW YOU CAN HELP Play Video 4

22. 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

23. INTOXICATION Results from use of: • Alcohol • Hallucinogens (LSD, Mushrooms) • Stimulants (Cocaine, Ecstasy) • Can disturb: • Thinking • Perception • Judgment • Behavior • These problems can resolve when the substance has left the 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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)

27. HELPING A FRIEND • How do you know when your friend is in trouble? • Listening Skills • How to Help

28. HOW YOU CAN HELP Play Video 5

29. HOW DO YOU KNOW? • Look for CHANGE • Changesin: • Self-care • Dress • Eating • Sleeping • Social interactions • Patterns of substance use

30. 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

31. LISTENING SKILLS • Don’t try to solve the problem (if it is difficult or complicated) • Don’t be afraid to ask about suicidal thoughts • 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

32. HOW TO HELP A FRIEND Play Video 6

33. HOW YOU CAN HELP • Let your friend know that we all go through tough times • Make sure to convey that it is possibleto 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

34. 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)

35. FINAL THOUGHTS • 1. These Things Happen! • 2. Look for Change • 3. Ask for Help • Know that you are not alone and help is available

36. 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

37. 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/

38. 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/