Impact%20of%20Mental%20Illness%20and%20Special%20Needs%20on%20Students%20Mental%20Health.

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• Impact of Mental Illness and Special Needs on
  Students Mental Health.

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Agenda

• What is Mental Health?
• Who are we talking about?
• The Numbers.
• Mental Illness and Special Needs
• The Impact.
• How do we Help?

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What is Mental Health

• Mental health is how people think, feel, and act
  as they face life's situations. It affects how
  people handle stress, relate to one another, and
  make decisions. Mental health influences the ways
  individuals look at themselves, their lives, and
  others in their lives. Like physical health,
  mental health is important at every stage of
  life.
• All aspects of our lives are affected by our
  mental health.
• Department of Health and Human Services National
  Mental Health Information Center
  (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)

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Mental Health

• Mental Health is the capacity of each and all of
  us to feel, think and act in ways that enhance
  our ability to enjoy life and deal with the
  challenges we face. It is a positive sense of
  emotional and spiritual well being that respects
  the importance of culture, equity, social
  justice, interconnections and personal dignity.
  (MHPU, 1997)

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Kids

• Spanning roughly 20 years, childhood and
  adolescence are marked by dramatic changes in
  physical, cognitive, and social-emotional skills
  and capacities. (Surgeon General, 1999)

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Kids

• You have to have chaos within you to give birth
  to a dancing star
• Friedrich Nietzsche

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Chaos?

• Growth and development
• Peer relationships
• family roles and relationships
• ethical/moral development
• developing identity
• achievement pressure
• sexuality, puberty

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Kids Mental Health

• Mental health in childhood and adolescence is
  defined by the achievement of expected
  developmental cognitive, social, and emotional
  milestones and by secure attachments, satisfying
  social relationships, and effective coping
  skills. Mentally healthy children and adolescents
  enjoy a positive quality of life function well
  at home, in school, and in their communities and
  are free of disabling symptoms of
  psychopathology (Surgeon General, 1999)

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The Numbers

• Studies show that at least one in five children
  and adolescents have a mental health disorder. At
  least one in 10, or about 6 million people, have
  a serious emotional disturbance.
  (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)

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The Numbers contd

• Approximately one in five children and
  adolescents experiences the signs and symptoms of
  a DSM-IV disorder during the course of a year,
  but only about 5 percent of all children
  experience what professionals term extreme
  functional impairment.
• Mental Health A report of the Surgeon General.
  (http//www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealt
  h/toc.html)

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OSDUS 2005

• Grade 7-12 within last 12 months
• 12 reported a visit to a mental health
  professional
• 2-4 used prescribed meds for mental health
  reasons
• 2 reported using crisis line
• 10 reported low self esteem (11 female vs. 8
  male)

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OSDUS contd

• 30 reported increased psychological distress
• Losing sleep over worry 19
• Feeling constantly under stress 28.7
• Feeling unhappy 12.5
• Unable to overcome difficulties 12.7
• Losing self confidence 11.1
• Unable to concentrate 10.2
• Think theyre worthless 9.4
• Unable to enjoy daily activities 9.6

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OSDUS contd

• Unalbe to face problems 8.9
• Not feeling useful 8.3
• Incapable of making decesions 5.7

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OSDUS contd

• Seriously considered suicide 11 (female 16 vs.
  7 male)
• 113800 Ontario students
• Where to go?

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Mental Illness and Special needs

• NIMH
• Mental Help Net
• Internet Mental Health
• The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada

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Impact

• Like adults, children and adolescents can have
  mental health disorders that interfere with the
  way they think, feel, and act. When untreated,
  mental health disorders can lead to school
  failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence,
  and even suicide. Untreated mental health
  disorders can be very costly to families,
  communities, and the health care system
  (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)

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Impacts

• Externalizing behaviours delinquent, violent,
  fire setting, bullying, substance misuse,
  gambling, etc (OSDUS, 2005)

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How do we Help

• Fight Stigma by education and listening
• Fight Stigma by talking and early identification
• Fight Stigma by providing perspective
• More Early Risk Identification
• Know your local rewources

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References

• Public Health Agency of Canada Mental Health
  Promotion Unit (http//www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/mh-sm/m
  entalhealth/mhp/index.html)
• World Health Organization (http//www.who.int/en)

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References

• Department of Health and Human Services National
  Mental Health Information Center
  (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov)
• Internet Mental Health (www.mentalhealth.com)
• Mental Help Net (mentalhelp.net)
• NIMH (nimh.nih.gov)
• The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
  (www.ldac-taac.ca)

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References

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Ontario
  Student Drug Use Survey . http//www.camh.net/rese
  arch/osdus.html
• United States Department of Health and Human
  Services National Mental Health Information
  Center www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov