Depression, Anxiety and Youth Mental Health An Introduction. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Depression, Anxiety and Youth Mental Health – An Introduction.

Geoffrey Ahern Senior Mental Health Clinician Eastern Health / Victorian Police Mental Health and Police (MHaP) PhD Candidate – Deakin University, Melbourne

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“Young people today are growing up in an unprecedented toxic climate

• f stress and pressure.”

Young Minds (www.youngminds.org.uk) January 2014.

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"We are men in a world where men are emotionally disabled by our masculine cultural ideals."

Dr Alan Downs

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Blood letting, this was used particularly for men.

Trepanation was used to treat migraines, epilepsy and mental illness.

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One of the most horrific practices was the lobotomy (1936-67). It was designed to remove the persons “extra and unwanted emotions.” The patient was rendered unconscious by electric shock and the action completed in under 10 minutes with tragic consequences often.

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How old do you think the youngest person was to receive a lobotomy in this period?

One of the youngest patients was a 12-year-old boy, Howard Dully. The reason for Dully’s lobotomy? His stepmother, Lou, said Howard was defiant, daydreamed and even objected to going to bed. If this sounds terrible, it’s because it is. Walter Freeman (the father of the modern lobotomy) lobotomised 19 children under the age of 18…….the youngest was a mere four years of age!

The sugar coma, used in the 1940’s for the schizophrenic was another tragic practice designed to change the personality of the sufferer. Large doses of insulin were given to “starve” the brain of sugar and then the person was “re-awoken” with a glucose injection. If the person didn’t die they often had the desired personality change,

• therwise known as a severe brain injury.

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WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?

“..........a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” World Health Organisation (2007)

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WHA HAT I T IS A S A MEN ENTA TAL ILLNE NESS SS? “A mental illness is a diagnosable illness that affects a person’s thinking, emotional state and behaviour, and disrupts the person’s ability to work or carry out other daily activities and engage in satisfying personal relationships.”

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PERC RCENTAGE NTAGE OF AUS USTRALIANS RALIANS aged 16 16-24 24 WITH TH A MENT NTAL L ILLNE NESS SS IN N ONE NE YEAR

% MALE % FEMALE % TOTAL Any Anxiety iety Diso sorder rder Any Depr pressi sive Diso sorder rder Any Substance tance Use e Diso sorder der Any y Commo mmon Ment ntal al Disorder sorder 15.4 21.7 9.3 4.3 8.4 6.3 15.5 9.8 12.7 22.8 30.1 26.4

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5 10 15 20 25 30 35 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-85

%

PREVALENCE OF COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS IN ANY ONE YEAR

Female Male

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PREVALENCE OF MENTAL DISORDERS IN LAST 12 MONTHS: MALES

5 10 15 20 25 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-85

Age % Anxiety Disorders Depressive Disorders Substance Use Disorders

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ALEXITHYMIA

A = Without Lexi = Words Thymia = Emotions

Without words for my emotions

BA BARRIER ERS S TO TO HEL ELP-SE SEEK EKING

• Feeling too embarrassed or shy

23% 23%

• Afraid the person may think badly of them

14% 14% (Mental Health First Aid Australia, 2017).

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AD ADOLES ESCEN ENT T DEV EVEL ELOPM PMEN ENT

• Ph

Physical ical develo lopmen pment: t:

• Secondary sex characteristics
• Ongoing brain development (ie: alcohol use).
• Ps

Psychol chologi

• gical

cal develo lopmen pment: t:

• Establishing identity, autonomy, intimacy
• Advanced thinking and reasoning.
• Social development:

pment:

• Achievement (educational, sporting etc).
• Becoming comfortable with sexuality

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WHAT T ARE E THE CA CAUSES USES OF MENTAL AL ILLNESS? NESS? For many years “expe perts ts” have argued about the causes of mental illness Is it purely a medic ical al or organic ic conditio ition involving genetic or biological factors? For example altered levels of serotonin in the brain?

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WHAT T ARE E THE CA CAUSES USES OF MENTAL AL ILLNESS? NESS? (cont)

t)

Or is it essentially a psychologi

• logical

cal phenom nomenon?

• n?

Do personality types effect our mental state? Or is it the way we process information (cognition) that sets us up for a Mental Illness? And what about sociolo iologic gical al influences, where things such as gender and sexuality, age, location, occupation, education and socioeconomic status have an influence

• n our Mental Health?

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The answer is actually all three……..

* Biological * Psychological * Sociological Mental Illness is caused by the complex interactions between all three disciplines and this gives us what we call:

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL

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The Biopsychosocial Model

Biological

Psychological

Sociological

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MAI AIN N SY SYMPTO PTOMS MS OF DE DEPR PRES ESSIO SION N

• An unusually sad or irritable mood
• Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities
• Lack of energy and tiredness
• Feeling worthless or feeling guilty when they are not really at fault
• Thinking about death a lot or wishing they were dead
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Lack of motivation or feeling irritable
• Having sleeping difficulties or, sometimes, sleeping too much
• Loss of interest in food, or, sometimes, eating too much.

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MAIN IN SYMPTO TOMS MS OF ANX NXIETY ETY

WHA HAT IS AN A N ANX NXIETY ETY DI DISOR ORDER DER?

• Everybody experiences anxiety at some time
• Anxiety can vary in severity from mild uneasiness through to a

terrifying panic attack.

• An anxiety diso

sorder der differs from normal anxiety in the following ways:

• It is more severe (than what might be considered normal)
• It is long lasting (than what might be considered normal)
• It has a negative impact on the person’s day to day quality of life

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Treatment for Depression and Anxiety:

• The first thing to say is that we expect recovery.
• The fast majority of adolescents dealing with depression
• r anxiety will be perfectly fine (with some bumps along

the way). According to all our peak mental health bodies in Australia, the first line of treatment is:

• Talking

“Addressing lifestyle is also of critical importance.” (Beyond Blue).

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Medication?

• Medication is and should always be seen as only
• ne part of the treatment.
• Ideally the young person will be talking about their

mental health with a trained professional at the same time.

• All people caring for the young person (school staff,

counsellors, youth leaders etc) should be aware of the treatment.

• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of

Psychiatrists suggest that if medication is used a comprehensive management plan should be prepared.

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A tip for parents:

“There are no quick fixes or magic bullets for recovery from a genuine mental health diagnosis.”

We need to consider a creative, multi-faceted approach to facilitate a holistic recovery.

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“We need an extended period of assessment and treatment when it comes to serious mental illness in adolescents. Just like life, serious mental illness is a bit of a ‘work in progress’ and sometimes labels can do more harm than good.”

Dr Mark Cross – Adolescent Psychiatrist “Changing Minds, ABC Mental As Week 2015”

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ADOLE LESC SCENTS ENTS AND LONEL ELINESS INESS

“Loneliness is a crucial factor in mental health problems in adolescents. In fact,

• ur research suggests that even regular

exercise doesn’t make up for the negative impact of the loneliness.”

Professor Kathleen Mullen-Harris University of North Carolina

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Can an te techn hnolo

• logy

gy pl play ay a r a rol

• le

e in in con

• nne

necti ction

• n?

YES NO

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Not all human inter eraction actions s are create ated d equal ally ly

(at least st not biochemically) hemically)

Take a bunch of happy, well adjusted girls aged 8-12 years of age Subject them to some testing in front of some stone faced academics Then split them in to 4 groups................

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Allowed to talk to mum face to face and tell her about what just happened Allowed to phone mum and tell her about what just happened Allowed to text mum and tell her about what just happened Not allowed to talk face to face, phone or even text anyone Groups 1 and 2 had lower Cortisol and higher Oxytocin levels after communicating with mum. Groups 3 and 4 had higher Cortisol and lower Oxytocin levels.

Why are these se results lts so significa ificant? nt? Because use of the effe fect ct these se chemicals icals have on us.. .... ..... ... Oxyto ytocin cin: Creates a sense of euphoria when you’re in love Increases trust and reduces fear Reduces stress Reduces anxiety Is triggered by human interactions that include hearing a voice or prolonged eye contact The effect of one shot of oxytocin can last for an hour Corti tisol sol: Suppresses the immune system. Suppresses the digestive system and increases appetite Impacts how much serotonin and dopamine are available Suppresses thyroid function (the thyroid plays a key role in metabolism, protein production and maintenance of calcium and phosphorus)

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BUT..............

Is social media and/or technology all bad?

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Be aware of your technology use too…….

• Researchers from Boston Medical Centre quietly
• bserved families across 15 different restaurants.
• Parents in 40 of the 55 families observed were

absorbed in their mobile phones regularly.

• Almost a third of the parents used their phones

constantly throughout their meal.

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Managing technology with teens?

• Love it or hate it, technology is here to stay.
• Get creative!

Th The Im e Impor portance of Di tance of Diet et

NO NOT dietin ting.. g....... ....... ..

"While the determinants of mental health are complex, the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a key factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that nutrition is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology.”

Dr Jerome Sarris, University of Melbourne (January 29, 2015).

I can take one vitamin out of your diet and you’ll all develop dementia. What is that vitamin? What percentage of Australian’s eat enough fruits and vegetables?

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Less than two wo-percent of Australian’s are consuming enough fresh esh frui uit t and vegetab tables. les.

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"The brain weighs roughly 2% of total body weight but uses about 25% of our daily energy."

Suzana Herculano-Houzel - Neuroscientist and Professor of Biomedical Science, University of Rio de Janeiro

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Let me leave you with a couple of thoughts……

“The guts of resilience is rooted in a sense of

• belonging. It’s one of the easiest ways to minimise

the risk of self-harming, suicide, depression, anxiety and substance use in the young person.” “The number one most powerful thing you can do in connecting with a young person, whether that be your child or not, is be prepared to drop everything and be an authentic listener. And this means ignoring technology. Since when did a text message become more important than the person in front of you?” Andrew Fuller.

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"Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand."

• Karl Augustus Menninger -

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Keep in touch…………

geoff@thishealthylife.com.au www.thishealthylife.com.au www.facebook.com/thishealthylife @ThisHealthyLife GEOFF_THISHEALTHYLIFE Geoffrey Ahern

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