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)
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
Factors affect mental health
Biological Perspective |
- Mind and body are connected as a holistic system
- Emotions and memory are managed by brain
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Psychological Perspective |
- Experience in personal development
- Self-concept
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Social Perspective |
- Family, community, society and culture etc.
- Social / economic changes / welfare system etc.
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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.
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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
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Stressors |
- Disastrous Events
- Life events
- Physical environment
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Stress reaction |
- Physiological reaction – e.g. heavy breathing
- Emotional reaction – e.g. the feeling of tension
- Behavioural reaction – e.g. nail biting
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Strategies for coping with stress |
Coping with problem
- Directly dealing with stressors
Coping with emotion
- Strategies to relieve emotions
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Types of mental problems/disorders:
Depression |
- Presence of persistent depressed mood, lack of interest or motivation and negative thinking
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Phobia |
- Excessive or irrational fear to a particular object or situation
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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
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Schizophrenia |
- Disturbance of thinking and perception
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Social isolation / exclusion and mental illness
Labelling |
- prone to violence
- unpredictable behavior
- inability to make rational decisions
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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
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Possible impact of poor mental health and stress:
Suicide |
- the risk of suicide attempts is higher among those with depression
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Productivity / efficiency loss |
- unable to cope with stress in normal life and work effectively
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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
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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
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Rehabilitation service |
- Hospital Authority: in-patient – e.g. occupational therapists; out-patient – e.g. community psychiatric services
- NGOs – e.g. sheltered workshops, halfway houses
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Family care and support |
- Care – (1) help patients to follow the treatment and medication; (2) take care of the patients in daily lives
- Emotional support
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Integration into the community |
- Self-help groups
- Training on social skills and living skills
- Vocational training
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Latest Update: October 2019
Power-point
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Booklet
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The Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Castle Peak Hospital
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Mental Health Education, Kwai Chung Hospital
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Tasks & Worksheets (Coming Soon)
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What does it mean to be mentally healthy? |
How can we maintain our mental health? |
What are the common mental disorders in Hong Kong? |
What are the major difficulties faced by patients with mental illness and their carers? |
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