MENTAL HEALTH AND STRESS
JUST LIKE OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH IS
ESSENTIAL IN OUR LIVES. HOWEVER, IT IS DIFFERENT
WHEN ONE HAS A MENTAL ILLNESS BECAUSE THIS
INCLUDES EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL
HEALTH. IT CAN INFLUENCE ONE'S FEELINGS, THOUGHTS,
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
1. Depression Disorder of emotion or mood Self-images, body images,
(sadness, hopelessness, misery, inability Separation of parents, emotionally
to enjoy). On Cognitive aspects unavailable parents, parents who
symptom manifest by negative have high marital conflict, and
conditions about self, world and future. parents with financial problems.
On Motivational symptoms are loss of Poor personal relationships,
interest, lack of drive, and difficulty on experiencing peer rejection.
starting in anything. On somatic
symptoms are loss of energy, sleep
difficulties loss of appetite and weight
loss/gain.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
2. Eating Disorder Extraordinary weight loss Feeling negatively about their bodies
Two Types: and highly motivated to look like
same-sex figures in the media.
A. Anorexia Persistent pursuit of thinner built
Nervosa through hunger. Intense fear of
gaining weight. Weighing less than
what is considered normal to their
age and height.
B. Bulimia Binge eating and then purges by self-
Nervosa inducing vomiting or using a laxative.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
3. Anxiety Over worrying about future events and fear is a reaction Genes likely play
TYPES: to current events. a role in causing
anxiety, as well as
A. Separation Excessive anxiety felt by children when their parents the home,
Anxiety Disorder leave them. They may worry that something bad might neighborhood,
happen to their parent or to someone else they love. school, and other
Refuse to go to school or they may be unable to go to environmental
sleep without a parent being present. They may have factors.
nightmares about being lost or kidnapped. They may also
have physical symptoms like stomach aches, feeling sick
to their stomach, or even throwing up out of fear.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
B. Generalized The condition in which has many worries and fears. They
Anxiety Disorder have physical symptoms like tense muscles, a restless
(GAD) feeling, becoming tired easily, having problems
concentrating, or trouble sleeping.
C. School Phobia It involves worrying about social situations, like having to
go to school or having to speak in class. Symptoms may
include sweating, blushing, or muscle tension. Often
overly sensitive to criticism and have trouble standing up
for themselves. Has low self- esteem, become easily
embarrassed, and become very shy and self- conscious.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
D. Obsessive- Frequent, uncontrollable thoughts ("obsessions") that are
Compulsive unreasonable. These thoughts come into their mind a lot. They
Disorder (OCD) then need to perform certain routines or rituals (compulsions)
to try to get rid of the thoughts. Children and adolescents
with this disorder will often repeat behaviors to avoid some
imagined outcomes.
E. Panic When they feel very scared or have a hard time breathing and
Disorder their heart is pounding. They may also feel shaky, dizzy, and
think they are going to lose their mind or even die. The teen
or child may not want to go to school or leave the house at all
because they are afraid something awful will happen to them.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
DISORDER SYMPTOMS CAUSES
F. Post-Traumatic The symptoms include jumpiness, muscle tension, being
Stress Disorder overly aware of one's surroundings (hypervigilance),
(PTSD) nightmares, and other sleep problems. Feeling like they
are "re-living" the traumatic experience.
No one experiences perfect mental health or well-being all the
time. However, ongoing mental health problems can affect many areas of
your life, such as relationships with others, sleep appetite, energy levels,
even the ability to think clearly or make decisions, and inability to perform
daily tasks. In short, it can affect the totality of a person. Nevertheless, one
must learn to balance the different 14aspects of one's life. Mental health
and wellness matter in as much as positive mental health allows people to
grasp their full potential, work productively, and make significant
contributions to society.
STRESS
According to Merriam-Webster, the stress as a noun is a state of
mental tension and worry caused by problems in one's life, work, and many
others that causes intense feelings of worry or anxiety. As stated by Ferret
in his book Peak Performance, stress is simply the body’s response to
external events (e.g., taking an exam or giving a speech) or internal events
(e.g., fear, worry, or unresolved anger). Everything one experiences
stimulate the body to react and respond.
STRESS
TWO CATEGORIES OF STRESS
EUSTRESS DISTRESS
Eustress is positive stress for it is Distress, on the other hand, is negative
helpful—it motivates the individual to keep stress because it could give harmful
on working and reach for the goal. implications to the individual, such as
anxiety and depression; discourages the
individual from becoming productive; and
could cause emotional, physical, and
psychological problems.
STRESSORS – situations and pressures that cause stress.
We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work
schedule or a rocky relationship. However, anything that puts high demands
can be stressful. It includes positive events such as getting married, buying a
house, going to college, or receiving a promotion.
KINDS OF STRESSORS
1. Cataclysmic events are strong stresses that suddenly occur and may
simultaneously affect many people (Feldman, 2010). Natural disasters like typhoons,
coding, global warming effects, and earthquakes are examples of this kind of stressors—
likewise, man-made troubles such as terrorist attacks, ship or plane crash, and
bombings.
2. Personal stressors refer to conditions, events, situations, or anything that causes
stress to an individual. It could be positive or negative stressors such as marrying, death
of a loved one, getting a new job or job loss, starting and ending class, transferring to
new schools, leaving old friends, and many others. Moreover, stress occurs when the
individual is experiencing frustration, pressure, or conflict.
KINDS OF STRESSORS
3. Background stressors or daily hassles (Feldman, 2010) are also referred to as
displeasures that could be encountered every day, such as standing in the long line while
waiting for the train, stuck in heavy traffic, noise, and pollution of the environment.
Another background stressor is experiencing dissatisfaction with school or a job, being
in an unhappy relationship, or living in crowded quarters without privacy (Feldman
2010; Weinstein et al., 2004; McIntyre, Korn, & Matsuo, 2008).
Stress symptoms may affect one's health, even though one may not realize it.You may
think illness is to blame for that irritating headache, frequent insomnia or decreased
productivity at work. However, stress may be the cause.
