Mental Health

and Well-being in
Middle and Late
adolescence
Personality Development
(SHS G11)
 How do you stay
mentally healthy?
Objectives:
1. interpret the concepts of mental
health and psychological well-being
in everyday observations about
mental health problems during
adolescence,
2. identify your own vulnerabilities,
3. create a plan to stay mentally
healthy during adolescence
 CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT MENTAL
HEALTH
Mental health. It’s the way your thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors affect your
life.
Good mental health leads to positive self-
image and in-turn, satisfying relationships
with friends and others. Having good
mental health helps you make good
decisions and deal with life’s challenges at
home, work, or school.
It is not uncommon for
teenagers to develop
problems with their mental
health.
Problems can range from mild
to severe, and can include
depression, anxiety, body
esteem issues, and suicide,
among others.
 Unfortunately, most young
people with mental health
problems don’t get any
treatment for them.
 Research shows that effective
treatments are available that
can help members of all racial,
ethnic, and cultural groups.
 If you broke your leg or came
down with pneumonia, you
wouldn’t let it go untreated.
 Often however, young people
ignore mental health problems
thinking they will “snap out of
it,” or that they are
something to be ashamed of.
 Thatkind of thinking
prevents people from
getting the help they need.
Sometimes getting help is a
matter of understanding
mental health issues and
changing your mind about
them.
 SELF ESTEEM AND BODY
ESTEEM
 Does any of this sound
familiar? "I'm too tall." "I'm too
short." "I'm too skinny." "If only
I were shorter/taller/had
curly hair/straight hair/a
smaller nose/longer legs, I'd
be happy."
 Are you putting yourself down? If
so, you're not alone. As a teen,
you're going through lots of
changes in your body. And, as
your body changes, so does your
image of yourself. It's not always
easy to like every part of your
looks, but when you get stuck on
the negatives it can really bring
down your self-esteem.
  Why Are Self-Esteem and Body
Image Important?
 Self-esteem is all about how
much you feel you are worth —
and how much you feel other
people value you. Self-esteem is
important because feeling good
about yourself can affect your
mental health and how you
behave.
 People with high self-esteem
know themselves well. They're
realistic and find friends that
like and appreciate them for
who they are. People with
high self-esteem usually feel
more in control of their lives
and know their own strengths
and weaknesses.
Body image is how you view your
physical self — including whether
you feel you are attractive and
whether others like your looks.
For many people, especially
people in their early teens, body
image can be closely linked to
self-esteem.
 What Influences a Person's
Self-Esteem?
a. Puberty and Development
Some people struggle with
their self-esteem and body
image when they begin puberty
because it's a time when the
body goes through many
changes.
These changes, combined with
wanting to feel accepted by our
friends, means it can be
tempting to compare ourselves
with others. The trouble with
that is, not everyone grows or
develops at the same time or in
the same way.
b. Media images and Other Outside
Influences
 Our tweens and early teens are a time
when we become more aware of
celebrities and media images — as well as
how other kids look and how we fit in. We
might start to compare ourselves with
other people or media images ("ideals"
that are frequently airbrushed). All of this
can affect how we feel about ourselves
and our bodies even as we grow into our
teens.
c. Families and School
Family life can sometimes influence
our body image. Some parents or
coaches might be too focused on
looking a certain way or "making
weight" for a sports team. Family
members might struggle with their own
body image or criticize their kids' looks
("why do you wear your hair so long?" or
"how come you can't wear pants that fit
you?").
 This can all influence a person's self-
esteem, especially if they're sensitive
to others peoples' comments.
 People also may experience negative
comments and hurtful teasing about
the way they look from classmates
and peers. Although these often come
from ignorance, sometimes they can
affect body image and self-esteem.
 Common Eating Disorders
 The most common eating disorders
are anorexia nervosa and bulimia
nervosa (usually called simply
"anorexia" and "bulimia"). But other
food-related disorders, like
avoidant/restrictive food intake
disorder, binge eating, body image
disorders, and food phobias, are
becoming more and more commonly
identified.
1. Anorexia
 People with anorexia have a
real fear of weight gain and a
distorted view of their body
size and shape. As a result,
they eat very little and can
become dangerously
underweight.
 Many teens with anorexia
restrict their food intake by
dieting, fasting, or excessive
exercise. They hardly eat at all
— and the small amount of food
they do eat becomes an
obsession in terms of calorie
counting or trying to eat as
little as possible.
2. Bulimia
 Bulimia is similar to anorexia. With
bulimia, people might binge eat (eat
to excess) and then try to
compensate in extreme ways, such as
making themselves throw up or
exercising all the time, to prevent
weight gain. Over time, these steps
can be dangerous — both physically
and emotionally. They can also lead
to compulsive behaviors (ones that
are hard to stop)
To have bulimia, a person
must be binging and purging
regularly, at least once a
week for a couple of months.
Binge eating is different from
going to a party and "pigging
out" on pizza, then deciding to
go to the gym the next day
and eat more healthfully
 SUPPORT STRATEGIES/COMMUNITY
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Here are some strategies for supporting
someone with mental health concerns:
 • Encourage the person to seek help
and support from an adult.
 • Spend time with the person, listen to
his/her concerns.
 • Be hopeful; help them feel like their
life will get better.
 Stand by them. Invite your friend
to things that you are doing;
keeping busy and staying in touch
with friends will help your friend
feel better, when they are ready.
 • Learn as much as you can about
mental illness so that you
understand what is going on for
them.
 If you are a close friend or family
member of someone with a mental
health problem, make sure that you get
help as well. Talk to someone about
what is happening. This will help you be
a better support person.
 • Put the person’s life before your
friendship. If the person mentions
thoughts of suicide, don’t keep it secret,
even if the person has asked you to.
 HELP HOW-TO’S
First Step, Reach Out To People
You Trust
 Sometimes people don’t get the
help they need because they
don’t know where to turn. When
you’re not feeling well, it can be
a struggle to take the necessary
steps to help yourself get better.
 When dealing with mental
health or emotional problems,
it’s important not to go at it
alone. Healing is a combination
of helping yourself and letting
others help you. Comfort and
support, information and
advice, and professional
treatment are all forms of help.
 Thinkof all the people you can
turn to for support. These are
people who are concerned
about you and can help comfort
you, who will listen to you and
encourage you, and who can
help arrange for treatment. In
other words, find caring people
in your life who can help you.
 These people might include:
  friends
  parents and other family members
  someone who seems “like a
parent” to you
  other adults whose advice you
would value—perhaps a favorite
teacher or coach, a member of your
church or other place of worship, or
a good friend’s parent.
 Second Step, Take Action
a. The more you know, the
easier it is
 Libraries are an excellent
source of information about
mental health. Bookstores
often have “self-help” or
“psychology” sections.
 Forthose with Internet access, there
are many websites related to health
and mental health. Some are better
in quality than others. It is
important to know if the information
on a site comes from sources you
can trust. Use caution whenever
you’re sharing or exchanging
information online: there’s a chance
that it will not be kept private.
 b. Nothing is worse than nothing
 The consequences of not getting help
for mental health problems can be
serious. Untreated problems often
continue and become worse, and new
problems may occur. For example,
someone with panic attacks might
begin drinking too much alcohol with
the mistaken hope that it will help
relieve his or her emotional pain.
 c. It’s All in the Attitude
 There are many reasons why people do not
get help for mental health problems. Fear,
shame, and embarrassment often prevent
individuals and their families from doing
anything.
 Sometimes being able to get the help,
support, and professional treatment you
need is a matter of changing your mind
about mental health and changing the way
you react to mental health problems.
 Here are some important
reminders:
  Mental health is as
important as physical
health. In fact, the two are
closely linked.
 Mental health problems are
real, and they deserve to
be treated.
 It’snot a person’s fault if he or
she has a mental health
problem. No one is to blame.
  Mental health problems are
not a sign of weakness. They
are not something you can “just
snap out of” even if you try.
 Whether you’re male or
female, it’s ok to ask for help
and get it.
  There’s hope. People
improve and recover with the
help of treatment, and they
are able to enjoy happier and
healthier lives.
 HEALTHY EATING AND MENTAL
HEALTH
Healthy eating nourishes the
body, including the brain, and
supports mental health through:
  Improved overall health and
vitality
  Increased ability to concentrate
 Reduced irritability
and mood swings
  Lowered risk of
mental illness
Physical Activity and Mental
Health:
 Physical activity can make you feel
good physically and build
confidence. Evidence suggests that
physical activity may contribute to
improved mood and increased self-
esteem, self-confidence and sense
of control (UK Dept of Health,
2004; Fox, 1999).
 Sleep and Mental Health
Most teens need 9-11 hours of sleep
every night. Problems from not being
fully rested include:
  Irritability
  Difficulty concentrating and
learning
  Don’t move information from
short-term to long-term memory as
well
 Fallingasleep in class
  Mood swings and behavior
problems
  More accident prone
  More prone to depression
Suggestions for getting a good night
sleep:
 Stay away from stimulants like

caffeine in the evening, including

light snack
 Turn off any TV’s, computes, or
cellphones, or just do not have
electronics in the bedroom.
  Disengage from any stimulating
activities like exercise, computer
games or talking on the phone for at
least 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
Reading is much more relaxing and
may help you fall asleep.
 Taking a warm bath or shower
helps prepare the body for sleep.
  If you are not feeling rested and
functioning at your best most days,
talk to your parents. You may need
to speak to a doctor if you are
having problems sleeping in spite of
trying the above tips.
  Try a cup of a hot milk.
THANK YOU