DECEMBER

MENTAL HEALTH

For the month of December, we will focus on mental health. The following pages contain verbiage, tips, a printable poster and other articles and resources that you can reference and share with your

co-workers and employees.

WHAT AND WHY:•Mental illness is more common than most people expect. Everyone can suffer from mental illness at any point of their life. A large survey in the United Kingdom found 1 in 6 people of working age suffer from a mental illness. The stigma and misunderstanding of mental illness in society discourages patients from seeking help and receiving treatment. Even if the patients have plucked up courage to seek treatment, they often conceal their illness from their family and peers. This month, let’s take time to learn more and attempt to understand what those with mental illness may be enduring. [INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITY, WHERE TO SIGN UP AND HOW TO START.]

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES:

•Watch one or more of these TED talks:• A talk from someone that suffers from schizophrenia - http

://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_seeing_mental_illness • A talk from a researcher, noting how we can better treat and be more proactive -

http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_insel_toward_a_new_understanding_of_mental_illness

•Reach out:• Call, email or write to someone to let them know you are thinking about

them. Ideally we would do this throughout the year, but the holiday’s can be especially long and lonely and simply knowing someone cares can be very helpful.

ARTICLES:•The Misconceptions About Mental Illness We Need to Unlearn: http://lifehacker.com/the-misconceptions-about-mental-illness-we-need-to-unle-1711647132

OTHER RESOURCES:•Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong has a nice website outlining mental health information 101: http://www3.ha.org.hk/cph/imh/mhi/index.asp

THE MORE YOU KNOW! 25 TIPS, TIDBITS OF TRIVIA AND TWEETS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. SHARE ONE VIA EMAIL EACH DAY OR POST THEM NEXT TO

THE WATER COOLER.

1.Mental health problems are actually very common. One in five American adults experienced a mental health issue.

2.Share your experience with mental illness. Your story can convey to others that having a mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about.

3.Respond to false statements about mental illness or people with mental illness. Many people have wrong and damaging ideas on the subject. Accurate facts and information may help change both their ideas and actions.

4.The vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness.

5.A mental illness is not a character flaw. It is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, biological, social and environmental factors. Seeking and accepting help is a sign of resilience and strength.

6.Many factors contribute to the onset of a mental illness. These may include stress, bereavement, relationship breakdown, unemployment, social isolation, a major physical illness, physical and sexual abuse, or disability.

MORE TIPS:

9.Know the facts: Every 30 seconds, someone takes their own life because of depression. 8.Discuss the issue: Depression is the best-documented problem in the world, yet the least discussed.

9.Isolation is bad; reliance on peer support is good. Stay connected, talk things out, and you’ll be supported.

10.Journal - write about your experiences (positive and negative) noting what you saw, heard, felt, etc., plus what you learned from it and can use in similar situations.

11.Know the facts: 50% of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% of mental health conditions develop by age 24.

12.Get enough sleep. Symptoms of some mental health conditions, like mania in bipolar disorder, can be triggered by getting too little sleep.

13.When employees with mental health problems receive effective treatment, it can result in lower total medical costs, increased productivity, lower absenteeism, and decreased disability costs.

MORE TIPS:

14.Only 38% of adults with diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and adolescents receive needed treatment.

16.Depression is a serious medical illness with morbidity and mortality. Not all people show obvious signs of being depressed either and if someone is often sad or emotional, it doesn't necessarily mean they are depressed.

17.While some seek medication or go to therapy to cope, others try exercise, yoga or meditation.

18.According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), many of those suffering from depression do feel overwhelming sadness, but many don’t feel any specific emotion at all. A better description would be a feeling of emptiness and apathy.

19.Some of the most successful people in various fields have had depression or bipolar disorder, including Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey.

20.Schizophrenia is brain-based disease, so in addition to hallucinations, it affects multiple brain functions, such as the ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others.

MORE TIPS:

20.Know the facts: In America approximately 200,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are homeless.

21.Schizophrenia can be hard to treat, but it's not impossible. With the right medicine and therapy, about 25% of people with schizophrenia will have a full recovery.

22.People with bipolar disorder have two extremes of the mood dimension - mania (a feeling of elation that causes feelings of excitement and increased activity, to the point of making dangerous decisions) and depression, excessive sleep and lethargy.

23.Keep physically fit. Mental health and physical health are inter-dependent. Healthy diet, adequate sleep and regular exercises bring you good physical health and mental health.

24.Be positive in thinking. You might not always able to change what happen to you every day, but you can change the way you see what happens to you. Positive psychology has good evidence on mental well-being.

25.Friends and family can be important influences to help someone get the treatment and services they need by reaching out and letting them know you are available to help, helping them access mental health services, learning and sharing the facts about mental health.

APPENDIX:

We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites:

www.mentalhealth.govwww.neomed.eduwww.webmd.comwww3.ha.org.hkwww.mentalhealthy.co.ukwww.ibpf.org www.huffingtonpost.comwww.sahealth.sa.gov.auwww.forbes.comwww.lmhc.orgwww.nami.orgwww.ted.com www.eyeofthestorminc.com