THEME OF THE MONTH

October | Depression

What is it?

Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It can be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person's daily activities.

Helplines

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 833-456-4566

Symptoms:

  • Feelings of sadness that include crying spells for no reason

  • Feeling hopeless or empty

  • Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities

  • Low self-esteem

  • Fixation on past failures or exaggerated self-blame or self-criticism

  • Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide

  • Tiredness or loss of energy

  • Changes in appetite (can be weight loss or weight gain)

  • Social isolation

  • Self-harm

  • Use of alcohol or drugs

Statistics

  • It is estimated 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by mental illness or disorder

  • The total number of 12-19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is 3.2 million

  • About 21% of people who have a substance abuse problem also experience depression

  • Globally more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression

  • Suicide is among the leading causes of death for 15-24 year olds in Canada

What is Depression?

Depression for Teens

5 Signs of Depression in Teens

NOVEMBER | Ptsd

What is it?

Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. For example: serious accidents, physical or sexual assault, abuse including childhood or domestic abuse.

Helplines

Crisis Text Line: CONNECT to 741741

https://www.veteranscrisisline.net

SYMPTOMS

  • Hypervigilance

  • Flashbacks

  • Avoidance behaviours

  • Angry outbursts

  • Being irritable

  • Trouble sleeping

  • Nightmares

*It's important to note that symptoms differ for everyone... above are common symptoms*



wHAT IS ptsd?

Veterans Health Administration

The science behind ptsd

Ted Ed

COPING WITH PTSD

Psch2Go

December | Anxiety

What is it?

Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes.

Helplines

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Mental Health Association - Manitoba Division: 204-982-6100

Anxiety Panic Disorder: https://anxietypanicsupport.com/


Symptoms

  • Recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns

  • Feeling nervous, restless and tense

  • Having a sense of impending doom or panic

  • Having an increased heart rate

  • Sweating, trembling, hyperventilation

  • Feeling weak or tired

  • Trouble sleeping

  • Experiencing gastrointestinal problems

  • Trouble concentrating

  • Difficulty controlling worry

  • The urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety


Types of Anxiety

  • Agoraphobia

  • Anxiety disorder due to medical condition

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder

  • Panic disorder

  • Selective mutism

  • Separation anxiety

  • Specific phobias

  • Substance-inducing anxiety disorders

  • Other specified and unspecified anxiety disorders


Statistics

  • Women are twice as likely to develop an anxiety disorder than men

  • Only 1/3 of those suffering from anxiety receive adequate treatment or council

  • An estimated 284 million people worldwide experienced an anxiety disorder in 2017 making it the most prevalent disorder in the world

  • Around 8% of children and teens experience an anxiety disorder


Coping with anxiety

TEDx Talks

What is an ANXIETY DISORDER?

PsychHub

LIVING WITH HIGH FUNCTIONING ANXIETY

TEDx Talks

February | eating disorders

what is it?

Eating disorders are a range of physcolgical disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.


helplines

Women’s Health Clinic – Provincial Eating Disorder Prevention & Recovery Program: 204-947-2422

Health Sciences Centre – Adult Eating Disorders Service Program: 204-787-3482

Health Sciences Centre – Child & Adolescent Eating Disorders Service Program: 204-958-9660

symptoms

  • Excessive exercise

  • Preoccupation with feeling fat

  • Abnormal electrolyte levels

  • Intense fear of weight gain

  • Unusually large intake of food

  • Anxiety all round or avoidance of eating

  • Alterations in weight

  • Obsession with body image

  • Disruptions in eating patterns

  • Preoccupation with nutrional content

  • Mood flucuations

types of eating disorders

  • Anorexia Nervosa

  • Bulemia Nervosa

  • Binge Eating Disorder

  • Rumination Disorder

  • Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

  • Orthorexia

  • Diabulimia

  • OSFED

  • Pica

statistics

  • Approximately 1 million Canadians have a diagnosed eating disorder.

  • Eating disorders have the highest overall mortality rate of any mental illness, being 10-15 percent.

  • Younger Canadians are engaging in dieting which could possibly put them at risk of developing an eating disorder.

  • In Canada, between 12-30 percent of girls and 9-25 percent of boys ages 10-14 are dieting to lose weight.

Life after anorxia

Tedx Talks

experiences with eating disorder

Tedx Talks

3 types of eating disorders and how to spot them

MedCircle

March | Substance abuse

What is it?

Substance abuse is a pattern of harmful use of any substances for mood-altering purposes. These substances can include alcohol, drugs (legal or illegal), and many other types of substances used in harmful ways.

Symptoms

  • Having a compulsion/desire to use said substance regularly

  • Being unable to think about anything besides said substance

  • Being unable to meet work, school, or personal responsibilities due to substance use

  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when away from substance for a period of time


Why is it so hard to quit?

Repeated drug/substance use alters the chemistry of our brains. Substance abuse changes parts of your brain, specifically your “pleasure centers” causing you to not only want to continue using, but in fact makes you feel the “need” to use. It also damages crucial parts of your brain such as the prefrontal cortex, resulting in lack of judgment, as well as failure to recognize dangerous or harmful behaviors. This damage is so significant that structural changes can be seen in brain scans/images.


Recognizing abusive behaviours

Sufferers of substance abuse may have:

  • Problems at school/work

  • New physical health problems/issues

  • Change or neglect in appearance (basic hygiene)

  • Money issues (constantly borrowing/being unable to pay back)

  • Major changes in behaviour


HOW TO HELP

  • Educate yourself about addiction/substance abuse

  • Offer support/ensure they know you are there to help

  • Encourage them to seek treatment/further help

  • Confide in a trusted adult if you believe someone is struggling with substance abuse


What is substance use?

Psych Hub

YOUTH AND SUBSTANCE USE

TEDx Talks

Stigma of Substance use

TEDx Talks

APRIL | AUTISM

WHAT IS IT?

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction, and communication, as well as restricted and repetitive behavior.

SIGNS 0F AUTISM

  • Avoiding eye contact

  • Delayed speech and communication skills

  • Reliance on rules and routines

  • Being upset by relatively minor changes

  • Unexpected reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch and smells

  • Difficulty understanding other people’s emotions

  • Focusing on or becoming obsessed by a narrow range of interests or objects

  • Engaging in repetitive behavior such as flapping hands or rocking

  • Children not responding to their name by 12 months

  • Children not pointing at distant objects by 14 months



Advancing autism awareness

TEDx Talks

Don't Diss Ability

TEDx Talks

what it means to me to be autistic

Chiltern Music Therapy

MAY STRESS

The Body

Everyone has the fight or flight response which is very useful to the body when it faces situations that are stressful. If stress continues long-term, the stress will develop wear and tear in the body resulting in physical, emotional and behavioural outbursts and struggles.

Symptoms

There are a variety of symptoms that can be experienced, depending on the level of stress and how your body deals with it. You may experience:

-aches and pains

-exhaustion or trouble sleeping

-headaches, dizziness or high blood

-muscle tension or jaw clenching

-stomach or digestive problems

-weak immune system

-high blood pressure

Levels of stress can lead to experiencing more serious symptoms like:

-Anxiety or irritability

-Depression

-Panic attacks

-Sadness



Diagnosis

Stress can not be diagnosed through tests. How severe it is can only be determined by the person experiencing the stress. Healthcare workers will use questions to try and better understand what you're feeling, how it is affecting your life and what solutions are. Chronic stress can more easily be detected by a healthcare worker by doing an evaluation like a high blood pressure test.

Stress is an unavoidable part of life. However, you can stop it from controlling your life by practicing healthy strategies such as:

-Exercising

-Gratitude

-Schedule your days

-Breathing exercises

-Eating properly

-Leave the past in the past.

-Say no to tasks or responsibilities when you are busy.



Doctors, and stress

Medical attention or advice is never a bad thing especially if you are feeling overwhelmed. If you are using drugs or alcohol as a coping method or thinking of causing yourself pain, speak to a healthcare provider. They can help you by giving advice, referring you or putting you on medication.

Teenagers and Stress

Teenagers experience stress daily with:

-School—assignments and struggling can result in stress. Seeking extra help can relieve the amount of stress.

-Self-thoughts—Thinking negatively about yourself is very common amongst teenagers.

-Friends—troubles amongst friends and drama is stressful.

-Homelife is one of the highest stress causes with children and teenagers. Fighting parents, money struggles, abuse, passing of loved one, high pressure to succeed, moving or changing schools are causes of stress.