May: Mental Health

THE SPHS PEER MEDIATORS PRESENT...

MENTAL HEALTH

A NOTE TO SELF ZINE

N O T E T O S E L F "it's okay not to be okay"

-unknown We were always taught to “be okay”, but sometimes, it’s okay to recognize that you are not perfectly fine. However, society has taught us otherwise. We were always taught that physical health is more important and more “real” than mental health. Mental health has always been viewed as something that should not be talked about. But why?

Decades ago, the idea of mental health did not exist, which created a belief that mental illnesses aren’t real. The stigma against mental health has normalized the idea that mental illnesses are avoidable, and that they are generally bad. This creates a stigma against those who suffer from mental illnesses. Due to the negative connotations associated with mental illness, many people are suffering in silence which worsens the already harmful illness.

If we don’t begin to expand the education of others about mental health, society’s ignorance will lead to more people that have to suffer from these very real and very harmful illnesses. We hope that this zine can help educate others on mental illnesses, so that you can recognize how to help yourself and others.

WHAT IS DEPRESSION? Depression is common and a serious mental health illness. It affects how you feel and how you act. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.

ART BY

TWYLA METCALFE

COMMON SYMPTOMS remember, this can look different for everyone! general sadness Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting inconsistent sleep Loss of energy Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g. pacing) slowed movements or speech Feeling worthless or guilty Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions Thoughts of death or suicide

If you or anyone you know has these symptoms, reach out for help: resources on pages 15-16

Suicidal ideation can look like: Talking about wanting to die Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live Talking about guilt/shame, or about feeling trapped Looking for ways to harm themselves Withdrawing from loved ones Extreme mood swings Giving away important possessions, or saying goodbye

THE ABOVE BEHAVIORS CAN BE WARNING SIGNS THAT SOMEONE IS THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE. IF YOU THINK THESE MAY APPLY TO YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, PLEASE GET HELP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

ANXIETY DISORDER Anxiety is a feeling of worry and nervousness where Anxiety Disorder is a serious mental health disorder where worry and anxiety and fear get so stong that they interfer with daily activitites. It is extremely common.

ART BY ANONYMOUS

Anxiety Disorder is different from everyday stress. Everyday stress calls awareness to a situation that needs attention, it causes us to slow down.

Anxiety Disorder causes anxiety and panic attacks which can be triggered by everyday stress.

PANIC ATTACKS Panic Attacks are random and can be caused by different triggers (these are different for everybody). Panic attacks usually come abruptly and symptoms can be severe.

ANXIETY ATTACKS Anxiety Attacks are different then panic attacks, they are caused by an intense fear or worry about something.

How to help someone having a panic attack or an anxiety attack: - Stay with the person and stay calm - Do not make assumptions about what a person needs, ask what they need.

- Help the person's breathing by doing different exercises.

- Be predictable and call for help if you can't handle it.

EATING DISORDERS Eating disorders can look like anything.

There is no ‘look’ to a person with an eating disorder.

5.2% of teenagers have behaviors that classify as an eating disorder.

An ED is a mental illness, not just wanting to be thin.

ED’s are not a trend.

ED behavior has been glorified on social media, so be careful what media you consume and be mindful of what you post! ** If you or someone you know is showing ED signs, get help!

Recognizing when you need help/need to start improving your mental health

DIFFERENT EATING DISORDERS Anorexia is the restriction of food and/or compensatory behaviors which results in an attempt to manipulate the body.

Bulimia is binging behaviors paired with compensatory behaviors following a binge, again to manipulate the body Binge eating which is the use of binging behaviors that often feel out of control Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder which is the avoidance or restriction of food which impacts the individual’s ability to provide themselves with enough food, often it starts in childhood and continues to adulthood.

Other specified eating or feeding disorder is when individuals have multiple eating disorders.

*IF YOU NOTICE ANY OF THESE SIGNS, REACH OUT TO A TRUSTED SOMEONE TO GET HELP

BODY DYSMORPHIA Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health disorder where you can not stop thinking about one or more flaw in apperance that can not be noticed by others.

WHEN YOU BECOME TOO OBSESSIVE, IT CAN DEVELOP INTO SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS, LIKE AN EATING DISORDER. *IF YOU NOTICE ANY OF THESE SIGNS, REACH OUT TO A TRUSTED SOMEONE TO GET HELP

THIS NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL: BY: ISHA ZAFRA In school, we never learned about mental illness.

To this day, I have barely been educated about mental illness in schools. In order to learn anything about these extremely common illnesses, I had to research on my own. The only thing I was ever taught about mental illnesses in school was that they are bad, and aren’t good for you. Schools commonly teach students about mental illnesses with negative connotations and as if they are a choice. I have had anxiety for a long time, but I always thought that this was what everyday stress felt like, because I was not educated at all on it. Schools can help by educating students on common mental illnesses, and how to reach out for help so that students can recognize what’s going on before it gets worse.

PEER MEDIATORS UNRESOLVED AND ONGOING BLOG: THE POSTS THAT HIGHLIGHT MENTAL HEALTH

HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY BY: MIA RAMOS

HOW TIK TOK ENCOURAGES EATING DISORDERS BY: MELISSA HUTCHINS

CHECK OUT OUR MOST RECENT POST BY ADAM KWOH

MOVIES & BOOKS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND MENTAL ILLNESSES

MOVIES: Perks of Being a Wallflower (depression) To the bone (ED) Silver Linings playbook One flew over the cuckoo's nest The soloist

BOOKS: Everybody sees the Ants Paperweight Perks of being a wallflower I felt a funeral in my brain We are the ants Turtles all the way down It's Kind of a Funny Story

WAYS TO REACH OUT FOR HELP WHERE TO GO: Go to the school resources, couselors, a trusted teacher, or Ms. Prime Go to a trusted adult or friend and ask for help from them Find a social worker, therapist, doctor, or psyciatrist .

HOW TO ASK: Some sentence starters to ask for help.

I need to get help.

I feel like... I would like to get help from... can you help me find help I am going to get help from...

I have been feeling..

SCHOOL RESOURCES: MS. NATASHA STEBBINS SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST NSTEBBINS@SPUSD.NET 626-765-7319 MR. ROA SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST JONATHANROA@SPUSD.NET 626-765-1644 MS. NATASHA PRIME SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER NPRIME@SPUSD.NET MS. OLINDA CAZARES COUNSELOR OFFICE LOCATED IN THE COUNSELING CENTER EMAIL: OCAZARES@SPUSD.NET

RESOURCES: YOU CAN CONTACT THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE (1-800-273-TALK (8255) AND THE CRISIS TEXT LINE (741741) IF YOU ARE CONCERNED FOR SOMEONE YOU KNOW. THERE ARE RESOURCES TO HELP SOMEONE YOU KNOW GET HELP FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.

YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE GET IN CONTACT WITH A HELPLINE OR A CARE PROVIDER. AS WELL AS FEDERAL RESOURCES LIKE THE SAMHSA TREATMENT REFERRAL HELPLINE AT 1-800-662-HELP (4357).