Life Skills - Mental Health Unit

Day One: Questionnaire and Brainstorming Activity

Day Two: Anxiety Disorders Mini-Lecture

Definition
Anxiety is common. Chronic, high-level anxiety might indicate a disorder.

Different types of anxiety disorders- some characterized by intrusive thoughts

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobia
Agoraphobia/Panic Disorder
Social Phobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Causes:
Genetic Predisposition
Neurotransmitters- people who do not produce enough GABA may experience more anxiety
Problems with the functioning of certain brain circuits that regulate fear and other emotions.

Severe or long-term stress can affect brain circuits- "Toxic Stress"
Strong, unrelieved activation of body's stress management system (from strong, prolonged. frequent abuse, neglect and or caregiver substance abuse and/or mental illness, and/or prolonged significant economic hardship) in children who lack adequate adult support.

Learning- Conditioning
Observational learning

Environmental factors- exposure to trauma may trigger an anxiety disorder


Prevalence: Most common mental illness, affecting 18% of the population

Symptoms

High co-morbidity with mood disorders

Diagnosis: Looking for severity of symptoms and duration of symptoms. Are symptoms affecting daily functioning?

Symptoms lasting 6 months or longer

Treatment

Day 2 and 3
Crash Courses in Psychology (Anxiety and OCD)
Exit Ticket

Screeners and Checklists

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/anxiety.htm

Watch:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/toxic-stress-derails-healthy-development/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r8hj72bfGo

Interactive "game": http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resilience-game/

Day 3 Introduce Project

Days 4 and 5 work on projects.
Create a powerpoint or prezi on your topic. You must include the following information in your presentation:

Title
Definition
Prevalence
Causes
Treatment
Facts, Statistics, Quotes


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