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THE MENTAL HEALTH COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA STATE THAT ONE IN FIVE AUSTRALIANS WILL SUFFER FROM A MENTAL ILLNESS AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES. DI KOSKI, CONSULTANT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, TAKES A LOOK AT THE MUCH MISUNDERSTOOD CONDITION OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND HOPES TO SPREAD MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AMONGST OUR SCHOOLS....
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n writing this article I am hoping to help spread mental health awareness amongst our schools and communities in WA, to ask people to talk about mental illness and gain an understanding that we can all make a difference – that we have a responsibility to support each other’s mental health and wellbeing. I also hope to highlight some of the indicators of mental illness so that people can recognise and understand when they or their friends may need help from their GP in order to seek support from mental health professionals. There are two main reasons for my belief that we need to be doing more for
The Mental Health Council of Australia state that one in five Australians will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives. Among young Australians aged between 12-25 years, depression and anxiety are the most common mental health problems. In any given 12 month period one in ten young Australians will experience an anxiety disorder. At least one third of young people have had an episode of mental illness by the age of 25 years. Mental illnesses are of different types and degrees of severity. Some of the major types are:
our young generation in the area of mental health: if we are unable to support them during school years it becomes increasingly difficult for families to connect to services and appropriate support after Year 12; I also have a family member with schizophrenia therefore fully understand the extreme difficulties and complexities of mental health issues which need early intervention during school years. I believe we can and should be doing so much more! The Government will never distribute enough money to support all the issues that require funding, therefore it is our responsibility to increase our understanding of mental health and wellbeing and the many small ways we can make a difference.
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anxiety
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depression
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post traumatic stress disorder
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eating disorders
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bipolar disorder
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schizophrenia
A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person thinks, behaves and interacts with other people. It is diagnosed according to standardised criteria by a Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist. Some of the more common symptoms that could indicate mental illness are being unable to sleep, unable to eat and/or emotionally distressed.
Research by World Health Organisation (WHO) compared the amount of disability caused by a mental health problem to the amount of disability caused by a physical health problem. As you can see, the results are outstanding:
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These illnesses may also be referred to as a mental disorder, mental impairment or psychiatric disability. The Mental Health First Aid say the burden of mental illness is often underestimated. Mental illness can be more disabling for the sufferer than many chronic physical illnesses.
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The disability rendered by moderate depression is similar to the disability from relapsing Multiple Sclerosis, life
threatening asthma, chronic Hepatitis B or deafness; •
Severe post-traumatic stress disorder disability is comparable to disability from paraplegia;
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Severe Schizophrenia is comparable to quadriplegia;
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Mental illness results from complex interactions between the mind, body and environment. Some factors which can contribute to mental illness are:
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Long-term and acute stress
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Biological factors such as genetics, chemistry and hormones;
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Use of alcohol, drugs and other substances;
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Cognitive patterns such as constant negative thoughts and low selfesteem;
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Social factors such as isolation, financial problems, family breakdown or violence.
These factors can be minimised by a strong and supportive school and community environment by understanding some of the indicators that could be part of a student’s anxiety and/or mental health problems, such as: •
Excessive absence, school refusal, truancy or illness related to the anxiety;
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Anxiety or fear about particular school activities (can extend to panic attacks – phobia i.e. leaving home);
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Difficulty keeping scheduled appointments (secondary students);
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Difficulty beginning or completing activities or assessments;
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Inability to think and act (high anxiety can paralyse these functions);
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Physical responses such as becoming ill or highly agitated (sweating palms, palpitations, muscle spasms);
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Physical responses that inhibit learning (material is not absorbed and/or the material is not recalled);
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Responding to perceived stressful situations with either anger, aggression or withdrawal;
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Difficulty participating fully in curriculum activities due to fatigue from being hyper-aware of their surroundings. It is important to remember that emotional energy can be as draining as physical exertion.
The following is a list of successful strategies that have been implemented in some of our schools across WA for students with anxiety and/or mental health problems. These are strategies that have been recommended by Clinical Psychologists in WA. The mental health professionals have been given permission to release the strategies for Consultants, Visiting Teachers and classroom teachers to use for these students.
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Exit plan (chill-out card);
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Providing structured time-out;
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Assigning buddies to support unstructured time such as lunch breaks;
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Explicit teaching of stress management skills such as relaxation and problem solving skills;
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Identifying high risk activities and times, and developing strategies accordingly e.g. handover or transition at the beginning of the day;
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Programs with strategies tailored to manage anxiety e.g. MindMatters, PATHS – through School Psychologists, Bounceback, eHeadspace, FRIENDS Program;
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Work with the parents/carers and the clinical care provider to understand how the disorder manifests for this student – regular meetings with School TEAM that work with the student – College Psychologist, Non Government School Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist;
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Access to external agency support (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) need regular meetings that are School-based with all stakeholders to decide more specific strategies if needed.
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Develop strategies to reinforce attendance at school, e.g. providing preferred subjects on arrival and a reward schedule;
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Modifying curriculum where necessary by shortening task lengths, alternatives to oral presentations or other assessments which may cause anxiety;
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Recognising small achievements (initially may require recognising very small achievements, such as saying hello to someone on arrival at school, or even the fact that the student arrived at school in the first place.);
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Scaffolding, setting limits of work, particularly around any subjects or topics that cause extreme anxiety – group work to be modified to individual work in Library;
There is an increasing awareness that schools can engage in deliberate strategies to build a secure and supportive school environment and to promote attitudes and behaviours which enhance mental health and wellbeing. MindMatters adopts a comprehensive, Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing, focusing on entire school communities, not just individual students with identified needs. It aims to enhance the development of school environments where young people feel safe, valued, engaged and purposeful.
MindMatters website : www.mindmatters.edu.au KidsMatters website: www.kidsmatters.ed.ua Bounceback Program website : www.bounceback.com.au eHeadspace is an online Counselling site which is available 7 days a week from 1pm – 9pm (WA time) or you can email at anytime. eHeadspace website: www. eheadspace.org.au Mental Illness Fellowship of Western Australia Inc. MIFWA supports families, parents, carers and people with a mental illness. They also deliver a program called Well Ways for better understanding of mental health. For more information call (08) 9228 0200 or visit their website at: www.mifwa.org.au BY DI KOSKI CONTRIBUTORS: Karen Reid (SCRIBE Magazine) PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Brett CanetGibson, Feature Image (Page 79) Courtesy of Pimenova.
The MindMatters booklets. CDROMs and website, together with the accompanying Professional Development, have been widely adopted in Australian Schools. Schools using MindMatters have been described as enabling ‘a new language about student mental health and wellbeing to develop within the school’ requiring staff to develop ‘new ideas and share strategies’ (Hazell 2006).
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