May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
During May, Sunshine State Counseling Center joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Mental health plays a role in many aspects of daily life and refers to our emotional and social well-being. Our mental health impacts how we think, feel, and behave, as well as plays a role in decision-making, stress management, and connecting with others.
It is normal for mental health to shift over time, just as it is normal to have days where our physical health varies. Difficult situations or factors such as nutrition, gut health, stress, sleep, relationships, trauma, and more can contribute to poor mental health. Creating positive habits is a great way to support your mental health when you’re doing well and helps you build skills to use if you do face symptoms of a mental health condition. Strategies for coping include establishing a support network, scheduling time for yourself, acceptance of feelings, and seeking counseling.
For more information about beginning your own journey towards improving your mental health with the support of a therapist, please visit our website www.sscc.center or call our office at (239) 495- 7722. We are a group of Masters levels psychotherapists experienced and trained in supporting individuals, families, and couples in identifying and developing their own resources to find healthier paths in their emotional life.
Recognizing Mental Health Warning Signs (from Mental Health America)
The following are signs that your loved one may want to speak to a medical or mental health professional.
It is especially important to pay attention to sudden changes in thoughts and behaviors. Also keep in mind that the onset of several of the symptoms below, and not just anyone’s changes, indicates a problem that should be assessed. The symptoms below should not be due to recent substance use or another medical condition.
In Adults, Young Adults And Adolescents:
- Confused thinking
- Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)
- Feelings of extreme highs and lows
- Excessive fears, worries and anxieties
- Social withdrawal
- Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Strong feelings of anger
- Strange thoughts (delusions)
- Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinations)
- Growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
- Suicidal thoughts
- Numerous unexplained physical ailments
- Substance use
In Older Children And Pre-Adolescents:
- Substance use
- Inability to cope with problems and daily activities
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
- Excessive complaints of physical ailments
- Changes in ability to manage responsibilities – at home and/or at school
- Defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism
- Intense fear
- Prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death
- Frequent outbursts of anger
In Younger Children:
- Changes in school performance
- Poor grades despite strong efforts
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
- Excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)
- Hyperactivity
- Persistent nightmares
- Persistent disobedience or aggression
- Frequent temper tantrums
If you or someone you know is in crisis now, seek help immediately. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center or dial 911 for immediate assistance.
Resource:
https://www.mhanational.org/recognizing-warning-signs-and-how-cope