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MentalHealthandAdolescentsPPT33.pptxMental Health in Adolescents Health Education
Mental Health Literacy (MHL)
Knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid in their recognition, management, and prevention
Hi. I will be discussing an outline of a proposal for health education that can be used in family-centered health promotion to address mental health among adolescents. I will be referencing a review by Nobre et al. for this presentation.
The first thing I would like to discuss is mental health literacy (MHL), which is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid in their recognition, management, and prevention (Nobre et al., 2021). In other words, mental health literacy means the knowledge and skills needed to promote good mental health.
The aim of this health education program is to improve mental health literacy among adolescents.
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Four Components of MHL
There are four components to mental health literacy.
1. Knowledge on achieving and maintaining good mental health.
2. Knowledge about mental disorders and their treatments.
3. Reducing stigma associated with mental disorders.
4. Help-seeking.
I will explore and discuss these four components more in depth on the following slides.
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1. Knowledge on Achieving/Maintaining Good Mental Health
2. Knowledge about Mental Disorders and Their Treatments
3. Reducing Stigma Associated with Mental Disorders
4. Help-Seeking
Achieving & Maintaining Good Mental Health
One way that we can increase MHL is by teaching adolescents about activities and ways that we can achieve and maintain good mental health.
There are many ways to achieve and maintain good mental health; here are some examples (2017):
- spend time with friends, loved ones and people you trust
- talk about or express your feelings regularly
- reduce alcohol consumption
- avoid illicit drug use
- keep active and eat well
- develop new skills and challenge your capabilities
- relax and enjoy your hobbies
- set realistic goals
- take time out
- get enough sleep
- meditation
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Knowledge about Mental Disorders and Their Treatments
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Another way we can improve mental health literacy among adolescents is by teaching them about different mental disorders and their risk factors, symptoms, and treatments. This improves MHL because adolescents will be able to recognize the different mental disorders and be aware of the factors that put them more at risk for certain disorders. Educating them on treatment lets them know that there are solutions and that mental health is 100% treatable.
Some of the mental disorders that can be taught include:
Depression
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Borderline personality disorder
ADD and ADHD
Seasonal effective disorder
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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Reducing Stigma Associated with Mental Disorders
The third component of increasing MHL is reducing stigma associated with mental disorders.
Stigma is defined as “a mark of shame, disgrace or disapproval which results in an individual being rejected, discriminated against, and excluded from participating in a number of different areas of society”.
Reducing the stigma associated with mental health disorders is important in improving MHL because it normalizes seeking help for mental health issues. Adolescents must understand that mental health problems are common and are not something to be ashamed of.
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increasing the effectiveness of help seeking
The last component of improving MHL is increasing the effectiveness of help-seeking.
Adolescents must understand that that they are not alone and that there is accessible help available to them. They must be aware the seeking help is not something to be ashamed of, but is a sign of strength.
Additionally, adolescents must know when to seek help and who to ask for help.
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References
Maintaining Mental Health and Wellbeing. Think Mental Health. (2017, October 21). https://www.thinkmentalhealthwa.com.au/about-mental-health-wellbeing/ways-to-look-after-your-mental-health/maintaining-mental-health-and-wellbeing/
Nobre, J., Sequeira, C., & Ferré-Grau, C. (2021). Promotion of Mental Health Literacy in Adolescents: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/eh9yv
