Mental Wellness Promotion:

Prevention and Treatment

Jane Timmons-Mitchell, Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic
October 7, 2014

Depression/Suicidality
3.3% of 13 to 18 year olds experience severe depression
Treatment includes medication and talk therapy
This combination can be very effective
Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) helps people address
thinking patterns that can distort what is happening to make
them feel worse. CBT helps people evaluate what was really
said and challenges thinking you are responsible, it couldnt
be worse, etc.

Anxiety/Stress
Stress is normal; everyone experiences stress when there is a
lot to do or something important is coming up.
Anxiety is when worry becomes overwhelming. Sometimes,
medication is needed. Talk therapy can also be helpful.
CBT can address anxiety as well, by helping come up with
things to do other than worrying, and by letting go of
worries.

Things You Can Do to Help Yourself

Sleep
Exercise
Use social media wisely
Dont use substances: they can interact negatively with other
conditions
Associate with positive peers
Find at least one adult mentor
Discover something that excites you and spend time doing it

Sleep
Sleep is vital to your well-being, as important as the air you
breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. It can even help
you to eat better and manage the stress of being a teen.
It is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm.
Teens need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best.
Most teens do not get enough sleep one study found that only
15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights.
Teens tend to have irregular sleep patterns across the week they
typically stay up late and sleep in late on the weekends, which can
affect their biological clocks and hurt the quality of their sleep.
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep

Exercise
Adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical
activity each day.
Aerobic activity should make up most of your child's 60 or more
minutes of physical activity each day.
Examples: brisk walking, running.
Muscle strengthening like gymnastics or push-ups on 3 days per week
Bone strengthening like jumping rope or running on 3 days per week
Exercise can help reduce depression, anxiety and stress
cdc.gov

Using Social Media Wisely

Use Facebook to share, not to compare
Be careful not to overshare: 39% of teens do not use privacy settings
Say no to cyberbullyingtell a teacher or a parent
Be positive; use the Golden Rule
Keep your lovelife off line
Keep your photos cleanif you wouldnt want a college admissions
officer of a future employer to see them, dont share
Choose your friends wiselyonly allow people you really know.
Research shows the more anonymous friends you have, the greater the
anxiety and more possibility for unintended consequences.
Take time to unplug and recharge off linethere is a chrome plugin that
will block logging into social media sites. Consider using it
occasionally.
Huffington Post, 2/23/2013

Substances
You will have another talk in this series on Substance Abuse
For todays topic, sometimes teens seek to self-medicate feelings
of anxiety or depression with substances. Teens who are
depressed, for example, are more likely to smoke.
This can be very dangerous: many mental health issues can be
made worse by using substances, and your health can be
compromised.

Positive Peers
Teens spend a lot of time with friends, who can be the most
important people in your world.
Others see your friends as a reflection of you. If you have
positive peers, they will help you make good choices.
Positive peers are people who make good choices for themselves
and are engaged in things that help. They might be members of
sports teams and clubs at school; they may have responsibility in
a faith-based institution (church, synagogue, mosque, etc.) ; they
may help out at home and in the community.
Positive peers can help you decide when to seek help from
others.

Mentors and Finding Your Passion

All successful youth have at least one positive adult who they can talk
to about things that are bothering them.
It doesnt have to be someone in your family; it could be someone at
school, a neighbor, a boss.
It should be someone you can contact regularly who you are
comfortable asking what they think of your plans.
A mentor can be someone who does a job you are interested in. If you
want to become a teacher, for example, you might spend time with a
teacher and ask questions about the profession.
Its important to find something you are excited about and can pursue.

Learn to Do Slow Breathing

Very easy and effective way to increase relaxation
You will need a way to time seconds
--second hand
--digital stopwatch
--say to self 1 MISSISSIPPI, 2 MISSISSIPPI, etc
--begin by breathing in on a 5 count and out on a 5 count
--gradually increase to breathing in on a 10 count and out on a
10 count
--repeat consecutively for at least two minutes

Identify People Who Can Help

If you are feeling overwhelmed or helpless, talk to someone.
A friend (but know that a friend may need to tell someone else)
Parents
Teachers
School Counselor
Clergy
Your doctor
Call National Lifeline: 1-800- 273-8255 24/7

Effective Help is Available

There are things to do that will help

Reaching out to others can help you get connected to effective
treatment if needed.