Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges - Softcover

Mental Health America

 
9780593531419: Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0593531418 ISBN 13: 9780593531419
Verlag: Rocky Pond Books, 2024

Inhaltsangabe

A comforting and useful resource for anyone who’s struggling emotionally and looking for help―from the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit that addresses the needs of those living with mental illness

It can be extremely hard to figure out what’s going on in our own heads when we are suffering—when we feel alone and unworthy and can’t stop our self-critical inner voice. And it’s even more difficult to know where to go for answers.

This book is a perfect first step. Here you’ll find clear, honest, reassuring information about all the most common mental illnesses and what you can do to find help and to practice self-care.

Where to Start features:

  • jargon-free information about all the most common mental illnesses, including a first self-assessment test;
  • tips on how to get professional help and how to talk about your mental health with friends and family;
  • essential tools, including handy worksheets and DIY mental health content; and
  • insightful, funny drawings by acclaimed cartoonist Gemma Correll.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all. Their programs and initiatives fulfill their mission of promoting mental health and preventing mental illness through advocacy, education, research, and services. MHA’s national office and its 200+ affiliates and associates around the country work every day to protect the rights and dignity of individuals with lived experience and ensure that peers and their voices are integrated into all areas of the organization.

Gemma Correll is a cartoonist, writer, illustrator, and pug-owner. Her books include A Pug’s Guide to Etiquette, The Feminist Activity Book, and The Worrier’s Guide to Life. Her comics appear on The Nib and Tinyview Comics, and she has created cartoons for Hallmark, The New York Times, Evernote, and Mental Health America. Her merchandise is sold by Badge Bomb and Ohh Deer.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

CONTENTS



HOW TO USE THIS BOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

PART ONE: AM I OKAY?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Problems. . . . . . . . . 9
Mood Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Anxiety Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Disorders of Attention           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Eating Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Psychosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Mental Health Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

PART TWO: TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. . . . . . . . . . . .59
Prepping to Talk to Others About Mental Health. . . . . . . . . . . 64
Talking to Parents and Caregivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Worksheet: Preparing to Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Worksheet: Sample Letter to Help Start a Conversation . . .84
PART THREE: GETTING PROFESSIONAL HELP. . . . . . . . . . .87
The What, Why, and How of Therapy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Online Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Therapy Apps       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Text Lines, Hotlines, and Warmlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Medication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Hospitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

PART FOUR: DIY MENTAL HEALTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Getting Out of Bed and Struggling to Leave Your Room . . .123
Coping with Panic Attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Battling Loneliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Dealing with Self-Hate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Dealing with Suicidal Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Worksheet: Feeling Safe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Worksheet: Practicing Radical Acceptance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Avoiding Thinking Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Worksheet: Dealing with Worst-Case Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . 168
Managing Difficult Emotions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Escaping Toxic Influences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Worksheet: Detoxify Your Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Final Thoughts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

How to Use This Book


There’s no right or wrong way to read this book. Start anywhere you want, and don’t feel the need to read straight through. There might be one section that’s really important for you. It’s okay to go there first.
Read small chunks at a time, and give yourself a period afterward to think, or rest. It takes time to learn new information, so be patient with yourself.
You may want to keep a journal as you read. If you do, write down your thoughts, feelings, and especially your questions.
Skip and skim at will. Read out of order. Focus on the section that interests you the most, or targets the problem or question you’re struggling with.
This is not a how-to book with specific steps to follow. It’s a guide, and the best guides are the ones you come back to at different times for different reasons. In other words, keep it on your shelf for later.
Share it with people you care about, especially sections you think could help a friend or someone you trust to understand and support you better.
Make this book your book. The margins are wide on purpose! Write notes or pictures in them. Highlight the parts that speak to you, or the ones you might want to revisit.
INTRODUCTION
Dear Reader,
Maybe it’s too hard to believe right now that other people can understand what you’re going through. And maybe it’s even harder to believe that they can actually help. It’s hard to trust, especially when others haven’t earned your trust, or when you’re feeling bad and don’t know what to do. But if you’ve picked up this book, you already believe in the possibility that there’s someone out there who can understand. There’s someone out there who can help.
This book is made up of four parts. Each part answers a question. The first question is “Am I okay?” This part of the book will give you accurate information about the most common mental health problems. It’s designed to tell you what you need to know in plain language, without mystery and confusion.
The second question is “How do we talk to one another about mental health?” This part of the book prepares you for having difficult conversations with the important people in your life. Having these kinds of conversations is a gateway to getting help. It’s also a good way to lessen the loneliness and isolation that happens when you suffer in silence.
“How do I get professional help?” is the question answered in part three. Here you’ll learn about different kinds of treatment and who is the right person to provide it. You’ll learn all about therapy—how to find a good therapist and get the most from your sessions—medication, and hospitalization. And you’ll learn about therapy apps, text lines, hotlines, and warmlines.
The last part of the book answers the question “How can I take better care of myself?” In this section, you’ll learn general things like managing difficult emotions and avoiding thinking traps, and specific things like what to do if you can’t get out of bed and how to cope with a panic attack.
A Note on Language
Words matter. Language matters. In this book you’ll find plain language that affirms who you are as a unique person. You won’t find a lot of psychological jargon, and you won’t find research citations or clinical terms. There are plenty of other books that are written that way, and they have very different goals. The goals of this book are simple: to give you good information on how to start taking care of your mental health, and to empower you to take the first steps on your journey to feeling better.
Throughout this book we will use person-centered language. Person-centered language places the whole person above any illness, disability, or label. We will say a person living with schizophrenia, rather than a schizophrenic. We will say a person living with a substance use disorder, rather than an addict. Person-centered language values the dignity and uniqueness of all people. And most importantly, it discourages thinking that a person’s disability or condition is a characteristic of their identity.
A...

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Verlag
Rocky Pond Books
Erscheinungsdatum
2024
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0593531418
ISBN 13 
9780593531419
Einband
Taschenbuch
Zeichner
Correll Gemma
Anzahl der Seiten
208
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Nicht verfügbar

Weitere beliebte Ausgaben desselben Titels

9780593531402: Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges

Vorgestellte Ausgabe

ISBN 10:  059353140X ISBN 13:  9780593531402
Verlag: Rocky Pond Books, 2023
Hardcover