Can you tell the difference between a mental health myth and fact? Learn the truth about the most common mental health myths.
Mental Health Problems Affect Everyone
Myth: Mental health problems don't affect me.
Fact: Mental health problems are actually very common. In 2014, about:

• One in five American adults experienced a mental health issue
• One in 10 young people experienced a period of major depression
• One in 25 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It accounts for the loss of more than 41,000 American lives each year, more than double the number of lives lost to homicide. Learn more about mental health problems.

Myth: Children don't experience mental health problems.
Fact: Even very young children may show early warning signs of mental health concerns. These mental health problems are often clinically diagnosable, and can be a product of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24.
Unfortunately, less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need. Early mental health support can help a child before problems interfere with other developmental needs.

Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.
Fact: The vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and don't even realize it, because many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of our communities.

Myth: People with mental health needs, even those who are managing their mental illness, cannot tolerate the stress of holding down a job.
Fact: People with mental health problems are just as productive as other employees. Employers who hire people with mental health problems report good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees.
When employees with mental health problems receive effective treatment, it can result in:

• Lower total medical costs
• Increased productivity
• Lower absenteeism
• Decreased disability costs

Myth: Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental health problems. People with mental health problems can snap out of it if they try hard enough.
Fact: Mental health problems have nothing to do with being lazy or weak and many people need help to get better. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

• Biological factors, such as genes, physical illness, injury, or brain chemistry
• Life experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse
• Family history of mental health problems

People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

Helping Individuals with Mental Health Problems
Myth: There is no hope for people with mental health problems. Once a friend or family member develops mental health problems, he or she will never recover.
Fact: Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely. Recovery refers to the process in which people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. There are more treatments, services, and community support systems than ever before, and they work.

Myth: Therapy and self-help are a waste of time. Why bother when you can just take a pill?
Fact: Treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual and could include medication, therapy, or both. Many individuals work with a support system during the healing and recovery process.

Myth: I can't do anything for a person with a mental health problem.
Fact: Friends and loved ones can make a big difference. Only 44% of adults with diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and adolescents receive needed treatment. Friends and family can be important influences to help someone get the treatment and services they need by:

• Reaching out and letting them know you are available to help
• Helping them access mental health services
• Learning and sharing the facts about mental health, especially if you hear something that isn't true
• Treating them with respect, just as you would anyone else
• Refusing to define them by their diagnosis or using labels such as "crazy"

Myth: Prevention doesn’t work. It is impossible to prevent mental illnesses.
Fact: Prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders focuses on addressing known risk factors such as exposure to trauma that can affect the chances that children, youth, and young adults will develop mental health problems. Promoting the social-emotional well-being of children and youth leads to:

• Higher overall productivity
• Better educational outcomes
• Lower crime rates
• Stronger economies
• Lower health care costs
• Improved quality of life
• Increased lifespan
• Improved family life

 
If you are in need of mental health support stop by the Community Center, we are located at 38 Park Way in Happy Camp. We are open Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-4pm, closed for lunch from 12pm-1pm. The Community Center contracts with Siskiyou County Behavioral Health and we can refer you to their services.
 
For this Article and more information visit: www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/myths-facts/index.html

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

• Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
• Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
• Family history of mental health problems

Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

Early Warning Signs
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little
• Pulling away from people and usual activities
• Having low or no energy
• Feeling numb or like nothing matters
• Having unexplained aches and pains
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
• Yelling or fighting with family and friends
• Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
• Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
• Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
• Thinking of harming yourself or others
• Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Learn more about specific mental health problems and where to find help.

Mental Health and Wellness
Positive mental health allows people to:

• Realize their full potential
• Cope with the stresses of life
• Work productively
• Make meaningful contributions to their communities

Ways to maintain positive mental health include:

• Getting professional help if you need it
• Connecting with others
• Staying positive
• Getting physically active
• Helping others
• Getting enough sleep
• Developing coping skills

If you are in need of mental health support stop by the Community Center, we are located at 38 Park Way in Happy Camp. We are open Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-4pm, closed for lunch from 12pm-1pm. The Community Center contracts with Siskiyou County Behavioral Health and we can refer you to their services.

For this Article and more information: www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health/index.html

If you are in need of mental health support stop by the Community Center, we are located at 38 Park Way in Happy Camp. We are open Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-4pm, closed for lunch from 12pm-1pm. The Community Center contracts with Siskiyou County Behavioral Health and we can refer you to their services.

​Copied from an article at ​www.everydayhealth.com/hs/bipolar-depression/bipolar-disorder-infographic/

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD 
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Holiday depression, anxiety, and stress facts
•             Many factors, including unrealistic expectations, financial pressures, and excessive commitments can cause stress and               anxiety at holiday time.
•             Certain people may feel anxious or depressed around the winter holidays due to seasonal affective disorder (SAD),                           sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
•             Headaches, excessive drinking, overeating, and insomnia are some of the possible consequences of poorly managed                    holiday stress.
•             Those suffering from any type of holiday anxiety, depression, or stress can benefit from increased social support during         this time of year. Counseling or support groups can also be beneficial.
•             In addition to being an important step in preventing the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to               light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with SAD during the fall               and winter.
•             Setting realistic goals and expectations, reaching out to friends, sharing tasks with family members, finding                                                      inexpensive ways to enjoy yourself, and helping others are all ways to help beat holiday stress.

The winter holiday season, with celebrations such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving, for most people is a fun time of the year filled with parties and social gatherings with family and friends. But for many people, it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms such as:
•             Heart palpitations
•             Sweating
•             Irritability
•             Feelings of stress

What causes the holiday blues?
Sadness is a truly personal feeling. What makes one person feel sad may not affect another person. Typical sources of holiday sadness include
•             stress,
•             fatigue,
•             unrealistic expectations,
•             over commercialization,
•             financial stress,
•             the inability to be with one's family and friends, and
•             in addition to sadness, many people feel holiday anxiety or stress, particularly when they feel unable to cope with the demands upon them. 

Is the environment and reduced daylight a factor in wintertime sadness?
Nonhuman animals react to the changing season with changes in mood and behavior. People change behaviors, as well, when there is less sunlight. Most people find they eat and sleep slightly more in wintertime and dislike the dark mornings and short days. For some, however, other symptoms are severe enough to disrupt their lives and cause considerable distress.
Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression. This is a type of depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected people react to the decreasing amounts of sunlight and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress, resulting in feelings of depression. Although this disorder usually occurs in the fall and winter, there are those who suffer from this condition during the summer instead of, or in addition to, during the fall or winter. The incidence of seasonal affective disorder increases in people who are living farther away from the equator.

What are risk factors for holiday depression, anxiety, and stress?
Risk factors for depression, anxiety, and stress during the holidays include having a mood disorder or experiencing depression at other times during the year and a lack of adequate social support systems. Other risk factors can include recent trauma, life changes, excessive alcohol intake, or concurrent illness. Having financial troubles may increase one's susceptibility to anxiety or stress during the holidays. Stressful family situations and illness in the family are also predisposing factors. Essentially, any factor that can cause depression, stress, or anxiety in an individual can worsen these conditions at holiday time.

What are symptoms and signs of holiday depression, anxiety, and stress?
Balancing the demands of shopping, parties, family obligations, and house guests may contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and increased tension. People who do not view themselves as depressed may develop stress responses and may experience a number of physical and emotional symptoms including
•             Headaches,
•             Excessive drinking,
•             overeating,
•             Insomnia.                                                                
Others may experience post-holiday sadness after New Year's/Jan. 1. This can result from built-up expectations and disappointments from the previous year, coupled with stress and fatigue.
In the case of seasonal affective disorder or a true depressive disorder, symptoms may persist beyond the holidays or may be more severe. The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include tiredness, fatigue, depression, crying spells and mood swings, irritability, trouble concentrating, body aches, loss of sex drive, insomnia, decreased activity level, and overeating (especially of carbohydrates) with associated weight gain.

How is holiday anxiety, stress, and depression diagnosed?
A simple history and physical exam may be all that is needed to diagnose a case of the holiday blues. Your health-care professional may perform lab tests or other tests to rule out any medical conditions that may be causing your symptoms. Likewise, a full history of your symptoms is likely to provide clues that can help distinguish a mild case of the holiday blues from SAD or a more serious and chronic depressive disorder.

What kinds of specialists treat holiday depression, anxiety, and stress?
Anxiety, depression, and stress can be treated by a variety of medical and mental-health professionals. Medical doctors, including family medicine physicians and internists, treat holiday depression. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have special training in treating mental and emotional conditions. There are many other types of mental-health professionals who may treat these conditions. These include psychologists, social workers, mental-health counselors, marital and family therapists, nurse psychotherapists, psychiatric or mental-health nurse practitioners, and others.

What is the treatment for holiday depression, anxiety, and stress?
Those suffering from any type of holiday depression or stress may benefit from increased social support during this time of year. For uncomplicated holiday blues, improvement may be found by finding ways to reduce the stresses associated with the holiday, either by limiting commitments and outside activities, making arrangements to share family responsibilities such as gift shopping and meal preparation, agreeing upon financial limits for purchases, or taking extra time to rest and rejuvenate.
Counseling or support groups are another way to relieve some of the burdens of holiday stress or sadness. Knowing that others feel the same way and sharing your thoughts and experiences can help you manage your troubling feelings. Support groups also provide a further layer of social support during this vulnerable time period.
In addition to being an important step in preventing the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with SAD during the fall and winter. Phototherapy is commercially available in the form of light boxes, which are used for approximately 30 minutes daily. The light required must be of sufficient brightness, approximately 25 times as bright as a normal living room light. The light treatment is used daily in the morning and evening for best results.
Visiting other areas of the world that are characterized by more bright light (such as the Caribbean) can also improve the symptoms of SAD.
Antidepressant medications, particularly serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications, can be an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder. Examples of SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa).
REFERENCE:
 Golden, R.N., B.N. Gaynes, R.D. Ekstrom, et al. "The Efficacy of Light Therapy in the Treatment of Mood Disorders: A Review and Meta-analysis of the Evidence." Am J Psychiatry 162 (2005): 656-662.
 
If you are in need of mental health support stop by the Community Center, we are located at 38 Park Way in Happy Camp. We are open Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-4pm, closed for lunch from 12pm-1pm. The Community Center contracts with Siskiyou County Behavioral Health and we can refer you to their services.

Full article found   at ​ https://www.medicinenet.com/holiday_depression_and_stress/article.htm.

Happy Holidays! The Happy Camp Community Center is happy to announce that we are continuing the Giving Tree Program for the children and families in our community.

All gifts received are donations from, the Happy Camp Giving Tree Program, the Toys for Tots organization, and contributions from the community members and businesses of Happy Camp and its surrounding areas.
 
Applying:
The Giving Tree Program is a program for low-income families to receive gifts for their children (0-18) from donations from the community. To be eligible, your family must meet the income guidelines below and complete a Giving Tree Application.
Applications are available online , or can be picked up at the Happy Camp Community Center, Happy Camp Elementary School, Happy Camp High School, Head Start, and the Karuk Tribe TANF Office.
 
Applications are due no later than 2PM on November 18th, 2017. Gifts will be available to be picked starting Wednesday, December 20th.
 
Donate:
If you would like to donate gifts the Giving Trees will be located at the Post Office and King Fisher Market beginning Thursday, November 22nd through December 15th.  Please pick up a tag at one of the locations and bring the tag and donated gifts to the Community Center on or before December 15th.