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delegates information booklet mental health awareness training course

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welcome to your mental health awareness course so why is mental health awareness important for you this course can help to · enhance your existing management and observational skills · increase your understanding of mental health issues · enable appropriate earlier intervention · make you more effective in your vital role this course will support you to help offenders · cope better with life generally 90 of offenders have at least one mental health disorder ons 1997 2 d e pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbooklet · cope better with the issues that can result from being within the prison environment d e pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbookletde pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esnform at onbooklet 3 3

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so what is mental health mental health is the emotional and spiritual resilience which allows us to enjoy life and to survive pain disappointment and sadness it is a positive sense of well being and an underlying belief in our own and others dignity and worth www.scotland.gov.uk what people understand by mental health and mental wellbeing is influenced by a combination of their · · · · · · age class gender personal experiences and expectations ethnicity cultural and religious beliefs most health care professionals use the definition of the world health organisation health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity health is a resource for everyday life not for the object of living it is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities world health organisation the definition of mental health as a positive sense of well being challenges the idea that mental health is the opposite of mental illness mental health influences how we · · · · · · · · think and feel about ourselves think about our future think about others interpret events are able to learn communicate form sustain and end relationships cope with change transition and life events 6 d e pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbookletde pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esnform at onbookletde pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbooklet 7 7

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exercise so what is positive mental health mental health in the prison environment brings its own difficulties both for staff and offenders one commentator d.w.winnicott wrote that health is more difficult to deal with than illness why might this be the case positive mental health is about positive mental health can be achieved if individuals · · · · · · · · · · · · · talk about their feelings write things down keep active eat well sleep well keep in touch with friends and loved ones get knowledge and take control get professional help improve coping skills set realistic goals keep an eye on personal stress find a hobby ask for help 0.1 what do you do to maintain or improve your mental health · · · · · · feeling in control being able to make rational decisions being in touch with our feelings being able to form positive relationships feeling good about ourselves knowing how to look after ourselves 0.2 contrast what you do with what opportunities are open to offenders to do the same mcdonald and o hara 1998 identified `ten elements of mental health promotion and demotion i.e factors that can help or hinder positive mental health mental health promotion self-esteem emotional processing selfmanagement skills environmental quality social participation mental health demotion emotional abuse emotional negligence stress environmental deprivation social exclusion 8 d e pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbookletde pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbooklet 9

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the mental health continuum everyone s mental health constantly fluctuates and moves up and down the continuum to varying degrees where are you on the continuum at the moment so what is mental illness not there is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health schizophrenia is not · split or multiple personalities that is actually known as dissociative personality disorder · a guarantee that the offender will be violent or dangerous · always a diagnosis for life anti social personality disorder is not · diagnosable through standard mental health assessments depression is not · easy to recover from without professional help support and treatments · the same as mild `low moods that all of us can experience regularly as a result of daily events · a guarantee that someone will express suicidal thoughts bipolar disorder is not · an indication that a person constantly swings from highs to lows mania to depression · a guarantee that the mood swings last the same length of time follow the same pattern or even that they occur regularly it varies enormously from individual to individual · always a diagnosis for life many people who suffer mental distress can fully recover and go on to lead fulfilling lives generalised anxiety disorder is not · the same as phobias fears stress or panic attacks · untreatable · a guarantee that someone will then develop other illnesses e.g obsessive compulsive disorder and eating disorders borderline personality disorder is not · a sign of a faulty personality · a guarantee that the offender is manipulative or displays attention seeking behaviour · untreatable 12 12 d e pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esnform at onbookletde pa rtmentofhea lt hdeleg at esinform at ionbooklet

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