MYTH BUSTING:

Breaking Down the Facts about Mental Wellness

May 9th, 2018

Welcome!

Presenter:

Jennifer Magdits, LMHCCounselor

NYC EAP

Moderator:

Marissa Frieder, MPHProgram Coordinator

WorkWell NYC

WorkWell NYC

WorkWell NYC seeks to create workplaces that help our employees live

healthy, active lifestyles, and to provide health and well-being services,

programs, and resources at the worksite and beyond.

What do you think of when you hear

the term “mental illness”?

Think for a second…

• Psycho

• Crazy

• “Those people” are not like me

Myth #1

• MYTH: Mental health conditions are rare

• FACT: 1 in 5 people are affected by mental health conditions each year

What is a mental health condition?

A mental health condition:

• Affects a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood

• Affects a person’s ability to relate to others and function

Myth #2

• MYTH: Anxiety isn’t a real illness

• FACT: Anxiety is a real, treatable, mental health condition

Anxiety

• The most common mental health condition

• 40 million adults (18% of the population)

• Tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like high blood pressure and headaches

• Not always bad!

Myth #3

• MYTH: People who say they are depressed can just snap out of it with positive thinking

• FACT: Depression is a lot more than feeling sad, or being in a “funk”

• 16 million people live with major depression

• Depression can cause feelings of:• Sadness

• Changes in sleep and/or appetite

• Lack of concentration

• Loss of energy

• Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy

• Feelings of hopelessness

• Physical aches

• Suicidal thoughts

• It can be triggered by a crisis, or nothing at all • Situational or biological

Depression

• MYTH: People with mental health conditions cannot hold down jobs and are prone to violence

• FACT: People with mental health conditions are just as productive as other employees, if they are addressing their condition

• FACT: Having a mental health condition does not make a person more likely to be violent or dangerous

Myth #4

Myth #5

• MYTH: People addicted to substances like drugs and alcohol can stop whenever they want

• FACT: Addiction is an enduring condition that triggers the user to compulsively search out and use substances

Why do we have all of these myths about mental health?

STIGMA

Mental Illness: What You See and What You Don't See

Video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54sDdNa9vek

Produced by: Put Up Your Dukes Foundation and Neinstein & Associates

• Stigma is one of the greatest barriers to mental health treatment

• “Double edged sword”

• Internal stigmaA person’s own sense of shame

• External stigma

What peers, family, and society think

Stigma

Problems caused by stigma

• A lack of understanding by your peers, family, and society

• Difficulty finding work, housing, social activities

• Health insurance that doesn’t cover mental health conditions

• Bullying and harassment

• A person’s own belief that they will never be normal or okay

• A reluctance to get help

How do we fight it?

• Talk openly about mental health

• Do more than talk – educate!

• Be conscious of your language

• Don’t use words like: crazy, psycho, lunatic

• Instead of: “She’s bipolar”, say: “She has bipolar disorder”

How do we fight it?

• Show empathy and concern for someone that is struggling

• Push back against the way mental health conditions are portrayed in the media

• Encourage equality

• Advocate for mental health reform

Myth #6

• MYTH: People can’t really recover from a mental health condition

• FACT: Today, there are many different ways to treat mental health conditions

Treatment Options

• Individual therapy

• Family therapy

• Group therapy

• Medication

• Inpatient treatment

• Outpatient treatment

• Supportive counseling • Family

• Friends

• Faith-based leaders

• 12 step meetings

NYC Employee Assistance Program

• EAP can provide:

• education

• information

• supportive counseling

• individualized assessments

• referrals for appropriate care

• workplace programming

• Open to NYC employees and their families

• Free and confidential

• Excused absence - CityTime

Contact the EAP:

• 250 Broadway, 28th floor

• 212-306-7660

• eap@olr.nyc.gov

Resources

• NYC Well:

• Call 888-NYC-WELL (888-692-9355)

• Text WELL to 65173

• Visit nyc.gov/nycwell to chat online

• Emblem GHI CBP: 800-692-2492

• Emblem HIP HMO: 888-447-2526

• NYC Health Benefits Program:

• nyc.gov/hbp

Resources

• DC 37 Personal Services Unit:

• 212-815-1260

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

• 800-950-NAMI(6264) | info@nami.org

• WorkWell NYC:

• nyc.gov/workwellnyc

Thanks for attending!

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Save the date! Please join us for our next webinar

on the importance of sleep, May 23rd at 12:30pm!