Essential of Mentak Health

1. ESSENTIALS OF
MENTAL HEALTH,
WELLESS AND
WELL-BEING
DR. JOSEPH C. FRANCISCO
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

2. Recognizing Red Flags in
Mental Health

3. What is Distress?
• Distress is an unpleasant emotion, feeling, thought,
condition, or behavior.

4. Recognizing Someone in Distress
There are physical, behavioral,
emotional signs that indicate
someone may be experiencing
difficulties.

5. Triggers
• People often undergo significant life changes without
developing a mental health issue.
• But for some people changes in their work or personal life
can prove stressful and may trigger mental ill health.

6. What are your
stress triggers?

7. Triggers
Personal Life Changes
•Bereavement
•Relationship breakdown
•Having children
•Health scares or physical illness
Changes at Work
•Starting a new job
•Back to school amidst the new
normal
•Coping with an increased
workload or a promotion

8. Signs to Spot
•Recognizing a mental health issue is the first
step in getting the support needed to
recover.
•One of the first signs of mental health
condition may be change in the person’s
behavior.

9. Some Signs to look for: Physical
Frequent headaches
or stomach upsets
Suffering from
frequent minor
illnesses
Difficulty sleeping or
constant tiredness
Lack of care over
appearance
Sudden weight loss
or gain

10. Signs to look
for:
Emotional &
Behavioral
• Irritability, aggression or tearfulness
• Being withdrawn, not participating in conversations
or social activities
• Increased arguments or conflict with others
• Increased consumption of caffeine, alcohol,
cigarettes or sedatives
• Indecision, inability to concentrate
• Erratic or socially unacceptable behavior
• Being louder or more exuberant than usual
• Loss of confidence
• Difficulty remembering things
• Loss of humor

11. At Work: Look for these signs that an employee
may need more support in the workplace.
• Increased errors, missing deadlines or forgetting tasks
• Taking on too much work and volunteering for every new project
• An employee who is normally punctual arriving late
• Working too many hours: first in, last out, sending email out of hours,
or while on leave
• Increased sickness absence
• Negative changes to ways of working or socializing with colleagues

12. Let’s check your perceived
stress level

13. Perceived Stress Scale
1. In the last month, how often have you
been upset because of something that
happened unexpectedly?
2. In the last month, how often have you
felt that you were unable to control
the important things in your life?
3. In the last month, how often have you
felt nervous and stressed?
4. In the last month, how often have you
felt confident about your ability to
handle your personal problems?
5. In the last month, how often have you
felt that things were going your way?
0 – Never
1- Almost never
2- Sometimes
3- Fairly often
4 – Very often

14. Perceived Stress Scale
6. In the last month, how often have you
found that you could not cope with all the
things that you had to do?
7. In the last month, how often have you
been able to control irritations in your
life?
8. In the last month, how often have you
felt that you were on top of thing?
9. In the last month, how often have you
been angered because of things that
happened that were outside your control?
10. In the last month, how often have you
felt difficulties were piling up so high that
you could overcome them?
0 – Never
1- Almost never
2- Sometimes
3- Fairly often
4 – Very often

15. Finding your PSS score
First, reverse your scores fore questions 4, 5, 7, and 8.
On these 4 questions, change the scores like this:
0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1, 4 = 0
Now add up your scores for each item to get a total.
My total score is ______
Disclaimer: The scores on your PSS do not
reflect any particular diagnosis or course of
treatment. They are meant as a tool to help
assess your level of stress.

16. PSS score range from 0 – 40 with higher
score indicating higher perceived stress.
• Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress.
• Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate
stress
• Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high
perceived stress

17. Red flag symptoms
for Specific Mental
Health Conditions

18. STRESS DISORDER
ACUTE STRESS
•“Short-term” stress because it
typically goes away fairly quickly.
•Examples: fighting with a loved
one, receiving criticism from
your boss
•Anxiety, irritability, mood
swings, poor concentration,
aggression, problems sleeping
CHRONIC STRESS
•”Long term” stress
•Stress that seems never-ending
and can negatively impact your
health.
•Example: fighting with your
spouse constantly
•Depression, anxiety, agitation,
isolation, anger

19. 1. have you had any
trouble getting off to
sleep lately?
2. Do you seem to have
too little energy
recently?
3. What has your
appetite been like
recently?
4. have you been much
more irritable than
usual recently?
5. has there been any
change in your
interest?

20. Suicide
Warning
Signs
“IS PATH
WARM”
• Ideation – Thoughts of suicide
• Substance Use – Increased or excessive alcohol/drug use
• Purposelessness – Seeing no reason for living
• Anxiety – Anxiousness, agitation, nightmares
• Trapped – Feeling as though there is no way out
• Hopelessness – Feeling hopeless about oneself, others or the future
• Withdrawal – Isolating from friends, family, usual activities, and
society
• Anger – Feelings of rage or uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Recklessness – Acting without regard for consequences
• Mood Changes – Dramatic changes in mood, unstable mood

21. 1. have you worried
a lot in the last
month?
2. What do you
worry about?
3. Do unpleasant
thoughts constantly
go round and round
in your mind?
4. Can you stop
them by turning
your attention to
something else?

22. • How often do you think
about it?
• Do you have nightmares
about the event?
• Do you ever get flashbacks?
• Do you have difficulty
remembering the accident?
• How hard is it for you to talk
about the event?

23. Psychological First Aid in
the Workplace

24. What do you do when you
get triggered at work?

25. Dealing with triggers
RECOGNIZE RELAX REPROCESS

26. What is Psychological First Aid
in the workplace
• PFA is designed to reduce the initial distress
caused by emergencies.
• To foster short-and-long-term adaptive
functioning and coping.
• PFA is most effective immediately following the
incident (e.g., from one hour to a couple of weeks
after an event).

27. Guidelines for delivering PFA
Operate only within the framework of an authorized school emergency response system.
Operate
Before you approach an individual or a group, first observe politely.
Observe
Initiate contact only after you have determined that you are not intruding or interrupting.
Initiate
Offer practical assistance (food, water).
Offer
Ask simple, respectful questions to determine how you may help.
Ask

28. What are the basic objectives of PFA
• To calm and orient emotionally overwhelmed or distraught person.
• To help the person identify their immediate needs and concerns.
• To offer practical assistance and information for his/her immediate needs
and concerns.
• To connect the person as soon as possible to his/her family members,
friends, or significant others.
• To empower the person to take an active role in his/her recovery, by
acknowledging one’s coping efforts and strengths.

29. Behaviors to avoid
DO NOT ASSUME THAT
EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN
THROUGH THE EMERGENCY
WILL BE TRAUMATIZED.
DO NOT PATHOLOGIZE OR
SPEAK IN TERMS OF
“DIAGNOSES,” OR
“DISORDERS.”
DO NOT ASSUME THAT ALL
PERSONNEL AND STUDENTS
WANT OR NEED TO TALK TO
YOU. BEING PHYSICALLY
PRESENT IN A SUPPORTIVE
AND CALM WAY IN ITSELF
OFTEN HELPS AFFECTED
PEOPLE FEEL SAFER AND MORE
ABLE TO COPE.
DO NOT SPECULATE OR GIVE
INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE
INACCURATE. IF YOU CANNOT
ANSWER A QUESTION, SAY SO,
AND DO YOUR BEST TO LEARN
THE FACTS.
DO NOT ‘DEBRIEF’ BY ASKING
FOR DETAILS OF WHAT
HAPPENED.

30. Steps in PFA

31. Practical Steps
Step 1: identify the most immediate needs
Line: I understand from what you are telling me, Ms. _____ that your main goal is to ______. Let’s
make a plan for what you have to do next.
Hello, my name is ___. I work with____. I am checking in with people to see how well they are
doing and if I can help in any way. Is it ok if I talk to you for a few minutes? May I ask your name?
before we talk, is there something that I can do right now that can help you, like some water?"

32. Guide
questions
when
gathering
information
• How are you doing now? What are your immediate needs and
concerns?
• What happened to you during the event? How were you
affected?
• Did you feel threatened? Did you get hurt/injured?
• Do you still feel threatened?
• What problems do you have now? Do you have any continuing
or ongoing problems?
• How has the event impacted you, your family, and your
friends?
• When you look ahead, do you have any concerns? Is there
anything bothering you about the future?
• Is there anything else you would like to share?

33. Practical Steps
Step 2: Clarify the need
Line 1: Tell me if I'm wrong...it sounds like you..."
Line: I understand that your first concern is about ______. Let’s work on a plan to
address that problem.
Line 2: I understand that your biggest worry right now it what to tell your family.
Let’s talk about what you might say.

34. Practical Steps
Take
Take an action - assist the person to take gradual steps in doing his action plan.
What is being done to assist them.
Provide information about available resources.
know when to refer.
Discuss
Discuss an Action Plan. The person may have ideas, or you can offer a suggestion.
• Lines: What do you think will help you feel better? What have you done in the past to help yourself feel better
when things got difficult?
• SMART (Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time based)

35. Activity 1: Psychological First Aid

36. Psych First Aid Skit
•Think of an emergency scenario in the workplace
•Consider the psychological impact of this situation to a particular
person
•Show the process of stress debriefing using the 4 steps: identify the
most immediate need(s), clarify the need(s), discuss the action plan,
actualizing the plan.
•Choose a stress debriefer and select one subject in your group.
•Your group is given 10 minutes to brainstorm, and 3 minutes to
present your short skit in the main room (zoom).

37. Implement PFA in Groups
Tailor the discussion to the
shared needs and concerns
of the group.
Focus the discussion on
problem solving and
applying coping strategies to
immediate issues.
Allow only one person at a
time to speak.
Answer questions honestly
but limit the information not
to turn into disturbing
details.

38. Connection with Social
Supports
• Emotional Support: a listening ear, understanding, love,
acceptance
• Social Support: feeling like you fit in and have things in
common with other people, having people to do things with.
• Feeling Needed: feeling that you are important to others, that
you are valued, useful and productive, and that people
appreciate you.
• Reassurance of Self-Worth: having people help you have
confidence in yourself and your abilities, that you can handle
the challenges you face.
• Reliable Support: That you have people you can rely on to help
you.

39. Psychological
Emergencies in the
Workplace: A
Response System

40. Psychological Emergencies in the workplace
(Schools)
PREVENTION/MITIGATION
PHASE
ASSESS THE SAFETY AND INTEGRITY OF FACILITIES
PREPAREDNESS PERIODICALLY REVIEWING AND REINFORCING EMERGENCY
PLANS AND PROCEDURES WITH STAFF
RESPONSE PHASE ACTION IS TAKEN TO EFFECTIVELY CONTAIN AND RESOLVE AN
EMERGENCY AND TO DECREASE THE POTENTIAL RISK TO
ESCALATE
RECOVERY PHASE STEPS ARE TAKEN TO ASSIST THE PERSONNEL
(STAKEHOLDERS) IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS AND TO
RESTORE EDUCATIONAL OPERATIONS IN SCHOOLS.

41. Personal and
Professional
Requirements
• Knowledge of and training in the techniques of
PFA
• Ability to assess the ongoing needs of students,
staff, and others impacted by the event.
• Ability to offer age-appropriate and
culturally-appropriate intervention techniques.
• Knowledge of available resources for referrals.
• Ability to remain within the scope of your
expertise and designated role.
• Ability to pay attention to your own emotional
and physical reactions, and practice self-care.

42. At-Risk
Populations
• Had direct exposure or experienced extreme life
threat
• Have experienced the death or serious condition of a
loved one.
• Had a close personal relationship with any victim(s)
• Have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or
attempts
• Have a history of anxiety, shyness, or low
self-confidence
• Have a history of risk-taking behavior
• Have experienced prior traumatic events (abuse,
neglect)

43. ACTIVITY 2:
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST
AID FOR SCHOOLS

44. Instructions:
•Think of a situation in the workplace that may cause psychological
distress among employees, teachers, staff, and students.
•Apply the three phases of psychological emergencies, such as:
prevention/mitigation (including preparedness), response, and
recovery. Be specific in your examples or in citing instances.
•Consider the personal and profession requirements and the
populations that at risk or vulnerable in your institution.
•Your group is given 15 minutes to brainstorm.
•The presenter is given 5 minutes to share the ideas of your group in
the main room (zoom).

45. Emergency
Indicators
The person is physically or verbally aggressive
toward her/himself, others, animals or property.
The person is unresponsive to the external
environmental; she/he is incoherent or passed out.
Demonstrating a severe disturbance of cognitive,
behavioral, or emotional functioning.
Displaying disruptive behavior that appears to be
out of control
The situation feels threatening or dangerous to you

46. LUSOG ISIP
APP
• https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=AQimPkd7g5I

47. THANK YOU!