PTSD, Psychosis, Work Health Screenings

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a traumatic event. A traumatic event is a life-threatening event such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. (National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD))

PTSD is a real problem and can happen at any age.  If you have PTSD, you are not alone.  It affects over 8.5 million American adults (3.5% of the adult population) in any given year. (Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R))

PTSD Screeninghttp://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/ptsd

 

Psychosis

Psychosis is a general term to describe a set of symptoms of mental illnesses that result in strange or bizarre thinking, perceptions (sight, sound), behaviors, and emotions. Psychosis is a brain-based condition that is made better or worse by environmental factors – like drug use and stress. Some of the illnesses that are included under the umbrella of Psychotic Disorders are: Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Delusional Disorder, and Schizophreniform Disorder.

One frequently cited statistic is that 1% of the population is diagnosed with Schizophrenia in their lifetime, but actually 3.5% of the population experiences psychosis.  Hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t there are more common than we think. While these experiences can be scary and confusing, it is possible to recover and getting better, especially when we tackle issues early.

Psychosis Screeninghttp://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/psychosis-screen

 

Work Health Screening

For a lot of people, the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance seems like an impossible goal. With so many of us torn between juggling heavy workloads, managing relationships and family responsibilities, and squeezing in outside interests, it’s no surprise that more than one in four Americans describe themselves as “super stressed.” And that’s not balanced—or healthy.

While we all need a certain amount of stress to spur us on and help us perform at our best, the key to managing stress lies in that one magic word: balance. Not only is achieving a healthy work/life balance an attainable goal but workers and businesses alike see the rewards. When workers are balanced and happy, they are more productive, take fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their jobs.

Work Health Screening: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/work-health-survey

*This screen is not meant to be a diagnosis.  Having emotional, attentional, or behavioral problems is different than having a diagnosable mental illness.  In addition, emotional, attentional, or behavioral problems can be caused by other factors like recent life changes, trauma, or health problems.  Only a trained professional, such as a doctor or a mental health provider, can make this determination. Taking time to get the right diagnosis and care of mental health conditions in children is important. Printing out or emailing the results of this screening and showing them to a mental health professional can help in getting the right treatment.