The important message here is that stress reaction is a normal physiological process and that the way we perceive things is very important in our life (for example most people would not fear feathers). Also fear doesn´t grow indefinitely, if we willingly stay with the trigger, it will eventually decrease.
Mental Illness - Children and Adolescents
Anxiety and Trauma
Hello and welcome to our first lecture!
Today we are going to study anxiety disorders and trauma. Let´s start with something simple - to understand anxiety disorders, you need to understand fear and stress reactions.
So how does our fear work?
Please watch these five 5 minutes BBC videos about phobias:
You can learn more about anxiety disorders in general and their treatment here:
Or if you prefer a shorter version, watch this video:
Now, diagnostic criteria for children vary from those we use for adults because disorders tend to show a little differently.
We strongly recommend going through this web page which provides excellent information on anxiety disorders in children:
To understand what is going on in the film you also need to learn more about Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), here is some basic information:
Or a shorter version:
Check below for specific signs of PTSD in different age groups:
Preschool
- Cry or scream a lot
- Eat poorly or lose weight due to loss of appetite
- Experience nightmares or night terrors
- Extraordinary fear of being separated from their parent or caregiver
School Age
- Have a hard time concentrating at school
- Difficulty sleeping—insomnia or nightmares
- Feelings of guilt or shame
- Anxious or fearful in a variety of situations
Teens
- Eating disordered behaviors
- Self-harm
- Feeling depressed or alone
- Begin abusing alcohol or drugs
- Engage in risky sexual behavior
- Make impulsive dangerous decisions
- Isolating behaviors
College Students
- Inability to concentrate
- Missing classes
- Poor grades
- Dissociative tendencies
- Withdraw from relationships
- Trouble sleeping
- Hyper aware of location and surroundings
- On edge much of the time
- Negative thoughts and emotions
- Avoiding things they used to enjoy
Cited from: Amy Morin, L. (n.d.). Understanding the Effects of Childhood Trauma. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-childhood-trauma-4147640
So now, you have enough ( maybe even too much, sorry about that :) ) information about the topic and you may start watching our first film!
We hope you enjoy it and find things that are worthy of discussion. To help you, here are some questions you can think about:
Questions to sparkle discussion
Does the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower depict long-term psychological effect of trauma consistently with the diagnostic criteria we have?
What moments that trigger Charlie's trauma are portrayed in the movie? Do they align with clinical understanding of PTSD?
How do Charlies friendships and relationships influence his mental health? Can a relationship be a protective factor when it comes to mental illness?
Charlies struggles with anxiety are sometimes very subtle and other times very obvious, how does the movie balance that? Does it reflect real life?
What does the movie communicate about the role of mental health professionals (psychotherapists, psychiatrists) in dealing with trauma?
Now it's up to you!
Please upload a link to your meeting recording and provide the full names (first and last) of all participants. Ensure the link remains active until the end of the semester.
Následující