Seminar #6:
Mental Illness: Do I have it?
by Darcy A. Santor | March 2022
At any point in time, approximately 1 in 5 people have a mental illness of some kind. That’s a well-known statistic that we are becoming increasingly familiar with. But there are two other statistics that you should know about as well: almost 50% of people who develop mental illness will show their first symptoms in childhood and some 50% (and perhaps many more) will develop a mental illness by over the course of our lifetimes.
The seventh seminar in the series will introduce you to the signs and symptoms of mental illness, teach you to recognize the tipping point, where day-to-day stress starts to become a full-blown illness, as well familiarize you with different treatments and how well they work.
Three of the most common mental illnesses in university students, as well as the broader population, are depression, anxiety and ADHD. These and other illnesses can affect academic success and even the likelihood of withdrawing from your studies. In this seminar, you will also learn about which illnesses and difficulties affect learning, how to distinguish signs and symptoms of mental illness, and how standard screening tests work. You will also learn about the many different barriers that people typically face when trying to decide when to get help, as well as about the 3 Ds of mental illness which will help you decide that it is finally time to reach out and get the help that you are in need of.
Resources: Please download the worksheet before the seminar and complete the surveys after the seminar.
