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***deawarenessmonth

Su***de cases are on the raise in our country today and as we celebrate its awareness day just know that,we are here for you in case you are I need of our services or you know someone who needs it kindly tell us. Remember a suicidal person has a high chance of committing a homicide which is rampant in our today's world

Always remember slow progress is also progress and so let's take it one day at a time or even one hour at a time

According to WHO:At least 1 in every patient visiting a hospital has a mental neurological or behavioral disorder but most of these are neither diagnosed nor treated

Take a minute change a life.. Su***de is not an option
Let's embrace mental health and seek help
We are offering free therapy sessions for the next one month to those who get in touch with us through our page

PERSORNALITY.
This is the combination of character or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN ABOUT OUR PERSONALITY?
 It’s a means of self-awareness.
 You can understand yourself better in terms of your strengths and weaknesses.
 It helps one to know which job suits them best.
 It enables one to understand the own source of energy if it externally generated or internally.
 One becomes in a position to understand others better.
 It help us know what we like and what we don’t like.
 It enables us to have better relationships.

AND HOW DO WE KNOW OUR PERSONALITY?
The answer is simple just by us taking a psychological personality test.
WHAT DO PERSONALITY TEST MAINLY MEASURE?
Personality test mainly measure our: Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional stability.
Openness to experiences.
TYPES OF PERSONALITY TEST.
 Myers-Briggs type indicator.
 Eysenck personality inventory /questionnaire.
 Minnesota Multiphasic personality inventory.
 The Brickman method.
 16 personality factor questionnaire.
 HEXACO model of personality structure.
 Personality inventory.
 Californian psychological inventory.
 Rorschach inkblot test.

TPYE OF PERSONALITIES.
They are well explained in this following charts.

SU***DE.
There is a difference between being suicidal behavior and su***de: su***de is the act of taking one owns life while suicidal behavior is talking about or taking actions related to ending one’s own life.
A point to note is that suicidal thoughts and behavior should be considered a psychiatric emergency.

SU***DE WARNIG SIGNS INCLUDE:
 Threats or comments about killing themselves.
 Increased alcohol and drug use.
 Social withdrawal from friends, family and community.
 Dramatic mood swings.
 Aggressive behavior.
 Impulsive or reckless behavior.
 Talking, writing or thinking about death.

WARNING SIGNS THAT SOMEONE MIGHT COMMIT SU***DE.
This is mainly easy by observing someone outwardly behavior since you can’t see the inside.
Some warning signs are;
 Saying they have no reason to go on living.
 Having dramatic mood swings.
 Talking about su***de as a way out.
 Eating too little or too much resulting to a significant weight gain or loss.
 Sleeping too much or too little.
 Making a will or giving away personal possessions.
 Showing signs of extreme anxiousness or agitation.
 Expressing rage or intentions to seek revenge.

HOW TO TALK TO A SUICIDAL PERSON.
When talking to a suicidal person ensure you be open and talk directly such as “Are you thinking about su***de?”
Ask in a non-judgmental manner and without confrontation.
Make sure you;
Stay calm
Speak in a reassuring tone.
Offer support and encouragement.
Tell them help is available.

If you think someone is in an immediate risk of self-harm;
 Call your local emergency number.
 Stay with them until help arrives.
 Remove guns, knives, medication or things that may cause harm.
 Listen don’t judge, argue, threaten or yell.

WHAT INCREASES THE RISK OF SU***DE?
Mental health conditions.
Incarceration.
SUD.
Family history of su***de.
Childhood abuse or trauma.
Being diagnosed with a serious medical condition.
Previous su***de attempt.
Difficult seeking help or support.
Following belief systems that accept su***de as a solution to personal problem.
Having a chronic illness.

TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK FOR SU***DE.
• Talk therapy.
• Medication: Antidepressants, antipsychotic, antianxiety.
• Lifestyle change: Avoiding alcohol and drug.
Exercising regularly.
Sleeping well.

HOW TO PREVENT SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.
Talk to someone.
Take medications as directed.
Never skip an appointment.
Pay attention to wanting signs.
Stay hopeful.

STRESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT.
Stress can mean an event of tension or a person’s perception of an event or a response to a situation or demand on the body.
 Her; stress mean the body mind’s reaction to everyday demand.

KINDS OF STRESS.
Distress: This is a negative stress.
Eustress: Is a positive e stress. It helps someone achieve their goals. Example waking up very early to prepare for an exam.

FACTORS INFLUENCING TO STRESS.
The person’s;
 Age.
 Social status.
 Income.
 Diet.
 State of health.
 Sleeping habit.
 Cultural background.
…
Your response to a stressor also varies depending on how much control you think you have over a situation.
STRESSOR.
It’s any stimulus that produced a stress response. Can be people, objects, places or events.
How you react to a stressor is what we call stress which can either be voluntary or involuntary.
If it’s voluntary it mean then you can control it.
THE BODY RESPONSE TO STRESSORS.
Two major body system are active in the body’s response to stressors: the nervous system and the endocrine system
I.e. The endocrine is made of ductless glands and the hormones they produce. The nervous system is your communicate network and control center.
When the hypothalamus is excited by a stressor a complex series of change takes place in the body. The result is a change in the functioning of almost every part of the body.

FATIGUE.
Many illnesses and condition have been linked to stress .One of the most common condition is that of fatigue a tired felling that lowers your level of activity.
Fatigue affects all levels of your health physical, mentally and socially. It interferes with work, school, relationships and recreation. It affects your ability to successfully manage stress.
PHYSICAL FATIGUE.
This is the general body fatigue. It occurs at the end of the day and your body signals the need of rest and sleep .Also during exercise when your body activity reduces to show a need of rest.
PATHOLOGICAL FATIGUE.
This is fatigue brought up by the overworking of the body defense for fighting diseases. The common cold, flu, and anemia are all examples of illnesses brought on by pathological fatigue .Also being overweight and having a poor diet are also caused by pathological fatigue. This type of fatigue is the body’s way of working you that it is not well and that you need to rest and care for yourself.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FATIGUE.
This is brought by mental stress. Depression, boredom, worry about schoolwork, home, dates, how you look and being liked all of these can cause fatigue.
Trying to do too many activities and having conflicts also can cause fatigue.
Unlike the other fatigue taking a rest isn’t the answer but setting your priorities is.
Choose activities that promote your health like exercising.
If fatigue continues then it’s good to take a good look at the source. Is there a problem that need to be addressed>?
It might be you need to set goals for changing a behavior.
May be you need to talk to someone.
Remember you risk further a lot by just hiding the symptoms because fatigue acts as a warning sign that something is wrong.
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS.)
Symptoms: persistent severe fatigue for at least six months.
1. Mild fever and sore throat.
2. Headache and joint pain.
3. Muscle weakness and pain.
4. Sleep problems.
5. Difficulty I thinking clearly.
6. Fatigue after light exercise.

EFFECTS OF STRESS ON HEALTH.
Disease like’ cardiovascular diseases: Hypertension, asthma, ulcers, colitis and migraine headaches are thought to relate to stress.

COPING WITH STRESS.
1. Knowing your personality type: Type A more competitive, rushed and time oriented. Type B are more flexible and less rushed.

2. Time management: when you manage your time well you will be in a position to manage stressful situations as they come.

3. Defense mechanisms: This strategy of dealing with stressful situations .Defense mechanism contribute to emotional health by providing relief from anxiety and helping someone cope with problems. But too much dependency on them might cause avoidance in feeling problem example of defense mechanism: Denial, Rationalization, Repression, Sublimation, Diversion, Intellectualization and minimizing.
4. THE FOUR A’S:
 Change the situation; avoid the stressor.
Alter the stressor.

 Change your reaction; Adapt to the stressor.
Accept the stressor.

MANAGING STRESS.
You may not be able to control some stressors, however you can control the affects you allow them to have on you.

1. Planning: being realistic about your plan and you expectations.
2. Laughing; by laughing you accept the reality that you are human and realize that sometimes get away from the situation give your mind a break
3. Learning to relax; you can do it by exercising.
4. Calling on your support group/ system.
5. Recharging your energy: if you cannot physically get away from the situation give your mind a break.
6. Examining your expectations.
7. Learn to accept change as part of life. Nothing stays the same.
8. Believe in yourself and your potentials. Remember that many people from disadvantaged background have gone on to enjoy great success in life. At the same time avoid activities that promise release from stress while actually adding to it like drinking, smoking and overeating.

UNHEALTHY WAYS OF COPING WITH STRESS.
 Smoking
 Drinking.
 Overeating.
 Zoning for hours in front of the TV or computer.
 Withdrawing from friends and family.
 Using pills or drugs to relax.
 Sleeping too much.
 Procrastinating.
 Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems.
 Taking out your stress on others – violently.

SU***DE PREVENTION

An act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Why su***de prevention?
800,000 People die every year globally (WHO)
1 in every 40 seconds.
1 adult death in every 20 attempts
In Kenya :2008-2017 ^58% to reach 421.
Average 317 deaths per year (240 men : 77women)

• Mental and Psychological disorders
• Drugs, substance and alcohol abuse
• Psycho-social issues
• Economic issues
• Physiological issues
• Physical issues
• Spiritual issues

Prevention
Su***de prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of su***de.

• Medication
• Psychotherapy
• Coping plan methods
• Post vention
• Support groups

Warning
• Suicidal Ideations
• Substance abuse
• Anxiety, agitation insomnia, hypersomnia
• Feelings of being trapped
• Hopelessness
• Social withdrawal
• Anger or rage
• Recklessness /impulsiveness
• Mood changes /depression
• Feelings of uselessness
• Settling outstanding affairs, giving away prized or valuable possessions, making amends when they are otherwise not expected to die.
Screening
Mental health care providers :Psychiatrists (medical specialists, clinicians and nurses), psychologists, counselors and medical social workers.

“How best do you take care of yourself? “ Most of will wonder which kind of a question is this but in real sense some of us won’t be in a position to answer.
WHAT IS SELF CARE?
Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improving our mood and reducing anxiety it’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.


CATEGORIES OF SELF CARE.
Self-care is divided into 7 categories;
Physical self-care: One can take care of themselves either by eating healthy, exercising or even ensuring proper hygiene.
Emotional self-care: One can ensure emotional self-care by acknowledging their emotions, find the root cause of that emotion if it’s a negative emotion and dealing with it and if it a positive emotion we acknowledge it by embracing it.
Spiritual self-care: This are the activities we engage in to find and nature a sense of connecting to our higher power and deepening the meaning of our lives it can be through meditation or even spiritual support i.e. spirituality is different from religion marked by a thin line.
Intellectual self-care: This is by ensuring you let yourself grow intellectually either by reading more or even attending short courses.
Social self-care: Our social interaction help us to build ourselves and learn ways of being accommodating and understand the human behavior and know our own strengths and weaknesses.
Relational self-care: As human being we are a social being bond to making friendship with other and as we make them so must we learn how to nourish them. Making millions of friend is not a miracle the miracle is sustaining those relationships to last for years.
Safety and security self-care: Safety and security is ensuring not to expose yourself to any danger of anything that can compromise your own self.


BASIC LIST OF HOW TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.
-Create a “no “list with things you know you don’t like or you no longer want to do.
-Ensure to eat a healthy diet and promote nutrition.
-Get enough sleep.
-Exercise frequently.
-Follow up with medical care to promote a healthy self.
-Spend enough time with your loved ones.
-Look for opportunities to laugh.
-Ask for help.
-Putting yourself first.
-Setting boundaries.
-Forgive yourself.
-Taking a step back.

SMALL TALK ON DEPRESSION.
In Kay Redfield Jamison book, An Unquiet Mind : A Memoir of Mood and Madness she says “ Others imply that they know what it is like to be depressed because they have gone through a divorce, lost a job, or broken up with someone. But these experiences carry with them feelings. Depression, instead, is flat, hollow, and unendurable. It is also tiresome. People cannot abide around you when you are depressed. They might think that they ought to, and they might even try, but you know and they know that you are tedious beyond belief: you are irritable and paranoid and humorless and lifeless critical and demanding and no reassurance is ever enough. You’re frightened and you’re frightening, and you’re “not at all like yourself but will be soon,” but you know you won’t.
Depression is a mental disorder that mainly affects our mood and interaction with our environment. This mood disorder can occur to any person despite the age, gender, race, ethnicity and social class, though some are more predisposed than other this mighty be because of either through genetic predisposition or even our environment. This mental disorder is characterized by:
 Prolonged sadness.
 Significant change in appetite.
 Change in sleeping patterns.
 Irritability, anger, worry, agitation and anxiety.
 Loss of energy and persistent lethargy.
 Pessimism, indifferent.
 Unexplained aches and pains.
 Feeling of guilt, worthlessness and hopelessness.
 Inability to concentrate indecisiveness.
 Inability to take pleasure in former interest and social withdrawal.
 Excessive consumption of alcohol or chemical substances.
 Recurrent thoughts of death or su***de.

If one experiences 5 or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks or if any of the symptoms interference with your work or family activities then you should seek help soon so as to understand the root source of the feeling or to seek early treatment.
We can help you reach out in case of any inquiry or clarifications.

Call us for any assistance

Your mind is your life, the largest asset you posses. We are here to walk you through the issues affecting you.
We listen because we care.