1. PRESENTATION BY COMMUNITY PSYCHIATRIC
NURSE
(PANTANG HOSPITAL)

3.  Introduction
 Define Mental Illness
 Importance of creating awareness for Mental
Illness
 Cause(s) of Mental Illness
 Contributing factors to Mental Illness
 Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness
 Prevention of Mental Illness
 Questions for clarification
 Conclusion

4. Good mental health is when an individual can
think clearly, solve problems they face in life,
enjoy happy relationships and feel spiritually at
ease.

5. Mental illness is anything that affects a
person’s thoughts, emotions or
behaviour that results in:
a negative effect on the person or those
around him/her,
an obvious change in their personality,
friends or relatives feel that what is
happening to the person is strange and hard
to understand.

6. Why should we be interested in
mental illness? This is because;
Mental illness affects us all.
Mental illness is a great burden on
every country.
Mental illnesses are the top 4 in 10
disabling conditions in the world.

7. Most mental illnesses can be treated in
simple, cheap ways .
Most people with mental illnesses can be
stabilized.
People who know someone with mental
illness are often frightened or ashamed of
them.
It is very common.

8. Most mental illnesses are caused by
a chemical imbalance in the brain,
But we don’t always know what
causes the chemical imbalance.

9. A Bio-psycho-social model attempts to
consider a number of factors that might contribute to
or affect mental illness, in three main categories:
1.Biological factors (physiology and biochemistry,
and genetic inheritance)
2.Psychological factors (emotional experience,
interpersonal interactions and the person’s
upbringing)
3.Social factors (related to cultural background
and current life situation).

10. These factors may operate separately
or in combination, at different times in a
person’s life.
According to their timing in relation to the
illness, they can be said to;
a)predispose the person to the illness,
b)precipitate it or,
c)perpetuate it:

11. Predisposing factors exist long before onset of
illness.
Precipitating factors are stressors occurring
just before the appearance of symptoms, either
when illness is first experienced, or when it
relapses.
Perpetuating factors prevent or delay
resolution or improvement of symptoms.
Protective factors reduce a person’s
vulnerability to the illness.

12. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGIC
AL
SOCIAL
PREDISPOSIN
G
1. Genes
2.Maternal health
in pregnancy
1.Upbringing
2.Parental strife
3.Personality traits
1.Cultural
demands
2.Poverty
3.Migration
PRECIPITATIN
G
1.Trauma –head injury
2.Infections-
meningitis, cerebral
malaria, typhoid fever
3.Illicit drugs-
cocaine, ‘wee’,
marijuana
1. Bereavement
/loss of loved one
2. Exam failure/
failure in life
3. Being jilted
1. Retirement
2. Being robbed
3. Stock-market
loss
PERPETUATIN
G
1.Malnutrition
2.Poor sanitation
3.Dependency on
drugs
1.Domestic
violence
2.Conflict with
neighbours
3.Worry about
1.Demands at
work
2.Refugee status
3.Financial

13. B In other ways, the contributing factors could
also be grouped into two factors, and these are;
 Physical Factors
 Psychological Factors

14. The physical factors include the ff.,
Trauma, e.g. head injury,
Drug abuse/drug dependence, e.g. pethidine,
Alcohol use/dependence, e.g. alcoholics,
Acute Infection, e.g. cerebral malaria, typhoid
fever, meningitis,
Chronic Illness, e.g. diabetes, HPT
Poisons & Toxins, e.g. chemicals like
insecticide (DDT), herbicide,

15.  Losses such as;
1. Loss of loved one/berevement
2. Loss of job
3. Financial losses
 Failure in exam/failure in life
 Severe poverty
 Rape/Defilement
 Unemployment
 Demands at home/work
 Being robbed

16.  Domestic violence esp. spousal and child abuse.
 Marital problems such as divorce or separation
 Broken Relationship such as being jilted
 Parental strife/conflict.
 Disaster like natural or artificial, or both.

17. 1. Hallucination 11. Mania
2. Delusion 12. Strange behavior
3. Illusion
4. Anxiety
5. Depression
6. Chronic stress
7. Hyperactivity
8. Insomnia
9. Poor personal hygiene
10. Anaemia, Malnutrition,etc.

18.  Sharing of problems with trusted personalities like
pastor, well respected opinion leaders in the
family/community, clinical psychologists, etc.
 Avoid substance abuse.
 Adherence and compliance to drug regimen.
 Expectant mothers should attend ante-natal clinic
regularly and also deliver in hospital.
 Avoidance of bad company.
 Seek prompt medical intervention in case of accident
esp. involving head injury.

19.  Nursing mothers should avoid leaving the child on
a high bed.
 They should also desist from giving the child to
their young ones to carry.
 Learn to forgive and forget.
 Learn to let go.
 Children should desist from climbing high objects,
etc.

20. QUESTION
TIME

21. ⁂ We, so far, discussed contributing factors to mental
illness as head injury, drug/alcohol abuse,
natural/artificial disaster, loss of job, unemployment,
loss of dear one.
⁂ We continued with s/s of mental illness as delusion,
illusion, hallucination as well as preventive measures.
⁂ We said that some preventive measures include,
sharing of problems with trusted personalities,
avoidance of drug abuse, etc.