PRESERVING MENTAL HEALTH in severe mentally-draining conditions Mental health - n. a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. (defined by the World Health Organization) 1 Introduction 01 Introduction......................5 02 Coping Methods...........15 03 Seeking Help.................25 04 Interviews.......................31 05 Survey..............................39 06 Ideation...........................49 2 3 Introduction Design Intent Explore the topic of mental health in order to develop a tool in the form of a product or service to help people experiencing situations that may severely impact their mental well-being or aid their therapists in helping them. 4 01 5 The Idea A smart device within the A Summary of Information user’s comfortable space that is Gathered in this Research available for immediate comfort, but also encourages the user to consider From my research, I found that there is a plethora of effective methods seeking recovery methods without for overcoming mental health issues available for people who are looking for them. These can range from various forms of therapy and medication imposing on their safe space. to finding someone who they can connect with and talk about your experiences with. Every case is different and some methods might work better for one individual than another. The idea is to cancel out the reasons that the user might have for avoiding help by providing them with something that they commonly The problem lies in the fact that most of the people who need these own or use for support on a regular basis. Common comfort objects services are not actively seeking them. Whether it is the fear of facing include blankets, pillows, dolls. Oher people mght soothe themselves by discrimination, financial reason, or other, the fact is that they are either listening to music. The hope is that reaching out to the user’s where they refusing to seek help or unaware of their own condition. Identifying and are the most comfortable will make it easier for them to open up. acknowledging the problem is a crucial first step to recovery. Once the user’s gains confidence in the device, it will gradually ease the However, rather than looking ahead and exploring options for long term process of reaching outside of their comfort zone and subtly encourage recovery, these people tend to reach out for temporary stress-relievers. the user to consider seeking help. I believe that evensimple suggestions allowing the user to know what is out there will help get the idea of recovery in their minds. The suggestions will be mixed in with other more immediate stress relieving suggestions such as breathing excercises and meditative practices. 6 7 Some experiences that may What makes them similar? severely impact mental health Although, each of these experiences Abuse are very different and require very different things for a positive recovery, they share n. cruel and violent treatment of a person or animal. violent treatment involving sexual assault, especially on a regular basis. insulting and offensive language. certain qualities that allowed me to group them together. Trauma • People in one or more of these situations are likely to develop another. n. powerful psychological shock that has damaging effects. a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury, • People in any of these situations are likely to be which may lead to long-term neurosis. in denial or just be unaware of their own condition. • People in one or more of these situations are likely to refuse help even though the knowledge is there for various different reasons. Depression • It is usually difficult or even impossible to tell from an outside n. a state of sadness, gloom, and pessimistic ideation, with loss of interest or pleasure in perspective that this is going on if the person does not seek help. normally enjoyable activities, accompanied in severe cases by anorexia and consequent weight loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, asthenia, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished ability to think or concentrate, or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. It appears as a symptom of many mental disorders. Anxiety n. a state of uneasiness, accompanied by dysphoria and somatic signs and symptoms of tension, focused on apprehension of possible failure, misfortune, or danger. 8 9 (7) Why? The Stigma “One in four people in the world “Over the years, I’ve heard many will be affected by mental or neurological creative names for therapy... hocus pocus, disorders at some point in their lives. mental brainwashing, and headshrinking... Around 450 million people currently suffer Unfortunately, to this day, the realm of from such conditions, placing mental therapy or counseling still remains quite disorders among the leading causes of mysterious to most people, somewhat like ill-health and disability worldwide.” a magic trick.” - World Health Organization - Dana Gionta Ph.D. It is very likely that everyone reading this has been affected or knows someone close to them who has been affected by a mental health issue. People associate the word “mental” with the word “crazy.” All things In most cases, it is nearly impossible to tell whether a person is suffering- mental health related has built up a very negative conotation within the from poor mental health unless they verbalize it, but desppite this cover, society and modern culture. Often when referring to seeing a psychiatrist it is nevertheless very prevalent in our society, No one is not affected by or psychotherapists, people will first think of mental hospitals, and insane mentla health related problems in one way or another so there is no rea- asylums as portrayed in modern media. son why anyonw should not care. This is one of the biggest detterents that keep people who need help from seeking help. They do not want to be associated with the stigma of mental health issues. They fear being judged by their loved ones or their peers. In most cases, they also avoid seeking help because they do not want to acknowledge their condition. They do not want to consider that they may be mentally unstable. Being “mentally unstable” also holds a very negative conotation and could become the cause of discrimina- tion, loss of a job, loss of friends and family, and in turn the cause of the increased severity of the issue at hand. 10 11 (10) (8) Some Stats #faceofdepression This hashtag was started to show how hard it can be to tell if a person is going to depression. It is rare that a person experiencing depression will openly express their emotional experiences openly from the start. In most cases, they will doubt themselves and blame themselves and force them- Depression affects 19 million American in any given year selves to appear normal or een extra bright and cheery in front of other 1 in 4 Americans will develop depression at some point in to avoid the idea of burdening those aroudn them with their emotional troubles. Every day people who you may never suspect may be suffering their lives from depression. And, unfortunately, this can also apply to those who are suicidal, in some caes, until their death. 80-90% of people who receive treatment feel better within weeks Only one third of these people receive treatment 10 million men and women in the US are abused in one year 18.5% of returning veterans reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression The prevalence of domestic violence among women in the United States ranges from 9% to 44%, depending on definitions 12 13 (10) Coping Methods What type of sources are people turning to to cope with their situation? What kind of products are available to help people overcome episodes of severe stress? People going though anxiety, withdrawal, or depression instinctually search for something to help them cope with the feelings they are experiencing. They seek comfort in objects or services that are easily accessible and can relieve some of the stress. This can include objects that facilitate comforting gestures or amplifies a soothing sensation. This can also include meditative activies. 14 15 photo from02 desertserenityfloat.com Comfort Objects “In a study that will surprise few parents, it was found that children preferred their cherished comfort blankets or favourite raggedy bear over duplicates apparently identical in every way.” - The Gaurdian 70% of children develop strong attachments to inanimate objects. Some common objects include dolls or blankets. Many studies have been conducted in which children are given something they own and an exact replica or that object and in almost every case, the child chose the one they owned even if the exact replica was newer. What’s even more sur- prising is that the same results were shown in a study conducted on adults. According to Psychology Today, adults who hold on to their childhood comfort objects are less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders and adults who have a comfort object like a favorite blanket are likely to do better in high-stress environment According to Brittany Loggins, “..millennials are the largest group that still photo from desertserenityfloat.com sleeps with that sentimental something into adulthood.” 16 17 (11) Weighted Blankets “In psychiatric care, weighted blankets MFEEL Mini USB are one of our most powerful tools for Essential Oil Diffuser helping people who are anxious, upset, “This one is perfect for work. I work in a and possibly on the verge of losing call center so it can get a little stressful control,” -Karen Moore at times.” Nayoya Acupressure Mat HealthmateForever Pressure “The Nayoya acupressure mat has tons Activated Massage Pillow of carefully-placed spikes that promote “Some people find that gentle vibrations circulation and stimulation.