The Mental Health Continuum Scenario 1

Instructions: Use the Mental Health Continuum Model to respond to realistic situations by reading the scenario and answering the questions that follow.

Juanita is 34 years old and has been working at the same office for the past two years. She has a young child, recently separated from her husband of 10 years, and her mother has terminal cancer.

For the past few weeks, she has been having trouble sleeping and frequently feels tired at work. She feels anxious and sad and sometimes breaks down in tears. She has been seeing her family doctor and he has prescribed an anti-depressant medication and is encouraging her to take some sick leave.

  Healthy Reacting Injured Ill
Changes in Mood

Normal mood fluctuations

Calm

Confident

Irritable

Impatient

Nervous

Sadness

Angry

Anxious

Pervasive sadness

Easily enraged

Excessive anxiety/panic

Depressed mood, numb

         
Changes in Thinking and Attitude

Good sense of humor

Takes things in stride

Ability to concentrate and focus on tasks

Displaced sarcasm

Intrusive thoughts

Sometimes distracted or loss of focus on tasks

Negative attitude

Recurrent intrusive thoughts

Constantly distracted or cannot focus on tasks

Noncompliant

Suicidal thoughts/intent

Inability to concentrate, loss of memory or cognitive abilities

         
Changes in Behaviour and Performance

Physically and socially active

Present

Performing well

Decreased activity/socializing

Present but distracted

Procrastination

Avoidance

Tardiness

Decreased performance

Withdrawal

Absenteeism

Can’t perform duties/tasks

         
Physical Changes

Normal sleep patterns

Good appetite

Feeling energetic

Maintaining a stable weight

Trouble sleeping

Changes in eating patterns

Some lack of energy

Some weight gain or loss

Restless sleep

Loss of appetite

Some tiredness or fatigue

Fluctuations or changes in weight

Cannot fall/stay asleep

No appetite

Constant and prolonged fatigue or exhaustion

Extreme weight gain or loss

         
Changes in Addictive Behaviours

Limited alcohol consumption, no binge drinking

Limited/no addictive behaviours

No trouble/impact due to substance use

Regular to frequent alcohol consumption, limited binge drinking

Some to regular addictive behaviours

Limited to some trouble/impact due to substance use

Frequent alcohol consumption, binge drinking

Struggle to control addictive behaviours

Increasing trouble/impact due to substance use

Regular to frequent binge drinking

Addiction

Significant trouble/impact due to substance use