Introduction The following chapters provide an awareness of the most common types of poor mental health and their associated diagnosable mental health conditions. This will include definitions, signs to notice, and appropriate treatments. Please note that the conditions mentioned are not an exhaustive list of all possible, diagnosable conditions. Remember that as a Youth MHFAider your role is to notice signs of poor mental health and provide first response support, not to diagnose a young person with a mental health condition. If a young person seems emotionally distressed, but doesn’t show all or even many of the signs associated with particular types of poor mental health or mental health conditions, you should still follow the Youth MHFA action plan to explore their distress and any support they need. Revisit the Youth MHFA action plan in full. A note about classifications As Youth MHFAiders we are looking for common signs associated with mental health conditions. This may not match the diagnostic criteria a professional will use during a mental health assessment. As Youth MHFAiders are not professionals, what we are noticing is the signs a young person may present with in everyday environments, not the clinical symptoms. In the following chapters you may notice that we haven’t categorised mental health conditions in line with the ICD- 11 (International Classification of Diseases). The ICD sets the international standard for healthcare diagnosis and classifies conditions to help professionals correctly diagnose symptoms and provide the best treatment. As Youth MHFA doesn’t train a person to become a mental health professional and make a diagnosis, we categorise conditions based on their primary sign or symptom. For example, conditions that share anxiety as a main symptom are grouped together.
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