The document discusses various coping strategies and treatments for mental illness symptoms. It defines coping and explains why coping strategies are important. It then discusses common symptoms like negative symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and positive symptoms. Finally, it outlines several coping strategies and treatments that can be used, including medications, social skills training, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral techniques, cognitive techniques, and activity scheduling. The overall goal is for individuals to develop coping strategies to better manage their symptoms.

1. Coping with Symptoms Buddy Garfinkle, MSW

2. Definition of coping “ To contend or strive especially on even terms or with success” Changing coping strategies may reduce stress Why coping?

3. The Stress Vulnerability Model of Schizophrenia

4. Common Symptoms Associated With Mental Illness

5. Negative symptoms Absence of expression, drive, emotion, thought Social Withdrawal Negative Symptoms-Lack of Interest or Pleasure

6. Psychotic Symptoms

7. Shift topics, usually unrelated and without logical sense Difficulty in perceiving what is real Loose Associations

8. Medications Social skills training Cognitive Behavioral therapy Originally developed for residual symptoms, developed mainly for anxiety and depression Up to 60% of individuals taking prescribed medication still have persistent symptoms Treatment

10. Understanding persons experience irrespective of its connection to reality Interest in the person’s experience Developing a Therapeutic Alliance

11. What appears to be a void, in fact, has a cognitive component of contemplation and observation Reduction of Negative Symptoms

12. May be biological in nature, or May be reaction to past trauma May be a learned behavior, emotional blunting Affective Flattening

13. Avolition

14. Positive symptoms may be connected to aberrant thought process Personalizing bias Jumping to conclusions Cognitive rigidity Reduction of Positive Symptoms

15. Behavioral Basis of Treatment

16. Behavioral Response Go for a walk, listen to relaxing music Socialization Medication Hallucinations-Auditory

17. Distraction Focusing: allow the voice to exist and relax with it Rational Responding Anxiety or anger reducing techniques Induce the voice for time limited period Normalizing techniques, “this is my illness Confronting the omnipotence of the voices-they are only voices and you don’t have to act upon them. Assertiveness with the voices-develop a dialogue with them Cognitive Response

18. Focus on the effects of stress, or sleep deprivation, rather than the etiology of symptoms Voice diary Ties voices and intensity to time of day triggers Identifies patterns, triggering coping strategies Affective responses (anger, anxiety) may lead to unhelpful behaviors Elicit the details of the experience

19. Patterns identified can lead to engaging the voices constructively

20. Generate coping strategies

21. Social skills training Relaxation techniques Breathing Progressive muscle relaxation Guided imagery

22. Teach the connections between thoughts and feelings Examine the evidence supporting the thoughts Challenge and modify beliefs not supported by evidence Explain automatic thoughts (biased thoughts) Teach to challenge thoughts or develop coping strategies Cognitive Re-Structuring

23. Activity Scheduling-Frontline Intervention For Depression

24. With the mastery of a skill, developing a coping strategy for symptom management the cognitive mind-set will improve. Mastery and Pleasure Techniques

25. Observable Self-report Reduction of stress Attainment of recovery goals How do we know when a person has mastered a coping strategy?