Topic 18: Mental Health Issues and Stigma

Introduction / Procedure / Reminders:

1. Review Homework. Ask students to discuss some of their research findings on anxiety
disorders and depression.

2. Introduce the topic on Mental Health Issues with lecturette.

3. Give instructions for students to fill out Activity 1 survey: Signs of Trouble: Depression.

4. Important Note: Teachers must be aware of the limits of confidentiality.

• Any disclosure, incident or thoughts of self-harm require serious attention and should be
passed on to appropriate referral. Talk to your school’s guidance counselor about referral-
making strategies.

• Confidentiality must be broken when a student reports neglect or physical, sexual, or

psychological abuse. All teachers are mandated to report suspected child abuse.

• Privacy should be respected, even though confidentiality cannot be promised. When

information is passed on, tell the student, and inform and involve them in passing on the
information to the appropriate

5. Do the Activity on Suicide Prevention

a. Preparation: Talk to your school’s guidance counselor about support agencies where
students can get help for themselves or a friend when any signs of depression or suicide
become apparent. Present these at the end of the lesson.

b. Discuss the background information on Suicide.

c. Write the following scenario on the board:

“Your friend isn’t acting like his old self. He seems really down, and has been doing strange
things like giving his favorite things away. He recently told you that he thought the people he
knew would be better off without him around and that he’s thought of killing himself. After
he tells you, he asks you not to tell anyone else about what he has said.”

d. As a class, brainstorm answers to the following questions:

i. Do you think he has a mental health problem?

ii. Is he in trouble?

iii. What should you do?

e. Present things to do when someone you know may harm himself / herself. Put these on
manila paper or poster.

6. Give lecturette: Support Strategies/Community Mental Health Resources

7. At the end of the lecturette, present the school and community resources that students
may access when they need them. Consult your counselor for information on these
resources. It is important that you yourself have confidence in the resources. Also, if there
is any student that approaches you for help, refer to the counselor. Consult the school
counselor for the best ways to make a referral.

8. You may also refer to the Additional Reading: Help How-To’s.

9. Give assignment for next session. Ask students to bring pictures, print ads, wrappers or
labels of food that they usually eat for snacks or merienda.

Lecturette: MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Having access to reliable information on positive mental health and mental illness is
crucial for adolescents for a number of reasons. Mental and emotional problems need to
be addressed, just like student’s physical health problems. Even if students have not
experienced mental illness, it is very likely that they will know someone who has.

Consider the following statistics:

• Mental health problems affect one in five young people at any given time.

• Mental illness is second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability
worldwide.

• The first symptoms of mental illness generally appear between the ages of 15- 24. An
estimated 50% of young people with mental illness are not getting help.

• Fear of stigma and the resulting discrimination discourages individuals and families from
getting the help they need.

An Interesting fact is that 30% of people diagnosed with mental illness will also have a
substance use disorder. When people have both, we call it a concurrent disorder. It is often
difficult to predict why someone with a mental health problem is “using”. Sometimes drug
use is a form of self-medication for mental health problems, other times the substance use
might have caused the mental health problem. Regardless what the reason, using drugs is
not a good thing to do!
The cause of mental illness is often very complex. The stress-vulnerability theory explains
why someone develops a mental illness:

Vulnerability: There is a genetic characteristic to mental illness, but just because a family
member has a mental health problem, it doesn’t mean that you will too. Sometimes mental
illness happens right “out of the blue”.

Stress: Stress can trigger the development of a mental illness, but stress alone doesn’t
cause the mental illness unless you have a vulnerability gene. Causes of stress can be
varied, sometimes a change in environment, e.g., where you live or the school you attend,
or even psychological trauma, e.g., exposure to teasing/bullying, other violence or abuse.
Lecturette: SUPPORT STRATEGIES/COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Here are some strategies for supporting someone with mental health concerns:

• Encourage the person to seek help and support from an adult.

• Spend time with the person, listen to his/her concerns.

• Be hopeful; help them feel like their life will get better.

• Stand by them. Invite your friend to things that you are doing; keeping busy and staying in
touch with friends will help your friend feel better, when they are ready.

• Learn as much as you can about mental illness so that you understand what is going on
for them.

• If you are a close friend or family member of someone with a mental health problem,
make sure that you get help as well. Talk to someone about what is happening. This will
help you be a better support person.

• Put the person’s life before your friendship. If the person mentions thoughts of suicide,
don’t keep it secret, even if the person has asked you to.

Reading: HELP HOW-TO’S

First Step, Reach Out To People You Trust

Sometimes people don’t get the help they need because they don’t know where to turn.
When you’re not feeling well, it can be a struggle to take the necessary steps to help
yourself get better.

When dealing with mental health or emotional problems, it’s important not to go at it alone.
Healing is a combination of helping yourself and letting others help you. Comfort and
support, information and advice, and professional treatment are all forms of help.

Think of all the people you can turn to for support. These are people who are concerned
about you and can help comfort you, who will listen to you and encourage you, and who
can help arrange for treatment. In other words, find caring people in your life who can help
you.

These people might include:

• friends

• parents and other family members

• someone who seems “like a parent” to you

• other adults whose advice you would value-perhaps a favorite teacher or coach, a
member of your church or other place of worship, or a good friend’s parent.

Research shows that males are more reluctant to look for help and receive it than females
are. While some people may have difficulty reaching out to others they trust, taking the first
step in getting help is important for everyone to do.

Second Step:

Take Action The more you know, the easier it is

Libraries are an excellent source of information about mental health. Bookstores often
have “self-help” or “psychology” sections.

For those with Internet access, there are many websites related to health and mental
health. Some are better in quality than others. It is important to know if the information on a
site comes from sources you can trust. Use caution whenever you’re sharing or exchanging
information online: there’s a chance that it will not be kept private.

Nothing is worse than nothing

The consequences of not getting help for mental health problems can be serious.
Untreated problems often continue and become worse, and new problems may occur. For
example, someone with panic attacks might begin drinking too much alcohol with the
mistaken hope that it will help relieve his or her emotional pain.

It's All in the Attitude

There are many reasons why people do not get help for mental health problems. Fear,
shame, and embarrassment often prevent individuals and their families from doing
anything. Sometimes being able to get the help, support, and professional treatment you
need is a matter of changing your mind about mental health and changing the way you
react to mental health problems.

Here are some important reminders:

• Mental health is as important as physical health. In fact, the two are closely linked.

• Mental health problems are real, and they deserve to be treated.

• It's not a person's fault if he or she has a mental health problem. No one is to blame.

• Mental health problems are not a sign of weakness. They are not something you can “just
snap out of even if you try.

• Whether you’re male or female, it’s ok to ask for help and get it.
• There’s hope. People improve and recover with the help of treatment, and they are able to
enjoy happier and healthier lives.

Topic 19: Healthy Living and Mental Health

Introduction / Procedure / Reminders:

1. Give Introduction to the Topic

a. In recent years, there has been an increase in understanding about the relationship
between good mental health, healthy eating and physical activity. Mental health is a key
element of a person’s overall health. The relationship between physical and mental health
(and the social, biological, environmental and psychological determinants of health) is
complex and not completely understood.

b. Physical illnesses and mental illnesses often occur together, e.g., depression and heart
disease.

c. The state of a person’s mental health can influence the onset or course of a physical or
mental illness. Similarly, the state of a person’s physical health can influence their mental
health (WHO, 2005).

d. One way to promote mental health is to take care of your physical health. Eating healthy
foods, being physically active and getting a good night’s sleep help us deal with the effects
of stress. Stress seems to play a key role in many mental disorders (CAMH – Mental Health
and Addiction 101 Series).

2. Conduct the Activity on Snack Food.

3. Discuss the Reading: Healthy Eating and Mental Health with the students.
4. Do Activity 2: Dear Abby

a. Divide the class into small groups.

b. The groups brainstorm some of the problems teens experience if they are not fully
rested.

c. Have students read the “Dear Abby” letter. D

d. Let each student respond with advice to “Tired at School”.

5. Give the assignment for Portfolio Output No. 14. The students put their group
answers together and come up with a reply to ”Tired at School” with at least 3 good
suggestions.
 6. Introduce students to Activity 3: Sleep and Bedtime Activities Diary.

a. Students will record how many hours of sleep they get every night for one week.

b. Follow up with classroom discussion about the importance of getting adequate sleep.

7. Conclude the session with: Being mentally well includes looking after your physical
health. Therefore it is important to eat healthy, be physically active, and get enough
sleep.

Activity 1: SNACK FOOD

1. Prepare a drop box.

2. Students drop the picture, wrapper, print ad, or label of food that they usually eat for
snacks in the drop box.

3. Have a student come up and draw a slip of paper out of the box. The student will use
their best judgment and put the paper onto chart paper into one of the columns “Choose
Most Often” Choose Sometimes” or “Choose Least Often”.

4. You may invite the school nurse, nutritionist or medical staff, or another expert to be
present in the class to be the judge of healthy or unhealthy eating.

5. You may also consult the following resources:

[Link]
ailyChecklist 1800cals [Link]
[Link]

Reading: HEALTHY EATING AND MENTAL HEALTH

Healthy eating nourishes the body, including the brain, and supports mental health
through:

• Improved overall health and vitality

• Increased ability to concentrate

• Reduced irritability and mood swings

• Lowered risk of mental illness

There is some evidence that healthy eating may be a factor in lowered risk of depression
and improved ability to deal with stress and anxiety (Healthy U Alberta, 2009).

Physical Activity and Mental Health:

Physical activity can make you feel good physically and build confidence. Evidence
suggests that physical activity may contribute to improved mood and increased self-
esteem, self-confidence and sense of control.

Some types of physical activity may provide an opportunity to connect with others and
develop supportive relationships. Getting physically active may (CSEP, 2011):

• Make you feel better physically and feel better about yourself.

• Improve your mood.

• Improve self-esteem

• Reduce physical reactions to stress.

• Help you sleep better.

• Give you more energy.

Physical activity may be effective in preventing or reducing symptoms associated with

anxiety and depression. How physical activity improves mood and relieves anxiety is not
yet clear. Some theories propose that physical activity (UK Dept of Health, 2004; Fox,
1999):

• Increases body temperature, thus relaxing muscle tension.

• Releases feel-good chemicals that improve mood.

• Offers a “time-out” from worries and depressing thoughts. Increases self confidence,
feeling of competence and a sense of mastery.

• Provides a sense of belonging and mutual support when participating with others.

Sleep and Mental Health

Most teens need 9-11 hours of sleep every night. Problems from not being fully rested
include:

• Irritability

• Difficulty concentrating and learning

• Don’t move information from short-term to long-term memory as well

• Falling asleep in class

• Mood swings and behavior problems

• More accident prone

• More prone to depression

Suggestions for getting a good night sleep:

• Stay away from stimulants like caffeine in the evening, including chocolate, colas, and
other caffeinated beverages. These delay sleep and increase night waking.

• Do not go to bed hungry, have a light snack.

• Turn off any TV’s, computes, or cellphones, or just do not have electronics in the
bedroom.

• Disengage from any stimulating activities like exercise, computer games or talking on the
phone for at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime.

• Reading is much more relaxing and may help you fall asleep.

• Taking a warm bath or shower helps prepare the body for sleep.

• If you are not feeling rested and functioning at your best most days, talk to your parents.
You may need to speak to a doctor if you are having problems sleeping in spite of trying the
above tips.

• Try a cup of hot milk.

Portfolio Output No. 14: Response to “Tired at School”

Pretend that you are Abby. Write an answer to the letter writer “Tired at School”.