1. Before the lesson starts…
Have a quick look at this short video which shows how amazing you all are…

2. Mental health

3. Before the lesson starts, watch this clip.

4. By the end of the lesson you will…
Know…
…what ‘mental health’ is
Understand…
…when mental health becomes a problem
Be able to…
…recognise and respond to mental health problems

5. But first… What do you think these emoticons mean?
Each of these is an emotion.

6. What makes you feel?
Choose two of the emotions you have just identified, and write down a situation which would make you feel that way.
For example, if a student got an A*, their teacher would be proud.
Imagine that you are sad. How would that change the way you behaved over the course of a day?

7. Sadness affects different people in different ways
Sadness can lead to:
greater difficulty concentrating
isolation
over-eating
crying
lack motivation to do work
frustration
loss of appetite
Sadness affects different people in different ways

8. What is a continuum?
A continuum is a sequence, which goes from one extreme to another:
HOT
COLD
HAPPY
SAD
ANXIOUS
CALM
SICK
HEALTHY

9. Why do continuums matter?
HAPPY
SAD
Everybody is somewhere on this continuum.
Both ends of the continuum are extremes which may constitute a mental health problem.
When does it become a mental health problem?

10. It becomes a problem when:
When it happens most days and not just occasionally.
When it stops someone from functioning in the same way as they normally do.
When it starts to have an effect on people around us.
When the person concerns feels that they cannot deal with it on their own.

11. Which of the people on your sheet has a mental health problem?
Write whether each of the people on your sheet has a mental health problem, and why.

12. Where do mental health problems come from?
Some mental health problems have a biological cause:
Chemical imbalances, hormones, genetic factors or brain imbalances
Some mental health problems have a social cause:
They are triggered by life issues or events, such as relationship breakdown, bereavement or work stress

13. Why does it matter? Mental health problems are essentially normal.
When a person is at the extreme end of the mental health continuum they are not always able to think in a rational way.
It as at times like these when they need their friends to help them to deal with the problems that they have.
Read the account of depression on your sheet. Write down three examples of how this person’s behaviour changed as a result of their depression.

14. And finally…
There are four mental health problems in the table on your sheet.
For each one, write down what impact you think they might have on your life; what would you stop doing? What would you start to do? What might become more difficult?