Understanding Mental Illness links to HPE

Understanding mental illnesses

Exploring understandings of mental health/illness - page 17

Introducing the Understanding Mental Illness unit - page 18

Language brainstorm - page 18

Understanding what we mean by mental illness - page 19

Mental illness - the facts (handout) - pages 20–22

Learning the language of mental illness (worksheet) - pages 23–24

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

At Level 5 students recognise changes that occur as a result of the adolescent stage of the lifespan and describe factors that influence their own development. They analyse a range of influences on personal and family food selection, and identify major nutritional needs for growth and activity. They identify outcomes of risk-taking behaviours and apply harm minimisation strategies.

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

At Level 6 students analyse a health promotion strategy and the person and community behaviours and actions which result. They identify and describe the positive and negative health outcomes of this strategy. They explain how external influences affect personal values. They demonstrate appropriate assertiveness and resilience strategies. They identify mental health issues and factors which affect roles and responsibilities in sexual matters and sexual relationships. They identify and differentiate between social and environmental determinants of individual and population health. They identify and describe strategies that address areas of concern related to current trends in the nutritional status of Australians. They analyse and evaluate the factors that affect food selection.

Use the Understanding Mental Illness video with staff and/or parent groups.

Experiences of mental illness

Video - group discussion of section 1 - page 26

Homework - page 28

Video discussion sheet - page 29

Eating disorders (information) - pages 30–32

Depression (information) - pages 33–35

Anxiety disorders (information) - pages 36–38

Bipolar mood disorder (information) - pages 39–41

Schizophrenia (information) - pages 42–44

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

Work with Mental Illness Education Australia (MIEA) to invite guest speakers who have lived with a mental illness.

Mental illnesses - the same but different

Specialist groups - pages 45–46

Sharing the pieces or Follow up quiz - page 46

Answers for quiz - page 47

Understanding anxiety disorders (record sheet) - page 48

Understanding depression (record sheet) - page 49

Understanding schizophrenia (record sheet) - page 50

Understanding eating disorders (record sheet) - page 51

Understanding bipolar mood disorder or manic depression (record sheet) - page 52

Mental illness. How much do you understand? (worksheet) - page 53

Community attitude survey (template) - page 55

Survey record sheet - page 56

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

Order class sets of the Mental Illnesses pamphlets.

Changing people's minds & attitudes

Survey collation - pages 57–59

Video - changing people's attitudes - pages 59–61

Script your own advertisement - pages 61–62

Exploring attitudes - page 62

The kindness of strangers (handout) - page 63

Key communication messages (handout) - page 64

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

Use local media reports on mental illnesses to illustrate levels of stigma.

Labels are for jars

Labels - pages 65–67

Option A - If the shoe fits - pages 65–66

Option B - Labelling jars not people - page 66

Fact, fear, furphy or fiction - a summary quiz - page 67

Creative writing - page 68

Newsletter - page 68

Labels (worksheet) - page 69

Jam-jars (worksheet) - page 70

Fact, fear, furphy or fiction (worksheet) - pages 71–72

A thesaurus of madness (handout) - page 73

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

Use video clips and movies to discuss society's attitude to mental illnesses.

Taking actions, creating options

Getting help - pages 87–88

Sample questions - page 88

Actions & reactions - page 89

Discussion - page 89

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

Ensure staff know who they can contact for support with their own mental health issues. Include this information in induction material.

Face to face

Guest speaker - page 90

Reflecting upon the new information - page 91

Selected video - page 91

Sample questions - page 91

Resource list - page 92

Level 5 Health knowledge and promotion

Level 6 Health knowledge and promotion

As a staffroom topic, discuss how you would re integrate a student back into school life.