Understanding Mental Illness links to Health and Physical Education

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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