Show:
Mental Health
Stress
Alcohol/Tobacco/ Cannabis
Addiction
What to do?
100
True or False: A doctor is the only person that can talk to you about mental health.
False: Doctors and psychologists can diagnose and prescribe for mental illness. However, mental health is so much more! We can all talk about mental health: prevention, awareness, healthy living, well being, strategies to overcome illness and more.
100
True or False: Stress is always unhealthy.
False: We have healthy stress and unhealthy stress in our lives.
100
True or False: Alcohol is legal, so it must be healthy.
False: Alcohol is legal to consume, purchase and distribute over the age of 19 in Ontario. But that does not automatically mean it is healthy. There must be care taken to ensure one consumes healthily and safely.
100
True or False: Addiction is something that we shouldn't talk about because it means people are making bad choices.
False: Often people who are struggling with addiction are embarrassed or ashamed and thus don't seek help. Addiction could affect anyone.
100
True or False: If I have questions, I have no one to go to, I'll have to find out on my own.
False: In high school, you have so many resources available to you: teachers, Coaches, guidance counsellors, student support staff, parents, peer mentors and community resources. Never feel you are alone.
200
True or False: Mental health includes mental stretching, mental exercise, mental calmness and stress.
True! Mental health includes all things related to mental well being. It means stress, it means having daily practices of being mentally well (meditation, connection, identifying emotions etc) and is around us all the time.
200
True or False: For most people, too much unhealthy stress can cause serious problems.
True: While healthy amounts of stress help us to be more productive, achieve goals, become stronger... too much unhealthy stress that is not addressed or reduced can have very serious consequences: fatigue, depression or anxiety, headaches, poor sleep, poor concentration and memory and much more.
200
True or False: The only harm from tobacco is the possibility of lung cancer.
False: Tobacco can cause cancer in addition to other illnesses, respiratory problems like bronchitis, slowed circulation, heart conditions, teeth and mouth problems, yellowing of the skin and many other negative consequences.
200
True or False: Cannabis or marijuana is not addictive.
False: Many users of cannabis will become dependent on their drug- meaning they think about it often, can't get through the day without it and feel they need it to be able to accomplish their goals. This falls under the lens of addiction.
200
True or False: If I am concerned about myself or others, I should probably not bring it up because it will cause people to be angry or scared.
False: Always bring it up if you are concerned. There are definitely scary things out there, but it's important that we work together to keep each other happy and healthy.
300
True or False: Mental illness is something that you are born with and can't get rid of.
False: Even if someone is born with a "genetic predisposition" it does not mean that they are guaranteed to have mental challenges later on in life. Further, those who have mental illness at certain times will often recover through treatment and intervention to live happy and healthy lives.
300
True or False: Sources of stress look the same for all people.
False: Sources of stress can be very different from person to person. The important thing to note is how one works through stress and to know when it becomes too much for one to cope with.
300
True or False: Talking to my parents about alcohol or drugs can be awkward and uncomfortable.
True: Talking to parents about drugs or alcohol can be awkward at first, but the more you talk about it, the more they will know what you're thinking which will help calm their nerves and allow you to understand their thoughts and opinions as well as help get important information.
300
True or False: Addiction can be both to substances and to behaviours like gaming, technology and gambling.
True: Addiction occurs when someone is unable to control using a substance or behaviour to the point where it begins to interfere with other aspects of their lives: friends, family, work, school, well being and health.
300
True or False: I can call a community resource if I have questions such as: Kids Help Phone, Youth Services Bureau and others!
True: There are so many great resources out there for you to access not in the school: some of the good ones are Youth Services Bureau, Kids Help Phone of course Rideauwood.
400
True or False: Mental illness affects almost everyone in Canada in some way.
True: 20% of Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and almost every Canadian will know of or be related to someone who will experience a mental illness at some point. http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/#.WLcQCfnyvIU
400
Name two ways to cope with unhealthy stress.
Write in a journal, talk to friends, talk to parents, be creative and find an outlet for emotions, exercise, reading, nature.
400
True or False: Cannabis is the plant from which other derivatives are found such as: marijuana, hash oil, hemp and more.
True! Often the terms are used as synonyms but technically there are differences.
400
True or False: Part of why a person may be unable to stop using a substance even though they want to is due to the chemicals in the brain.
True: Dopamine and other endorphins are released to our brain's reward centres when we use drugs or engage in other behaviours.
400
Prevention is important. What are two things you can do to prevent mental illness or addiction?
So many things! Discover coping mechanisms that are healthy: sports, exercise, reading, hanging out with friends, talking to parents and siblings, participate in clubs at school, be the person you want to be, be aware of your emotions and how you're feeling, allow yourself the time to relax and disconnect.
500
Describe two ways in which you can live a mentally healthy life day to day?
So many things: talk to friends and family, find an outlet for painful or hurtful emotions (journal, groups, exercise), treat our body well, get good sleep, eat well, exercise and bond with friends, find joyful activities, practice quiet time, limit social media and technology, be creative, play sports etc.
500
Which of the following are NOT ways to deal with stress: A- simplify your life B- identify the problem and identify the solution C- avoid talking to people about the problem because it's not theirs to solve D- Get active and do something you enjoy
C- avoiding talking to people is not helpful when trying to resolve stress. often we feel as tough we might burden someone else or that if we stuff it away, it will just go away. While that may be true sometimes, it is often not true and talking to people helps us understand, problem solve and feel connected to others which helps reduce stress all around!
500
True or False: Cannabis might be legalized in Canada, therefore it must mean that it is healthy for us to consume.
False: Cannabis may be legalized as a result of economic planning, policy shifts, increased access to medicinal uses, and to regulate the type, quantity and distribution of the drug. Cannabis has short term and long term harms: memory difficulties, concentration, lower motivation, depression, paranoia, psychosis in extreme cases and many others.
500
True or False: Addiction and Mental Illness are completely separate issues and can never occur at the same time.
False: Often, mental illness and addiction will go hand in hand. Many researchers have found that often substance use problems and mental health challenges occur together, cause one another and can be effectively treated together.
500
Sometimes we get challenged in the moment to do something out of our comfort zone, like try a drug or alcohol before we are ready or when we don't want to. How can you get out of this situation?
Call a parent or sibling to pick you up, tell friends that parents will ground you, tell your friends you're not interested but maybe next time, suggest an alternative activity, leave the situation if safe to do so, know that a valuable friend is one who respects your choices and decisions.