Feelings/Emotions
True or False:
Emotions like anger, frustration and sadness are bad.
Emotions are neither good nor bad. They just are. The issue that usually arises is the behaviour that follows our emotions. FOr example, if I am angry because I failed my test and I rip the test up and storm out of the classroom, it is perfectly okay to be angry and upset, but what is NOT okay is to rip up the test and storm out of the room.
True or false.
Stigma is a positive thing.
False.
Stigma is a negative thing. It is negative beliefs or actions about someone or something. For example, there is still a lot of stigma about people who live with a mental illness. People sometimes stereotype (all people with MIs are lazy), pre-judge ( that person looks like they have a MI because of their hair colour and attire) and discriminate (purposely being mean to someone because they have a MI).
Please share a few facts about anxiety disorder and how it is best treated.
Anxiety is a brain disorder that affects our part of the brain that controls our fight, flight and freeze response. When someone has an anxiety disorder they worry excessively. So much, it can cause physical symptoms like upset stomach, headaches, irrational thoughts and so on.
Treating anxiety usually involves Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help retrain the brain and sometimes adding a medication as well.
If you scratched your finger on the weekend what should you do to help yourself?
Wash off your hand. Maybe put on a bandaid and then get back to what you were doing. You likely won't need any extra help in this situation.
True or False
All stress is bad and should be avoided.
False.
Most stress is actually really good and avoiding it reduces our resilience and coping skills. We need to think through our stressors by problem-solving and changing our negative thoughts.
Is being sad the same as being clinically depressed?
No. Sadness is a normal emotion. In fact, being sad is a healthy emotion in certain life circumstances. Clinical depression is not normal or healthy and one should seek professional help if they feel like they may be depressed.
What does it mean to " judge a book by its cover"? How does this relate to stigma and mental illness?
This is when we judge someone by the way they look without really getting to know them. This is an example of "prejudice" and it is a negative thing. We should try our best not to "pre-judge" anyone.
Please explain some facts about depression and how it is best treated.
Depression is a mood disorder and is best understood as our brain's thermostat being temporarily broken and our ability to find balance does not work.
When someone is depressed they can feel very lonely, have a hard time concentrating and learning, lose interest in activities they once really enjoyed and even have scary thoughts about hurting themselves.
The best treatment for depression is usually a mixture of CBT and medication. CBT helps the individual retrain their thinking patterns and medication helps life their mood so they feel better and can engage better in therapy.
If you cut your arm and it is a big gash that needs stitches, what should you do?
Tell a trusted adult. They will then bring you to the hospital to get your wound properly cleaned and sticked/glued if needed.
Give an example of a stressful situation and where it may show up on your body.
Math test tomorrow. Upset stomach, butterflies, headache.
If we have an emotion in the morning does it stay the same, like a robot, for the rest of the day?
Our moods fluctuate all the time. Our moods and emotions are also affected by our external worlds. For example, you may be tired and cranky in the morning but once you get some food in your stomach and see your friends at school you are happy and excited. But then maybe you get into an argument with a friend and become angry and frustrated.
Please explain the "Mental Distress" part of the Mental Health Pyramid.
This is when we have ordinary, every day stress. We don't need to seek counselling or talk to a professional. Some examples of mental distress are: running late for school, having a test, an argument with a friend, not getting enough sleep the night before and feeling tired and cranky, etc.
Please explain some facts about ADHD and how it is best treated.
ADHD is a brain disorder that affects the individual's ability to control their impulses, can cause someone to be very hyper and makes it VERY difficult to concentrate.
The best treatment we have for ADHD is medication. We use stimulants because someone with ADHD has a brain that is understimulated.
Other supports like organizational skills, having a timer to keep on task, prompts and reminders from teachers/parents are very helpful as well.
If you are feeling sad for a day what should you do?
Reach out to a friend or trusted adult to talk about it. Journal/write about what you are sad about. Go for a walk. Do something that makes you feel happy, like a hobby.
Give an example of a calming strategie. Hint: Navy Seal.
Box Breathing
No. Our moods/emotions can be like a thermometer. Sometimes we have small feeling moods/emotions, while other times we have medium or big feeling moods/emotions. It depends on the person and the situation.
Please explain the " Mental Health Problem" part of the Mental Health Pyramid.
These are quite intense life stressors that we will often struggle to overcome on our own. We should seek support and guidance from a trusted adult and sometimes talking to a mental health professional is needed as well. Some examples of Mental Health Problems are: losing a pet, losing a loved one, a loved one getting very sick, moving to a new school, bullying, etc.
Please explain some facts about OCD.
OCD stands for Obessive Compulsive Disoder. OCD has two parts:
Obessessions - which are the intrusive thoughts that cause a lot of anxiety.
Compulsions- the behaviours and actions ones does to try to reduce the obsessive through.
For example, someone with OCD may have an instrusive thought that they are contaminated with germs. They may wash their hands excessively to try to calm that excessive thought down.
The best way to treat OCD is with a mixture of CBT and medication. CBT helps teach the individual how to control and manage those excessive thoughts while the medication helps reduce the irrational thoughts and the compulsive behaviours.
If you have been feeling really sad for a few weeks, what should you do?
Tell a trusted adult. Talk with the school counsellor. You may need to seek counselling outside of school with a therapist or psychologist.
Give an example of a problem-solving strategy to deal with a stressor.
Meeting with your teacher to help come up with a plan to better study for your math tests that seem to cause a lot of unnecessary stress.
Please share at least 5 different moods/feelings.
Worried. Sad. Happy. Silly. Shy. Angry. Calm. Loved. Bored. Dissapointed. Excited. Frustrated. Scared. Focused. Brave.
Please explain the "Mental Illness/Disorder" part of the mental health pyramid.
Please explain some facts about Autism Spectrum Disorder and how it is treated.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a brain disorder that affects the person's ability to read emotions, be empathic, identify and understand social cues, be mentally flexible. People with ASD can also become very overstimulated with loud and chaotic environments.
Treatment usually involves help from a support worker, learning relationship/empathy skills,modifications to learning, counselling and possibly working with a social worker as well.
If your friend seems to be excessively worried all of the time, what can you do to help them?
Be supportive and a good listener, but remember, you are not an adult and cannot be the only support for your friend.
It is integral that you help them find a trusted adult to tell about their excessive worrying. You can also tell a teacher, EA, guidance counsellor or a friend's parents that you are worried about your friend.
Try not to use the words like "anxiety" and instead explain what you are seeing. For example, your friend always seems on edge, they said they are exhausted and haven't slept well in weeks, they feel like something bad is goign to happen, etc.
Give an example of how to change how you think about your stressor.
Instead of thinking this: " I am going to fail this test. I am too worked up. I am no good at Math!"
Think this instead: " I have always struggled in math, and that is perfectly fine. But I got extra help from my teacher and I am prepared. My body is getting revved up, giving me extra energy so I can perform my best on this test. I am excited!"