National Alliance on Mental Illness

A self-help organization dedicated to improving

the lives of people with a serious mental illness

• support • education • advocacy

KEY MESSAGE: You are not alone

Overview of Talk

• Rationale for mental illness school education

• Warning signs of mental illness

• Stigma associated with mental illness

• How the Breaking the Silence school education project teaches about mental illness

BREAKING THE SILENCE: Teaching the Next Generation about Mental Illness

• Recognize the warning signs of mental illness

• Learn that mental illness is treatable

• Fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness

The importance of mental illness education

• Mental illness is not generally included in the school health curriculum.

• At least 1 in 5 adults suffer from a mental illness in a given year – Surgeon General’s Report 2000

• 5 of the 10 leading causes of lifetime disability are mental illnesses – and depression leads a list that includes bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, and substance abuse. Global Burden of Disease Study, 1990

• Illnesses like AIDS and breast cancer affect far less people, but ARE an accepted part of the health curriculum

• Substance abuse is regularly taught, but without reference to mental illness which is often a co-occurring disorder

How common is mental illness in children & adolescents?

• 1 in 10 children and adolescents suffer from a mental illness requiring treatment

• Before the age of 14 half who will develop a major mental illness are already showing symptoms

• Of those needing it less than 1 in 5 will receive treatment

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death in teenagers ages 15 to 24.

Surgeon General’s Report - 2001

Impact of Untreated Mental Illness in the Classroom

• Inattentive students

• Poor attendance

• Bullying

• Disruptive behavior

• Weak social skills

• Mental illness affects people from all walks of life, regardless of age, race, income, religion, or education

• Mental illnesses are no fault brain disorders

Jessica Lynch

Miss New York State 2004

What are some of the mental illnesses that affect young people?

• MOOD DISORDERSMOOD DISORDERS – depression, bipolar disorder

• THOUGHT DISORDERSTHOUGHT DISORDERS – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

• ANXIETY DISORDERSANXIETY DISORDERS – examples: phobias, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder

• EATING DISORDERSEATING DISORDERS – anorexia, bulimia

What are the warning signs of mental illness?

• Dramatic changes in behavior• Persist over an extended period of

time• Affect quality of life• Typical symptoms

Personality and extreme mood changes

Changes in sleep and eating patterns Inability to concentrate and cope Extreme anxiety and irrational fears Bizarre behavior and speech Social isolation Reckless and uncontrolled behavior Suicidal thoughts and actions

Let’s talk about

StigmaStigma

Stigma Deeply Rooted in Our Culture

• Every socioeconomic group tends to devalue people with mental illness

• Stereotypes reinforced by the media--Television-- Radio-- Press-- Commercials/print ads-- Movies

Stereotype of violence

• People with mental illness are frequently portrayed as villains in TV and movies

• On soap operas 2/3 of people with a mental illness are portrayed as violent

• More likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators

• One out of six people with a mental illness has been a victim of a violent crime

Jack Nicholson in the movie The Shining

Stigma Learned at Early Age

• Children’s media parallels adult stereotypes

• Predominant image is violent, fear producing

• Message is that isolation not treatment is the answer

Sheldon Silverstein, Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book

Impact of stigma on access to care and opportunities

Second class status of mental health coverage

Scarcity of child psychiatrists – only 6,000Lack of housing leads to homelessnessLimited job opportunitiesCollege acceptance may be impacted if

mental illness is disclosedNot enough money for research

How does stigma affect someone struggling with mental illness?

• Feelings of shame and isolation

• Loss of friends

• Future thrown off course – education, profession, marriage

• Lowers self-esteem

How are families affected by stigma?

• Feelings of secrecy and shame

• Difficult to get family member to accept treatment

• Family becomes isolated from friends and extended family

• NAMI study showed that 70% of their members’ marriages ended in divorce

How are siblings affected by stigma?

• Loss of relationship with brother or sister

• Am I responsible?• Feelings of neglect• Survivors guilt• Will I get it?• Fearful of

classmates and friends finding out

What impact does stigma and mental illness have on schools?

• Families afraid to disclose psychiatric problems

• Teachers often not trained to recognize or handle mental illness in the classroom

• School personnel fearful of speaking to parents about psychological problems

BREAKING THE SILENCE: Teaching the Next Generation About Mental Illness

• For three grade levels: upper elementary, middle school, and high school

• Each grade level packet includes lessons with fully scripted questions and responses, posters, games and definitions.

• User friendly and fully scripted• Lessons are story based • Emphasis on serious mental illness

Following up in the classroom

• Suggested cross-curricular activities

• Topics for further study• Annotated book/video

lists• Recommended websites

for further exploration of the topic

Elementary School - Fighting Stigma

Lisa’s story

• Lisa’s brother who is seeing a psychiatrist is called “a mental” by an insensitive classmate

Stay-at-Home Mondays

• Jessica, who suffers from depression is isolated and treated abusively by her peers

Knock-Knock Who’s There?

• David suffers in silence as caretaker for his formerly fun loving mom who is in a deep depression

Role plays

• Using brain puppets students practice listening and responding empathetically – Listen, Care, Ask, Suggest

Middle School – Fighting Stigma

Stop Pretending Poems• Poems illustrate the cruelty of other students

who make jokes about the author’s older sister who has developed bipolar disorder.

Famous Persons with Mental Illness Word Search

• Includes names such as Lincoln, Mark Twain, and Monica Seles who suffered from a mental illness

The Brain Game• A board game in which teams compete in

answering review questions. Game cards provide multiple examples of stigmatizing and stigma busting behavior.

High School – Fighting Stigma

Ross Szabo – bipolar disorder• Director of Youth Outreach for the

National Mental Health Awareness Campaign

• Ross travels around the country to college campuses educating people about mental illness

• Featured in stories in Seventeen and Parade magazines

Jessica Lynch - depression• Miss NYS 2004• Made mental illness her platformMeera Popkin – schizophrenia• Actress. Major roles in London and

Broadway productions• Continued to pursue her musical theatre

career despite her illness

Ross Szabo Lectures at colleges

Elementary School – Symptoms of Mental Illness

Stay at Home Mondays – depression

• Multiple moves caused Jessica to withdraw socially

• Didn’t want to go to school• Complained of aches and pains• Suicidal thoughtsKnock-Knock Who’s There• Mom’s dramatic change in

behavior• Unable to cope with functions of

daily living• Can’t get out of bed. Sleeps too

much. Brains Can Get Sick Too poster

Middle School – Symptoms of Mental Illness

A Mother’s Day Gift• Story of a high school student’s struggle with

schizophrenia.• Extreme anxiety • Bizarre and obsessive behavior• Deterioration in grooming• Grades went down. Couldn’t concentrate. • Delusions – The CIA was after him.

Nothing to Sneeze At• Story of Emily’s resistance to acknowledging her

OCD• Fear of contamination• Counting rituals• Excessive hand washing • Late to school

The Brain Game • Team competition questions include symptoms

High School – Symptoms of Mental Illness

Schizophrenia as a Thought Disorder• Delusions – paranoid thoughts• Hallucinations – auditory & visual• Excerpts from books, short stories --Lori Schiller told by TV it was her responsibility to save the world. --Brandon Fitch felt covers on magazine covers were jumping out a him --Colors too intense to bear --Couldn’t block out background noise

Are These the Normal Ups and Downs of Adolescence or Mental Illness? --Students asked to distinguish normal from abnormal behavior

Warning signs of Mental Illness Poster

All Levels – Treatment worksElementary • “Brains can get sick too, but with treatment

they can get better” poster• Lisa’s brother in “Lisa’s Story” is being

treated for his mental illness• Treatment for mental illness compared to

treatment for other illnesses such as heart disease.

Middle School• “Nothing to Sneeze At” ends with Emily

agreeing to see a therapist.• Story describes a form of behavioral therapy

used to treat people with OCD.• In “A Mother’s Day Gift” Brian requires

hospitalization

High School• Introductory lesson goes into detail about

comparative success rates for treatment of mental illness compared to heart disease.

• Examples of young people being successfully treated for mental illness.

.

National Health Education Standards support teaching about mental illness

STUDENTS WILL:• Comprehend concepts related to health

promotion and disease prevention.• Demonstrate the ability to access valid health

information and health promoting products and services.

• Analyze the influence of culture, media and technology and other factors on health.

• Demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.

How teachers can integrate mental illness into the existing curriculum

• Teach tolerance toward people with mental illness as part of anti-bullying/ character education curriculum

• Integrate into Substance Abuse curriculum. At least half the people with mental illness self-medicate by using drugs or alcohol

Why teach students about mental illness?

• Recognize warning signs in themselves and others

• Encourage early treatment• Combat the stigma that

surrounds mental illness• Discourage bullying and abusive

behavior • Create a more compassionate

and concerned society

HELP EDUCATEHELP EDUCATEYOUNG PEOPLE YOUNG PEOPLE

ABOUT ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESSMENTAL ILLNESS

Contact us for more information

BREAKING THE SILENCE

NAMI Queens/Nassau

1981 Marcus Avenue, C-117

Lake Success, NY 11042

(516) 326-0797 or (718) 347-7284

www.btslessonplans.org