BREAKING THE SILENCE

Teaching the Next Generation about

Mental Illness

National Alliance on Mental Illness

A self-help organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with

a serious mental illness

• support

•education • advocacy

Overview of Talk

• Why is it vital to teach young people about mental illness?

• What are the warning signs of mental illness?

• What perpetuates stigma and what can we do about it?

• How does “Breaking the Silence” approach this challenging topic?

How common is mental illness in children & adolescents?

• 1 in 12 children and adolescents have a mental illness severe enough to require treatment

• Of those needing it less than 1 in 5 will receive treatment• 1 in 5 adults will develop a mental illness at some point

in their lives• Before the age of 14 half of those are who will go on to

develop a mental illness are already showing the early warning signs

• 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• Low achievement

• 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 the warning signs of mental illness?

• Dramatic changes in behavior– Personality change– Mood swings– Inability to concentrate and cope– Bizarre behavior and speech– Reckless and uncontrolled behavior

• Duration - Persist over an extended period of time

• Affect quality of life– Friendships, social life– Fearful, anxious, withdrawn– No longer enjoy life

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

Severe mental illnesses are NOT:

• Anybody’s fault • A character flaw• Hopeless!

What causes mental illness?

• Often people who develop a mental illness have a biological predisposition to these disorders

• Environmental stressors may trigger the onset of symptoms such as complications during pregnancy, viruses, starvation, disaster, traumatic events, head injury

QUESTION #1

If you had someone in your class or school that you thought had a mental illness what would you do?

Let’s talk about

StigmaStigma

• There are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment

• Students often self-medicate with drugs and alcohol instead of seeking treatment

Surgeon General’s Report, 2001

Stigma is destructive

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”

Are people with mental illness really violent?

• People arrested multiple times for drunk driving pose by far the greatest risk to society

• Social risk factor, not mental illness, predict violenceSubstance abuseVictims of violence in childhoodLive in neighborhoods where

violence is common• More likely to be victims of violence than

perpetrators – 1 out of 6

Jack Nicholson in the movie The Shining

Mental illness as the object of ridicule

• “Crazy for You” strait-jacketed teddy bear

• Valentine’s Day gift from Vermont Teddy Bear Company

• Comes with

commitment papers

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

QUESTION #2

What examples of stigma have you seen in your class or school? How did you respond?

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

Big Mouth Kevin

• 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

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

What message do we want to communicate to young people?

• Recognize the warning signs of mental illness

• It is biology, not a character flaw, that causes mental illness

• Learn that mental illness is treatable

• Fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness

Parents & Teachers as Allies

A booklet written by NAMI to encourage parents and teachers to work together for the child’s benefit when a child has a mental illness. Here’s what teachers can do:

• Remove feelings of blame• Acknowledge denial and anger as normal • Communicate empathy and compassion for the parent’s dilemma• Destigmatize mental illness• Emphasize the importance of early intervention and treatment• Be sensitive to parents with special needs and concerns• Provide parents with resources

QUESTION #3

How do you intend to use or encourage the use of Breaking the Silence in your school?

Resources

• NAMI – www.nami.org 1-800-950-NAMI

• NAMI-NYS – www.naminys.org, 1-800-950-FACT

• NAMI Queens/Nassau – www.namiqn.org

• NAMI-NYC Metro – www.naminyc.org – Community of Care (multiple languages)

• 1-800-LifeNet; Spanish – 1-877-298-3373;

Asian languages – 1-877- 990-8585

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

HELP EDUCATEHELP EDUCATEYOUNG PEOPLE YOUNG PEOPLE

ABOUT ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESSMENTAL ILLNESS