Emma Kate Smith Mental Health in Children and Adolescents Presentation Plan

Overview:
Topic: Mental Health in Children & Adolescents
Setting: Barrow/Walton/Jackson Support Group
Audience: Grandparents raising their grandchildren
Instructional Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to correctly identify the myths about mental health/mental illness
when asked to do so by the instructor.
2. Participants will correctly state who to talk to and where to go for help if they are concerned of
their child’s mental health.
3. Participants will be able to correctly identify specific mental health problems that are
commonly seen in children and adolescents.
4. Participants will be able to discuss in group discussion the impact of stigma on people who
suffer from
Introductory/Focus Statement:
1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental health condition at some point
during their life; for children aged 8-15 that estimate is 13% life. –NAMI

Outline of Content:
Reality of Mental Illness:
- Affects every age, race and ethnicity
- Every occupation
What is mental health?
- Defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own
potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully,
and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
Importance of mental health:
- Improves quality of life
- Strengthens and supports our ability to:
o Have healthy relationships
o Make good life choices
o Maintain physical health and well-being
o Handle the natural ups and downs of life
o Discover and grow toward our potential
Importance of early intervention:
- Improved diagnosis and treatment
- More timely and targeted referrals to specialist services
- Improved confidence and engagement of primary care providers
- Early intervention is particularly important for children and young people, for whom
mental illness can have profound, long-term consequences.
- For a young person with symptoms of a mental disorder, the earlier treatment is started,
the more effective it can be. Early treatment can help prevent more severe and long-
lasting problems as a child grows up.
Stigma:
- Stigma is a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart from others. When a person is
labelled by their illness they are no longer seen as an individual but as part of a
stereotyped group. Negative attitudes and beliefs toward this group create prejudice
which leads to negative actions and discrimination. - WHO
- Harmful effects of stigma:
o Reluctance to seek help or treatment
o Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
o Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding
housing
o Bullying, physical violence or harassment
o Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover your mental illness treatment
o The belief that you'll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve
your situation
Major mental illnesses in children/adolescents:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Eating disorders
- Mood disorders
- Schizophrenia
Warning Signs:
- Decline in school performance
- Poor grades despite strong efforts
- Regular worry or anxiety
- Repeated refusal to go to school or take part in normal children’s activities
- Hyperactivity or fidgeting
- Persistent nightmares
- Persistent disobedience or aggression
- Frequent temper tantrums
 - Depression, sadness or irritability
Treatments for mental illnesses:
- Four Dimensions of Recovery:
o 1. Health
o 2. Home
o 3. Purpose
o 4. Community
- Psychotherapy
- Medications
Ways you can help:
- Be Attentive
- Support and Love
- Learn all that you can
- Talk with your child’s school
- Work with your child
- Relax and have fun with your child
- Family counseling or support groups
Resources:
- Mental health organizations, hotlines and libraries
- Other professionals such as the child’s pediatrician or school counselor
- Other families in the community
- Family network organizations
- Community-based psychiatric care
- Crisis outreach teams
- Education or special education services
- Family resource centers and support groups
- Health services
- Protection and advocacy groups and organizations
- Self-help and support groups
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
http://www.aacap.org/
- Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Phone: 703-684-7710
http://www.ffcmh.org/
- Family Support America
Phone: 312-338-0900
- National Association of School Psychologists
Phone 301-657-0270
http://www.naspweb.org/
NAMI Basics:
- FREE 6-week education program for parents and family caregivers of children and teens
who are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness or whom have already been
diagnosed.
- Basics cover:
o Managing crises, solving problems and communicating effectively
o How to take care of yourself and handle stress
o Developing the confidence and stamina to support your child with compassion
o Advocating for your child's rights at school and in health care settings
o Sample Record Keeping System
o Learning about current treatments, including evidence-based therapies,
medications and side effects
o Gaining an overview of the public mental health care, school and juvenile justice
systems and supporting resources to help you navigate these systems
o Understanding the challenges and impact of mental health conditions on your
entire family
Instructional Activities:
1. Myth or Fact Activity Sheet (5 minutes)
(Worksheet attached below)
Procedure:
Worksheets will be passed out. Audience will answer the questions on their own and then
we will come together as a group and see how much people learned about mental health.
Questions from worksheet:
1. Mental health problems are rare
2. Children don't experience mental health problems.
3. People with mental health problems are more likely to be a victim than a perpetrator of
violence.
4. Only certain people have mental health.
5. People with mental health problems are violent.
6. People can recover completely from a mental illness.
7. Physical health problems are worse than mental health problems.
8. On average, people with severe mental illnesses die ten years younger
9. You can be open about mental health problems without fearing you’ll be treated
differently.
 10. There’s not much you can do to help a friend experiencing a mental health problem.
11. People can’t work if they have a mental health problem.
12. If you use a mental health service, there’s a one in three chance you’ll lose contact with
friends.
13. People with a mental illness can “pull themselves out of it”.
Activity 2: What does stigma feel like? Activity sheet with short discussion questions. (5
minutes) (Worksheet attached below)
Purpose:
- To help audience learn what it feels like to experience stigma.

Procedure:
- I will ask everyone to stand up. I will then read off a scenario and ask the audience to
consider how open they’d feel about talking about a mental health problem.
- They will then remain standing if they feel they are able to be open about their mental health
problem and talk to them about some of the difficulties they have recently had. They will sit
down if they decide to brush it off and just say I’m fine.
- At the end I will count how many are left standing after each scenario, and we will talk about
the two discussion questions about stigma.

Three Scenarios:
1. You are at a family wedding.
2. You have just applied for a new job at a new organization.
3. You are on a first date.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think some things are harder to talk about than others like stigma vs like
cancer?
2. What do you think would happen if you did talk about your mental health?
Materials Needed:
- Computer
- Projector
- Clicker
- Myth or Fact Worksheets
- Stigma Scenario Worksheets
- Pens
- Additional information about Mental Health
Attachments:

Activity 1: What does stigma fee like? Activity Sheet

Activity 2: Myth or Fact? Activity sheet

Mental Health: Myth or Fact?

Circle you answer.

1. Mental health problems are rare.

Myth Fact

2. Children don't experience mental health problems.

Myth Fact

3. People with mental health problems are more likely to be a victim than a perpetrator of
violence.

Myth Fact

4. Only certain people have mental health.

Myth Fact

5. People with mental health problems are violent.

Myth Fact

6. People can recover completely from a mental illness.

Myth Fact

7. Physical health problems are worse than mental health problems.

Myth Fact

8. On average, people with severe mental illnesses die ten years younger.

Myth Fact

9. You can be open about mental health problems without fearing you’ll be treated
differently.

Myth Fact

10. There’s not much you can do to help a friend experiencing a mental health problem.
 Myth Fact

11. People can’t work if they have a mental health problem.

Myth Fact

12. If you use a mental health service, there’s a one in three chance you’ll lose contact with
friends.

Myth Fact

13. People with a mental illness can “pull themselves out of it”.
Myth Fact

Power point Slides: