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Time to Talk Day
4 February 2016

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Show Suli Breaks video -

3. I used to think Shareef just wanted attention
No Judgement
What do you think?
Problems with mental health can be hard enough; being judged makes it harder.
“They viewed me as weak and making it up. Nobody took me seriously.” Natasha
Discussion: what did you think of the film? What do you think the message is?
Mental health can be a tricky topic and we might not feel that we know much about it. We don’t need to understand anything about mental health problems to look out for our friends. Going through any illness can be difficult but labels such as “attention seeking” and “dramatic” can make it that much harder and prevent someone from getting the help that they need.
Nikki’s Story - Nikki started to experience symptoms of a mental health problem when she was 14. When people saw the scars on her arms they called her an attention seeker and a weirdo.  ‘Some people thought it was contagious and would just stay away’. Looking back at that time, Nikki says ‘When I was at my worst, my teachers and peers didn't understand what I was going through and the issue was never talked about. I think if people had talked about it like this when I was at school, I wouldn't have felt so alone.’

4. Section Title Like why was he constantly stressing?
1 in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem
That’s 3 in every classroom
Depression, anxiety and eating disorders are examples of common mental health problems
Mental health problems can affect anyone no matter what your life is like
70% of young people who have experienced a mental health problem say they’ve had negative reactions from their friends
“For someone to suggest that it’s your fault is pretty horrible. You start blaming yourself and it just escalates.” Harriet
1 in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem, they can affect anyone irrespective of age, race or gender. You can recover from mental health problems, just as you can with physical health problems.
Some more stats on mental health and stigma that you might want to share –
Young People report that they have experienced stigma from:
friends (65%)
parents (50%)
boyfriends and girlfriends (45%)
teachers (43%)
28% said negative reactions from others had made them want to give up on life
69% said that fear of stigma has prevented them from telling a friend about their mental health problem
50% said it had stopped them applying for a job
30% said that it had stopped them applying for or taking up a place at college or university
Time to Change online survey, 541 young people, November 2013

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You don’t need to live in a glass house to know that you shouldn’t throw stones
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The small things make a big difference
What could you do?
• Send a text to say hello
• Keep that person involved in what’s going on
• Meet up
• Ask how they are doing
• Just be there
“They treated me like they always had, and kept in contact… even when I was hiding.” Katie
Explain that when it comes to mental health problems, the small things make a big difference. You don’t have to be an expert to help someone with a mental health problem, just being there can help.
Discussion, split into two groups:
- Group 1 - What are the little things that you could do to help a friend?
- Group 2 – What are the little things you could do to make the school feel like a less judgemental place?
Show the tips on the screen (add some of your own if you’d like)

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Put yourself in their shoes, walk a couple miles in them…
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…and maybe you’ll learn to appreciate their journey a bit more
Think of Shareef, Emily and Anisa.
Think of a creative way to respond to Suli’s video, think of the small things you could do to help Shareef, Emily and Anisa.
Ask the group to have a go at responding to Suli’s video. They could write a poem or a short story, draw a picture or cartoon – any creative way that they would like. Suggest that they could focus on Shareef, Emily and Anisa in the video and what little things could be done to help them. They could also create something from their point of view, how it might feel to be on the receiving end of the unhelpful comments.
We would love to hear about any of the artwork or poetry that is made, if you can after the session please them through to or send copies to:
Caroline Brown
Rethink Mental Illness
15th Floor, 89 Albert Embankment,
London,
SE1 7TP

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Because you can’t appreciate a book just by reading the blurb
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Today is Time to Talk Day
Today, all over the country, schools, workplaces, families and friends are talking about mental health
Start your conversation today and help make our school judgement-free
Visit to log your conversation and find out more
Explain that today is Time to Talk Day and that all over the country people are talking about mental health. Encourage the group to think about the small things they discussed and to try and have one conversation or do one thing that could help end the stigma around mental health. Time to Change is England’s biggest mental health anti-stigma and discrimination campaign and it is their aim to break the silence around mental health and end the common misconceptions. You can log your conversation at the Time to Change website and find out more about the campaign.

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Thank You