1. What does the term ‘mental health’ mean to you?
“Mental health influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others and how we interpret events. It affects our capacity to learn, to communicate and to form, sustain and end relationships. It also influences our ability to cope with change, transition and life events.”
(Dr Lynne Friedli 2004)
Ask students in pairs to discuss what the term ‘mental health’ means to them for a few minutes. Then ask for feedback.

2. Children’s mental health
Children who are mentally healthy are able to:
Develop psychologically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually
Initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships
Use and enjoy solitude
Become aware of others and empathise with them
Play and learn
Develop a sense of right and wrong
Resolve (face) problems and setbacks and learn from them
(The Mental Health Foundation report Brighter Futures, September 2011 )
Discuss.

3. Depression
Ask students what this image means to them. What do they see? “What is she trying to tell us?” This artwork is from a girl who experienced clinical depression.

4. What is depression?
“… a loss of interest and enjoyment in ordinary things and experiences... low mood and a range of associated emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioural symptoms.”
National Clinical Practice Guideline No 23 (NICE, 2007)
“ a duration of at least 2 weeks is usually required for diagnosis, but shorter periods may be reasonable if symptoms are unusually severe and of rapid onset.”
ICD 10 F32
It affects a young person’s ability to study, concentrate at school, play and get on with friends and family. When severe, it can increase the risk of self-harm, substance misuse and suicide.
Read through.

5. Depression - Facts and information
The prevalence of childhood depression is 1% in pre-pubertal children and around 3% in post-pubertal young people, twice as many females as males. (NICE, 2013)
10% of children and young people with depression recover spontaneously within 3 months, and 50% recover within the first year. (NICE, 2005)
Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression. Over 8,000 children aged under 10 years old suffer from severe depression. (Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., et al., 2005).
The number of young people aged with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s. (Nuffield Foundation, 2013)
Read through. Are these fact and information surprising?

6. Group Task
Divide the group into 4 groups and ask each of the groups to explore signs and symptoms of depression by devising a young person who has depression or someone who is at risk of developing depression
Ask each group to give the young person a name (not a name of somebody that they know or who is real). The young person is aged between 8 – 17 years of age, so how old are they?
Plus what is their……..
Ethnicity
Life situation - financially
School/family and home life
Interest and hobbies
General health, any disabilities
Identity, self-esteem, self-image and social presentation
Family and social relationships
Self care skills, independence and housing
Services working with the young person – mental health
Draw a picture of the young person and create a mindmap around them discussing the above.
Students in their groups are to bring to life a young person who may be already suffering from a mental illness or may be at risk of developing a mental illness. This exercise is to see how much they already know about social factors that my impact on a young persons mental health.

7. Show the film (staff/curriculum/space day July 2017/Mental Health Videos/I had a black dog) – I Had A Black Dog

8. Anxiety
Ask students what this image means to them. What do they see? “What is she trying to tell us?” This artwork is from a girl who lived with anxiety.

9. Anxiety Fight, flight and freeze
Everybody experiences anxiety at some times - it’s normal
Anxiety is natural and can be useful
It’s unpleasant so that we take notice and keep safe
A response in both the mind and the body
Anxiety is one of the most common causes of distress in children and young people

10. What is an Anxiety Disorder?
More severe and lasts longer than normal anxiety
Interferes with schooling, work, relationships and social life
Common, and costly to the young person, their families and society
Often unrecognised and untreated
Anxiety can vary in severity from mild uneasiness through to a terrifying panic attack.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems but it is under-reported, under-diagnosed and under-treated.

11. Anxiety disorders facts and figures
Anxiety disorders may be caused by environmental factors, medical factors, genetics, brain chemistry, substance abuse, or a combination of these. It is most commonly triggered by stress.
1 in 6 young people will experience an anxiety problem at some point in their lives, so 5 pupils in an average class. (Anxiety UK)
290,000 children and young people nationally had an anxiety disorder, which equated to 2.2% of 5- to 10-year-olds and 4.4% of 11- to 16-year-olds. (ONS, 2004)

12. (This is not an exhaustive list)
Types of Anxiety Disorders
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Panic disorder
Phobic disorders: social, agoraphobia, specific
Separation anxiety disorder
Acute stress disorder (ASD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
(This is not an exhaustive list)

13. Zentangle Exercise Task
If you are a doodler, you could use your pen as a tool for meditation!
Why Zentangle? While the process may look intricate, it is a deceptively simple pathway to relaxation and inner focus. In fact, proponents of the practice note that it has multiple benefits including calming an anxious mind, increasing self-confidence, and cultivation moment-to-moment awareness in a similar way as mindfulness meditation.
During the music, focus on drawing a repetitive pattern on your postit. You should focus on doing this and this only.
Example:
London Grammar – Hey now! (music)
Zentangle is another way of relaxing the mind. Give each student a sticky postit and explain that they are going to create a zentangle design. Give them a copy of a zentangle example. You could play the example on the following youtube clip – Whilst students are completing their zentangle play London Grammar – Hey Now!

14. Action for Happiness
We can not change our genes, our upbringing. But, the way we think, our behaviour and our daily actions accounts for a considerable proportion of how happy we feel – which is good news!!!!!! Because these are the things we can control!!! And change. Having a sense of control is an absolutely fundamental ingredient in happiness. We should be engouraging students to embrace the 10 Action’s for Happiness GREATDREAM -