Resource Package



Cara Owens, Chris Holcomb, and Tahnis CunninghamESST 360 Mental Health ResourcesAsher, Jay. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: RazorBill.This is a novel that deals with the topic of teen suicide and bullying. The story is told through a series of 13 tape recordings made by Hannah before she commits suicide. Each recording is dedicated to one of her classmates and explains their role in her decision to end her life. The book can be used in middle years and high school classes. It comes with a discussion guide and an educator’s guide and has also been made into a movie.Educator’s Guide: Guide:. (2014). Youth beyondblue. Retrieved from website is a resource that the teacher should provide to students on dealing with depression. The link takes youth through the steps of looking, listening, talking, and seeking help for friends and loved ones who may be dealing with depression. There are also links to places where students may look for help if they are dealing with depression themselves. In addition to all of this, there is also a list of fact sheets on depression, anxiety, self-harm, recovery, and much more. The one negative about this site is that it is not Canadian-based; therefore, students cannot use the search to find doctors, counselors, or psychiatrists in their area.British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2001). Teaching students with mental health disorders: Resources for teachers. Retrieved from is a great resource from the British Columbia Ministry of Education. It is a downloadable PDF file that covers everything from what depression is and looks like, to how to teach students dealing with depression. This resource provides teachers with information on teaching organizational strategies to students dealing with depression as they often find it difficult to manage materials and assignments. It also explains teaching strategies that are useful in helping students with depression and how to create an inviting classroom where these students will feel safe and comfortable. The one thing missing from this resource is the discussion of how a teacher may approach a student dealing with depression, or how a teacher can best create an open and safe relationship with students dealing with depression so that they feel comfortable confiding in the teacher.Crundwell, M., Killu, K. (2010). Responding to a student’s depression. Interventions that work, 68(2), 46-51. Retrieved from 's-Depression.aspxThis article is geared towards teachers; helping them identify and support students who may be suffering from depression. Depression impacts the student’s emotional state and their ability to function in the classroom. When teachers identify and support these students they can begin to recover emotionally and perform stronger academically. This article has a detailed list of characteristics of both depressed children and adolescents and specifically how those behaviours look in the classroom. The article mentions that students with depression can be overlooked at school because their diagnosable behaviours are more subjective than those of children with more external disorders such as attention deficit disorder. Children and adolescents dealing with depression also often do not come forward and ask for help as they may have negative self-thoughts or lack the language skills to articulate their situation. The article provides many suggestions for ways in which teachers can provide help to their students both academically and emotionally. The article urges teachers to provide study strategies to manage frustration, find a touchstone teacher to meet with the student and help monitor how they are feeling, promote social interaction, communicate with the student’s family, and address the issue of suicide. The article does not suggest helping the student connect with professional counseling nor does it address any issues of confidentiality when it comes to helping your student cope with depression. Fry, S. (Producer), & Wilson, R. (Director). 2006. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. Retrieved from documentary, featuring British actor, comedian and diagnosed manic depressive Stephen Fry, journeys into the world of manic depression, or bi-polar disorder, looking at the science behind it, and real life stories of those who are affected or have been affected, and attempts to create an awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding societal misunderstandings. Available online, and split into two parts the film totals almost 2 hours long. The film offers personal and real life accounts (not just a far-removed celebrity’s story) and provides a very effective overview about manic depression. It delves into issues such as differing diagnosis (Britain vs. United States), prescription drug use, and school approached to children who have been diagnosed. However some of the drawbacks to the film are that it requires a certain level of maturity to watch it, as students may be likely to self-diagnose, and it explores subjects such as suicide, drug and alcohol abuse and other subjects, parents and student may not be comfortable with. It also contains some profanity and should be used with caution or permission from administrators, if concern is warranted. It may hold no interest for students, as there is a lot of focus on adults. Huberty, T.J. (2004). Depression: Helping students in the classroom. Retrieved from is an article published by the National Association of School Psychologists. The article opens with the true story of a depressed student and the symptoms he displays. Next, the article moves to describe symptoms of depression, signs of suicide planning, causes of depression, as well as the steps for teachers to follow during intervention. This is a great resource for those who need to learn more about the basic signs and steps of dealing with depression in the classroom. One problem identified with this resource was that the Intervention portion of the article did not make any mention of working in collaboration with the parents or guardians of the student. This is an important step in the process that should not be overlooked.Israel, A., & Held, M. (2011). Ten ways to create a mentally healthy workplace. Retrieved from is a simple but effective poster that can start the conversation on mental health and promote commonplace discussions around the topic and encourage others, unfamiliar with the subject, to consider learning a deeper look, in order to minimize the stigma surrounding mental health. This article offers quick suggestions on accessibility, options, taking a holistic approach, the need for training, and methods of broaching the subject in the workspace. Similarly, the steps could be adapted and used in schools, both for staff, and the students, simply by changing ‘employee’ to ‘student’ and ‘employer’ to ‘teacher/staff’. One of the main drawbacks to this article is that it is a blatant advertisement for Bell Canada. Secondly, it offers sound advice without direction or links to more information, which could limit those without access to resources and information. More information should accompany this article and can be found here as a launching point: . One of the positive aspects of this article is that is short and concise making it less likely to be glossed over, or become unused, and it is simple to read and understand, and likely to engage discussion.Molyneux, S. (2011). There is no such thing as mental illness. Retrieved from , the title is not a cleverly named video meant to attract Internet hits, and trick you with a bait and switch. It is, as it suggests. This video, by Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio, attempts to argue that mental illness does not exist, although he is very quick to say he does not diminish the pain or anguish that people may suffer. Molyneux essentially uses a variety of sources and quotes, to argue his point and provide his own answers on the topic of mental health. If critical thinking is an important aspect of the education system, we must be willing to understand how and why other oppose or reject the ideas of mental illness. There is a good chance, given the video’s availability that student, parents, and the community may watch it and be willing to argue for (and against) its claims, and thus this video should be watched in order to encourage deeper thinking and better research into subjects such as mental health and depression. Molyneux does present some reasonable and seemingly well-researched arguments to support his thesis, however one of the downsides is that his sourcing appears to be limited to web searches and newspapers articles surrounding the subject. Further, based off of his other posted videos he is willing to discuss topics such as atheism and economics, which puts into question his credibility into healthcare issues such as thisThe Nemours Foundation. (2014). Teens health: Depression. Retrieved from is a website that teachers could provide to students to raise awareness about mental health and/or depression. This website is full of information for youth on the symptoms of depression, learning about how people develop depression, and how to talk to parents about depression. Additionally, students may refer to this website as it discusses how to deal with friends who are talking about suicide. In addition to resources for teens, there is also information for younger children to access at this website. The only thing missing from this website is a list of contact information for students seeking help.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2012). Depression and high school students: Answers to students’ frequently asked questions about depression. Retrieved from . This is a recently published four-page handout that addresses some of the most commonly asked questions in regards to depression. It handles some difficult issues in a straightforward manner and the language is tailored for high school students. This handout does not provide an extremely in-depth look at depression but it covers a lot of the basic main points and could be a good first reference for both teachers and students. Teachers could use this as part of an assignment on mental health or it could be made available to students who are looking for more information or who seem to be at risk. The handout addresses questions such as: What are the symptoms of depression? How is depression treated? What causes depression? How can I help myself if I am depressed? How can I help a friend who is depressed?Rosenfield, S. (2014). What I be project. Retrieved from ‘What I Be’ is a photography project by Steven Rosenfield. Rosenfield quit his corporate job, began traveling and picked up photography along the way, which led to taking pictures of famous friends. However, he wanted to do more, and stumbled upon the idea of photographing people with a written display of their greatest insecurities written on their bodies. Accompanying each picture is a personal story written by each individual. On the website, there a multiple categories that can work in a variety of educational settings. This could be used in Health, English, or Social Studies, in order to consider empathy, and understanding of other people’s stories. Since self-image can be a contributing factor of depression and mental health, this project could present a sense of community for students who may feel alone or ostracized. One of the major downsides at this point is that many of the photos do not have the personal story attached as Rosenfield is waiting for each individual to submit them, but there are a number of photo’s that do. Another issue with this approach is that it may not be overly appealing to younger students and they may not see the value in ‘looking at’ photos, and reading personal stories.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2011). Identifying mental health and substance use problems of children and adolescents: A guide for child-serving organizations (HHS Publication No. SMA 12-4670). Rockville, MD.This is a practical guide for teachers the primary function of which is to help teachers identify students with mental health and substance use problems at an early stage so that intervention may take place. It also offers other tools and resources for support. It offers information about how to identify, assess and intervene for and treat students with mental health issues. The guide gives a description of some of the triggers for childhood mental illness and information about which conditions are most common for each age group. One of the chapters focuses on different screening tools, however, it may be intimidating and inappropriate for a school to engage in this kind of active assessment of mental health. Bringing in a community resource person who deals with mental illness may be a more appropriate way to provide aid to a student who have been identified by their teacher as suffering from mental illness. It is an American resource so some of the information regarding Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice may not reflect Canadian laws and policies. . (2014). Teen mental health. Retrieved from is a website that provides a vast array of resources in dealing with all sorts of mental disorders in schools, including depression. All of the resources provided at this website are free and include downloadable PDFs and virtual classrooms to use with students when learning about mental health. The website also provides a list of resource links for teachers to utilize to build knowledge and find help for students. This website could be used in a variety of ways to increase teacher awareness of mental health issues, as well as to provide assistance to students struggling with mental health disorders. The downfall with this site is that it could take some effort to sort through all the reports under the resource tab to find the practical resources for use in the classroom. tes.connect. (2013). Retrieved from website offers specialized resources, tutorials, activities and lesson plans. You may select primary, secondary or whole school grade levels. In the “health and social care” category there are tabs for diseases and disorders, effective communication, human behaviour and development, mental health, and nutrition and diet. As this is an international website teachers will have to assess the lessons and activities for themselves to ensure that it is right for their class and the topic at hand. Teachers must sign up to the website by providing their e-mail address and creating a username and password.Wei, Y., Kutcher, S., & Szumilas, M. (2011). Comprehensive school mental health: An integrated “school-based pathway to care” model for Canadian secondary schools. McGill Journal of Education, 46(2), 213-230. is the time of life when many mental disorders first appear (in Canada 1 in 5 young people suffer from a mental disorder) and yet mental health issues have been largely neglected in Canadian high school classrooms. This paper outlines a school mental health approach that integrates a full spectrum of mental health interventions with existing secondary education frameworks and a system of publicly funded health care and education in Canada. The model has 5 goals: 1) to promote mental health awareness for youth, educators and parents; 2) to promote access to mental health care; 3) to create bridges between schools and health care providers; 4) to ensure that students with mental health issues can have their educational needs met in the classroom; 5) to involve parents and the wider community with the mental health needs of students. The article provides an outline for the model and some valuable information for teachers. Unfortunately, this is not a model that a single teacher will be able to employ in their classrooms. For this model to work teachers need training and support from their whole school, school board and, ideally, the province. World Health Organization. (2012). I had a black dog, his name was depression. Retrieved from is a 4 ? minute, animated video that addresses the issue of depression through the metaphor of a big black dog that follows the narrator around and affects all aspects of his life. The video first describes the feelings of depression and the ways in which it affects the narrator’s relationships and daily activities (there is a passing reference to self-medication through alcohol). Eventually the narrator seeks professional help and realizes that any one can suffer from depression and that millions do. The video urges those dealing with depression to be open and honest with close friends and family, understand the benefits of meditation, physical exercise, and self-reflection. A central message is that through “no matter how bad it gets if you take the right steps, talk with the right people that [depression] can and will pass (3:25)” The video paints a simple, straight forward and relatable picture of depression. It would be a good way to introduce the topic to the class and start a conversation or introduce an activity. It touches briefly on some of the issues that are related to depression, such as alcoholism and suicidal thoughts, in a gentle way. The World Health Organization has other depression-related videos and resources available on their website: , D.J.D., Karioja. K., Rye, BJ., Shain, M. (2011). Perceptions of declining classmate and teacher support following the transition to high school: Potential correlates of increasing student mental health difficulties. Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 48, 556-572. doi:10.1002/pits.20576This research article looks at the stages in development and relational connections made in schools that protect against mental health concerns. It reveals that in Canada and the US, almost 1/3 of students are disengaged by the time they reach high school. The study follows 3489 students, their social anxiety and depression levels as they move from grade nine to grade ten (middle school to high school in this case), and the importance of classmate and teacher support. From their research they conclude that there is a strong link between reduced peer and teacher support and a reduction in overall mental health. They suggest more action should be taken by administrators, educators, and policy makers in order to ensure better social connections and relationships in the school realm. Where this article falters, is that it is heavily loaded with scientific and research terminology and that it studies a narrow range of potential factors that may contribute to mental health impacts. This article is helpful, in that it is a relatively new study using recent sources to support their hypothesis. Further, it has a reasonable sample group, studying Canadian students from Ontario, in rural, urban centers and small and large high schools, which allows it to become transferable to other school districts in Canada. This article would be beneficial for supporting arguments to convince policy for more support in the areas of mental health, and providing background basis for out of curriculum material taught in classrooms. Other Helpful WebsitesCanadian Mental Health Association - Regina Branch’s Help Phone Crisis - Crisis Intervention Services in Regina Qu’Appelle Health Authority - Mental Health and Addictions Services Society of Saskatchewan ................
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