School Assembly on Mental Health

Silver Sparrow · 03-03-2013, 04:14 AM

Hey people!
So, me and a friend want to start planning an assembly to do at our school about mental health issues. It would help us to start a discussion, which would be really important to our community.
We were thinking that we would have a section on the most common mental health problems, personal experiences, a section on what to say/what not to say to someone who has a mental health issue, common myths about mental health, etc...
What do you think?

SoDark · 03-03-2013, 04:31 AM

I love it!

Isoverity · 03-03-2013, 05:53 AM

One common myth is that there is a "chemical imbalance" with depression but its never been proven - which is why NOBDOY is tested for an imbalance as they are for (say) thyroid function etc. Meta studies also show anti-depressants are no better than placebos for severe depression.

cloudedmind · 03-03-2013, 02:20 PM

Sounds like a fab idea! If you want anyone else's input / stories I'm sure some people would be willing to help :) All the best with this great idea! xx

Becca. · 04-03-2013, 11:55 PM

Think this is a brilliant idea! Currently thinking of doing the same sort of thing and fundraising events for mental health as well :) x

Crazy Cupcakes · 06-03-2013, 01:54 AM

Sounds like a fab idea :)

Would it be possible to make the assembly interactive so people can get involved? Asking questions to see how much people know about mental health, or whether they just 'know' the myths, rather than just standing up and stating facts, or having a quiz? (I always used to get bored in assemblies when I just had to listen to people talk at me, I preferred assemblies where we were being actively involved)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isoverity

One common myth is that there is a "chemical imbalance" with depression but its never been proven - which is why NOBDOY is tested for an imbalance as they are for (say) thyroid function etc.

According to my flatmate (she's doing a study in her medical science class on the effects of exercise on depression at the moment), you can't check the chemicals in the brains of living people - you can only check for chemical imbalances in the dead. That is why people aren't tested for chemical imbalances. It could well be that there is a difference in the chemical make up of a depressed person's brain to that of a non-depressed person's brain, but it can not be proven (yet?).

Isoverity · 06-03-2013, 07:39 AM

I wouldn't doubt there could be a change in people "chemicals" but would that be a cause? If I got real upset now my chemistry would change but it would be after the fact. Right now in US 1 in 11 people is on meds. To me that's waaaay too many people. A person can get meds from a doctor now just by asking abd with practically no supervision. Kids eneter activation phase and you don't know what might happen. I remember a girl here who went on meds and in 3 weeks she was had a plan to jump in front of a train. In the 2 years prior to that she wasn't even suicidal to speak of. I had to call her high school (this was in 2006). The med situation is out of hand imo.

makedamnsure · 06-03-2013, 01:08 PM

Jack - you might find this interesting. I don't agree with all of it but its something to think about. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc"]Stanford's Sapolsky On Depression in U.S. (Full Lecture) - YouTube[/ame]

You are right that its hard to link cause and effect in this sort of thing. But I strongly believe there is a genetic predisposition to mental health problems, and (purely based on the fact that all of my family are genuinely diagnosably loopy) that indicates at least partly a biological root cause.