Josip Marincel

Exploring the Uncharted Territory of Mental

Health in the Education System
Nikolina Erhardt

Inquiry Question
What actions can
teachers take in
order to best
support individuals
with Mental Health
Disorders?

merlijn enserink

A mental illness is a condition that

impacts a person's thinking, feeling or
mood and may affect his or her ability to
relate to others and function on a daily
basis. Each person will have different
experiences, even people with the same
diagnosis.
National Alliance on Mental Illness

Mental Illnesses that Effect Children

5%

3%

ADHD

Conduct
Disorders

6%
Anxiety
Disorders

3.5%

Depression

Mental Health Issues that Effect

Children
15-24
yrs

Suicide

Schizophrenia

1%
Youth

Eating
Disorders

Psychosis

Bipolar
Disorder

1%
1-3%
Youth
(Here to Help, 2014)

3%

Meet ANXIETY

It's perfectly normal to experience some anxiety

However, Anxiety disorders are a real illness that can severely

affect a person's overall well-being
AD can cause children extreme fear of things or situations to a
point that it hinders their ability to function
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Phobias/ Social Phobias
Panic Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Minnesota Association for Childrens Mental Health

http://www.anxietybc.com/parenting/parent-child
http://www.forcesociety.org/sites/default/files/
CYMentalHealthGuide_Teachers.pdf

Symptoms can be prompted from

Physical sexual abuse
Being a victim or witness of violence
or disaster
Students experience
Strong memories
Flashbacks
Troublesome thoughts of
traumatic events
Behaviours exhibited can be
Avoidance
Easily startled
Over-Reaction

Meet PTSD

Stigma Behind Mental Health

Issues
Stigma, broadly defined as societys negative response to people who
have a mental illness, is often described as more disabling than the
illness itself (Stuart, 2013)
Stigma around mental illness is a significant factor in deterring
individuals from getting the health care services (as cited in Muller, 2015)
It can destroy an individuals reputation and social standing which
results can result in neglect of proper services (Stuart, 2013)
Eventually leaving individuals with mental illnesses to undergo social
oppression which can be a violation of their human dignity and rights as
a person
YouTube Video on Stigma https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BHSonXBZOwI

Steps to Success

Marcelo Barboza

Colin Nixon
Geralt

EDUCATION
Canadian Teachers Federation at http://www.ctf-fce.ca/en/
Pages/Issues/Mental-Health.aspx
FORCE Society for Kids' Mental Health www.forcesociety.com
Kelty Mental Health at www.keltymentalhealth.ca
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information at
www.heretohelp.bc.ca
AnxietyBC at www.anxietybc.com
Youth in BC at www.youthinbc.com
Childrens Health Policy Centre at www.childhealthpolicy.ca
HealthLink BC at www.healthlinkbc.ca

INCLUSION
Present the fact that being unwell physically is no different than being
unwell mentally and that both require treatment
Teach all students about their mental health and well-being, it can give them
perspective
Not Myself Today Lesson Plans
http://www.ctf-fce.ca/Documents/mental%20health/Lesson_plans_K-4.pdf
http://www.ctf-fce.ca/Documents/mental%20health/Lesson_Plans_5-8.pdf
http://www.ctf-fce.ca/Documents/mental%20health/
Lesson_Plans_9-12.pdf
Respond to behaviour appropriately
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/shared.pdf

(Muller, 2015)

ADVOCATION
Talk openly with students, their parents, and the inschool team about mental health problems
Find resources to support your students like
Making a Difference at http://
cymhin.offordcentre.com/downloads/Making%20a
%20Difference%203-2.pdf
The Mental Health Commission of Canada Headstrong
initiative at http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/
English/initiatives-and-projects/headstrong

More Resources
Anxiety Disorder
http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/Resources/Educ/
MACMH/Anxiety.pdf
ADHD
http://www.macmh.org/publications/fact_sheets/
ADHD.pdf
PTSD
http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/Resources/Educ/
MACMH/PTSD.pdf

References

Canadian Mental Health Association. (2015). Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved

from http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/understanding-anxiety-disorders/
Canadian Teachers Federation. (2015). Mental Health: Professional knowledge
on key issues affecting education. Retrieved from http://www.ctf-fce.ca/en/
Pages/Issues/Mental-Health.aspx
Here to Help. (2014). Mental illnesses in children and youth: British Columbia
division. Retrieved from http://www.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/mental-healthinformation/child-youth-md
Muller, R. (2015). Walking the talk: Reducing the stigma of mental illness in
the elementary classroom. Retrieved from http://perspectives.ctf-fce.ca/en/
article/3059/
National Alliance on Mental Health. (2015). Mental health conditions.
Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions
Stuart, H. (2013). Mental illness stigma a problem in our schools. Retrieved
from http://perspectives.ctf-fce.ca/en/article/1949/