Lesson 7.2: Mental Disorders and Anxiety
Overview
This lesson focuses on mental disorders, what they are, causes, treatments, and the social stigma involving them. Anxiety and anxiety disorders are discussed in detail.
Learning Targets
- Explain what a mental disorder is, and provide two examples.
- Describe what stigma is, and explain how it can impact someone with a mental disorder.
- Compare and contrast anxiety and anxiety disorders.
- Identify five symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Preparation
For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:
For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 7.2 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 7.2 Note-Taking Guide.
For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 7.2 Healthy Communication Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
Warm-Up Activity
Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.
- Journal Question: Have you ever heard of a mental disorder? Can you name one or more than one? What do you know about those disorders?
- Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
- Option: Have students discuss the questions with a partner or in a small group.
- Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 7.2 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
- Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 7.2 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
- Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
- Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.
Lesson Content
Review the content from the textbook lesson.
Option: Use the Lesson 7.2 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.
Option: Have students use the Lesson 7.2 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.
Lesson Focus: Helpful Responses and Empathy
- Give each student a copy of the Lesson 7.2 Healthy Communication Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
- Assign students partners or place into small groups of two to three students per group.
- Have students complete the worksheet with their partner or group.
- One at a time, read each scenario from the worksheet to the class. Have each group share their response to each scenario.
Challenge Activity
Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.
Research a common mental disorder that interests you. Use the information you find to write a paragraph about the disorder from the point of view of the person with the disorder. Try to convey what it would be like to have that disorder.
Reflection and Summary
Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.
Can you…
- Explain what a mental disorder is and provide two examples?
- A mental disorder is a serious and ongoing problem involving how a person thinks and manages their emotions. Examples of mental disorders include
- anxiety disorders,
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
- obsessive compulsive disorder,
- posttraumatic stress disorder,
- mood disorders,
- personality disorders, and
- schizophrenia.
- A mental disorder is a serious and ongoing problem involving how a person thinks and manages their emotions. Examples of mental disorders include
- Describe what stigma is and explain how it can impact someone with a mental disorder?
- A stigma is when someone views another person in a negative way because that person has a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that is thought to be or actually is a disadvantage. The stigma society has about mental disorders is a social stigma that has a negative effect on the individuals with the disorders. Some of the harmful effects of stigma on the person with a mental disorder include
- fear of seeking treatment;
- lack of understanding by family, friends, coworkers, or others;
- fewer opportunities for work, school, or social activities or trouble finding places to live;
- bullying, physical violence, or harassment; and
- believing that you will never succeed.
- A stigma is when someone views another person in a negative way because that person has a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that is thought to be or actually is a disadvantage. The stigma society has about mental disorders is a social stigma that has a negative effect on the individuals with the disorders. Some of the harmful effects of stigma on the person with a mental disorder include
- Compare and contrast anxiety and anxiety disorders?
Anxiety is an emotion that includes tension; worried thoughts; and physical changes, such as increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, such as going to school or hanging out with friends.
- Identify five symptoms of anxiety disorders?
- Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include
- feeling nervous, restless, or tense;
- having a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom;
- increased heart rate;
- breathing rapidly (hyperventilation);
- sweating;
- trembling;
- feeling weak or tired;
- trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry;
- having trouble sleeping;
- stomach or intestinal problems; and
- having the urge to avoid things that cause the anxiety
- Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include
Assessment
Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.
- Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 7.2 Quiz.
- Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 7.2 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
- Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 7.2 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
- Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 7.2 Healthy Communication Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Healthy Communication Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
- Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.
Take It Home
Spend some quiet time at home thinking about how it would feel to go through everyday life with a mental disorder. Write a letter of support to a fictional person or a real person you know who suffers from a mental disorder as a way to practice supporting and communicating with the person.