Intro to Mental Health

Being healthy includes

• having a body that feels good and works well

• having a healthy mind and body

• not being sick

• all of the above

Answer explanation

The emphasis is on physical and mental health both being important to overall health. Being healthy includes more than just the physical. Wellness is more than the absence of illness.

Mental illness can occur only after a person has reached adulthood.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

All kinds of people can experience mental illness, including children.

Having a mental illness can affect the way that a person

• Behaves

• Thinks

• Feels

• All of the above

Answer explanation

Explain that some people feel depressed or anxious, some have scrambled thoughts and have a hard time thinking clearly, and others act out or are afraid to act at all. We will learn about different mental illnesses in other lessons.

If a person who is physically sick goes to see a medical doctor, a person who has a mental health problem sees a

• mental health professional

• counselor

• school social worker

• psychiatrist

• Therapist

What causes mental illness?

• diet

• catching it from someone else

• being violent

• no one knows

Answer explanation

Researchers generally think mental illness results from a mix of what's going on in your body and what's happening around you. Some people may have a certain predisposition or tendency for a certain illness, yet also need to have certain things happening in their environment for the illness to develop.

Another way to talk about mental illness is to say

• mental health challenge

• mental wellness

• mental malfunction

• disordered mentality

Answer explanation

Part of what we want to convey to young people is the notion that mental illness is a part of life. It is a challenge. Some do refer to a mental illness as a mental disorder, but disordered mentality is not a correct answer.

What does the term "diagnosis" mean?

• to have a feeling that you know what is wrong

• to meet with your medical doctor who gives you a prescription for medication

• to meet with a mental health professional and he or she gives what you are experiencing a name

• to be told you have a mental illness

• all of the above

Answer explanation

A mental health professional will be able to tell if someone has a mental illness based on the person's feelings, how often the person has them them, and how they affect the person's life. If a mental health professional thinks a person has a mental illness, he or she will give what the person is experiencing a name, such as depression or anxiety, and this is called a diagnosis.

What is the least effective way of dealing with a mental health challenge or mental illness?

• keeping feelings bottled up inside

• telling a trusted adult how you feel

• staying at a hospital for a brief period of time

• meeting with a mental health professional

Answer explanation

You should seek help. You should share how you feel with a trusted adult or seek help from a mental health professional. These are good ways to alleviate or lessen your anxiety.

If a person with a mental illness or mental health challenge experiences "stigma", what does that mean?

• labeling someone in a negative way

• saying bad things about a person

• believing things about a person that aren't true and then making fun of the person

• making someone feel different or picking on someone because they aren't like you

• calling someone names like "crazy"

Answer explanation

People with a mental illness will always be ill.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

With help and support from family, friends and mental health professionals, people with a mental illness can recover and lead productive, fulfilling lives.