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Depression

Subject: Social/Emotional Health Grade: 9

Duration: One or two class periods Lesson Plan Sections

Objectives
Students will
Describe common symptoms of depression Identify possible causes and available treatments for depression and other mental disorders. Learn to use resources in one's community and on the Internet for information and services regarding prevention strategies for depression

Review what they've learned about clinical depression and various treatments Create a poster that highlights one major feature about depression (i.e. signs of depression, causes of depression, treatments and solutions, etc.)

Materials

Computer with Internet access Print resources about depression Poster board, markers PBS In the Mix video: "Depression: On the Edge"

Procedures
1. Begin with a brief discussion about depression. State that depression has been called the "common cold" of mental illness. There are varying degrees of depression, ranging from times when students feel "down" or "sad," all the way to clinical depression. Draw a straight line (continuum) on the board. Put "feeling down or sad" at the left end and "clinical depression" on the right end. Tell students that all of us will experience some degree of depression, i.e., when someone dies, significant losses/changes occur, relationship breakups, etc. Give an example you might have in your lifetime when you felt depressed. Put an "X" on the continuum where you felt it would be. The more symptoms of depression and the length of time you experience it will all help determine where it would be on the continuum. The closer you get to the right end, the more important it is to get help. Clinical depression needs professional help. 2. Show the video "Depression: On the Edge" 3. After showing the video, review with the students what they learned about depression. What is depression? What are some different types of depression? What are some causes of depression?

Describe different treatments available.

4. Next, have students work in pairs and discuss what facts in the video they found most surprising. Tell students they will choose one fact they'd like to explore further and have the do a "Myth and Reality" exercise about that aspect of depression. They should be able to describe one misperception about depression and identify the truth behind the myth. Encourage students to use facts from the video and their own research. They can also include quotes from a variety of sources: the video, their research, or anonymous interviews. Below are some ideas for common misperceptions about depression. You may choose to use them to spark discussion among students.

Depression is just a feeling; you can snap out of it if you try hard enough. Only a few "crazy" people really get depressed. Depression only occurs when bad things happen. It's easy to make yourself feel better. There's nothing you can do to treat depression. Medicines like Prozac and Zoloft are "happy pills." Only adults suffer from depression. Therapy's just lying on a couch talking about your childhood. Antidepressants can help anybody with depression. There are no outward signs of depression. People dealing with depression never experience extreme highs.

5. Put students in small groups of 3-5 and have one person be the recorder. Brainstorm events or periods of time when the students have felt depressed. It can be their experiences or those of others. List them on the board when completed. Limit this to 5-8 minutes. 6. Back in a large group, give each student the Worksheet and have them quietly think back to an event or time period in their life, when they felt really sad or down, then fill in the sheet. 7. When completed, assure students that you don't want them to reveal anything too personal and they do not need to detail the event, rather just follow the discussion to find out more about depression. 8. Ask for responses from question #4: "List how you felt when you were sad." Teacher might start it out by listing words he/she felt when an event happened, like lonely, unhappy, angry, etc. On board or overhead, list the feeling words. Affirm all answers. 9. Go on to question #5: "How did you act differently when you were sad?" You might start with, "wanted to be alone", etc. List student responses. 10. Go on to question #6: "What thoughts went through your mind when you were sad?" You could start with: "Why does this happen?" List responses. 11. Discuss with students the reason we did this activity. Look at our answers to #3. Regardless of the event, our answers were very similar. We all feel very much the same when we go through these events. Unless this event was quite recent, most of us don't feel that way anymore. Ask students individually if they still feel the way they listed. Most will not. Repeat with #4 and #5. We all experience times when we're depressed. When we are depressed, we don't feel the way we normally do, we don't act the way we normally do, and we don't think the way we normally

do. However, we all feel differently NOW then we did when we experienced the sad life events. You might have students voluntarily put an "X" on the continuum on the board to illustrate depressed they felt they were. If they were clinically depressed, ask if they got help. 12. Have students mentally recall their event again. Ask if they remember anyone saying something to them when they were sad that made them feel better. List responses. Conclude with the most important things we can do when students are depressed: TALK, LISTEN, and get help. 13. When students are clinically depressed, however, they can't pull themselves out of it. This can be a serious health problem that can affect the ability to carry on daily life. In the video "Depression: On the Edge," some students mentioned that they couldn't concentrate, they were lethargic, had poor self-esteem, and resorted to alcohol and other drugs. As it was described in the video, "When you're having bad days every day, you need to get help." When the feelings of sadness, hopelessness or despair last longer than a few weeks and interfere with interests and activities, professional help is needed. Professionals can give counseling and medication to help them get back to feeling normally again. 14. Have small groups or individual students, select one of the following topics and develop a poster for display in school. This could be researched and completed by using the Web sites listed below as well as other resources. 1. Solutions for relieving stress in healthy ways. 2. How we can help a friend who is depressed. 3. Signs of depression in teens. 4. Ways to can help our school and community understand teenage depression. Discovery Health: Depression http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/depression Teen Health: Depression http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/depression.html Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: Stories of Depression http://www.ndmda.org/storymenu.html 15. Once students have completed their posters, have them make presentations to the class. Then, as a class, discuss the steps students should take if they suspect they are suffering from depression themselves. What steps should they take if they think a friend is suffering from depression? 16. Display student posters in a school hallway or other high-traffic location.

Evaluation
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson: 3 points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions; they created comprehensive and thoughtful posters that included several relevant facts and quotes. 2 points: Students participated in class discussions; they created somewhat comprehensive posters that included some facts and at least one quote.

1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; they created simplistic poster with few or no facts or quotes.

Vocabulary
Bipolar disorder (manic depression) Definition: A type of depression that has either subtle or extreme "high" periods alternating with "low" periods of depression. Context: Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is a disorder of the brain. Depression Definition: A medical condition that leads to intense feelings of sadness or despair; these feelings don't go away on their own, and are not necessarily related to a particular life event. Context: People of all ages can suffer from depression. Neurotransmitter Definition: Chemicals in the brain that allow nerve cells to "communicate" with one another Context: Too few or too many neurotransmitters may be released and cause or contribute to depression. Psychotherapy Definition: A treatment that tries to eliminate or control mental illness symptoms through talking; the relationship between a therapist and a client is crucial. Context: Several types of psychotherapy are available: Psychodynamic therapy looks at past traumas, while behavioral psychotherapy tries to change negative patterns of behavior or thought.

Standards
This lesson plan addresses the following National Science Education Standards: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Personal health; Risks and benefits

References
Brewster, Joy. "Depression." Discovery Education.com. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/depression.cfm>. Gasparini, Kathleen. ""What Is Depression?"" PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/lessons/depression1/index.html>.

DEPRESSION WORKSHEET Recall a time in your life when you felt depressed. Answer the following questions about that time of life or event. The life event or situation that made me feel really sad was:

1. When did it happen?

2. Where were you at the time?

3. Who else was involved?

4. List "feelings words" that describe how you felt when you were really sad.

5. How did you act differently when you were really sad?

6. What thoughts went through your mind when you were really sad?

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