In this 6-lesson unit, students will learn to recognize signs of mental health struggle and how to be there for others.
Students will learn to recognize their limits and how to take care of their own mental health.
Students will learn the difference between a mental health struggle and crisis, how to start a conversation with someone who is struggling with their mental health, and what to do if someone is in crisis.
Students will learn how to build trust and find practical ways to help someone through their day to day life.
Students will learn what it means to be a good listener and how to balance the conversation.
This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.
In this activity, students explore what stops people from asking for help with their mental health and introduces the importance of offering support and connecting to help.
Teaching mental health is no small feat. Brush up on your mental health fundamentals with our Mental Health 101 Guide, designed to make sure you have the information you need to answer student questions with confidence.
The term “mental health” often makes people instantly think about mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Mental health, however, does not refer to illness alone. While it is true that 1 in every 5 people will experience a mental illness, 5 in 5 of us have mental health. Because we all have mental health, anyone can struggle with their mental health at any point in time.
It is important to understand and communicate that we all have mental health. Whether we are part of the 1 in 5 or not, this conversation is relevant to everyone.
The term “mental health” often makes people instantly think about mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Mental health, however, does not refer to illness alone. While it is true that 1 in every 5 people will experience a mental illness, 5 in 5 of us have mental health. Because we all have mental health, anyone can struggle with their mental health at any point in time.
It is important to understand and communicate that we all have mental health. Whether we are part of the 1 in 5 or not, this conversation is relevant to everyone.
Consider the following statistics:
24%
Suicide accounts for 24% of deaths among 15-24 year-olds.
#1
This makes suicide the #1 health-related cause of death among young people in Canada.
-20%
Youth reporting 'excellent or very good mental health' decreased from 60% of youth in 2019 to only 40% in 2020.
15–24 yr olds
Age range most likely to experience mental illness and or substance use disorder than any other age group.
Consider the following statistics:
24%
Suicide accounts for 24% of deaths among 15-24 year-olds.
#1
This makes suicide the #1 health-related cause of death among young people in Canada.
-20%
Youth reporting 'excellent or very good mental health' decreased from 60% of youth in 2019 to only 40% in 2020.
15–24 yr olds
Age range most likely to experience mental illness and or substance use disorder than any other age group.
Many people tend to perceive our mental health as something that is black or white; as though we’re either totally healthy or completely unwell at all times. This is not the case. Our mental health lies on a spectrum, and how we’re feeling can fluctuate up and down as we live our lives.
Both our physical and mental health varies along a spectrum like this. We talk about our physical health in this way. For example, with our physical health, there are times when issues may be less critical, and we treat an ailment ourselves (e.g. a headache). But there are also more dire times when we need to seek help (e.g. a severe migraine that lasts for days). The same goes for our mental health in that, we may face stress that we can treat ourselves, while there may also be more serious ailments that require the support of outside resources (e.g. severe stress that won’t go away, regardless of self-care methods we try). Both our physical and mental health lie on spectrums - the only issue is that many people do not see it this way (thinking mental health is black or white).
Many people tend to perceive our mental health as something that is black or white; as though we’re either totally healthy or completely unwell at all times. This is not the case. Our mental health lies on a spectrum, and how we’re feeling can fluctuate up and down as we live our lives.
Both our physical and mental health varies along a spectrum like this. We talk about our physical health in this way. For example, with our physical health, there are times when issues may be less critical, and we treat an ailment ourselves (e.g. a headache). But there are also more dire times when we need to seek help (e.g. a severe migraine that lasts for days). The same goes for our mental health in that, we may face stress that we can treat ourselves, while there may also be more serious ailments that require the support of outside resources (e.g. severe stress that won’t go away, regardless of self-care methods we try). Both our physical and mental health lie on spectrums - the only issue is that many people do not see it this way (thinking mental health is black or white).
While mental health and mental illness are not synonymous, mental illnesses can significantly impact our mental health and are therefore important to discuss. When we talk about mental illnesses, we’re talking about a cluster of symptoms that majorly impact our lives. These symptoms are specifically irregular patterns in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and these patterns can impact how our mental health may fluctuate.
Mental illnesses that you may have heard of include depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders (e.g. bipolar disorder), and schizophrenia. All of these illnesses are patterns of mental health symptoms, and they need to be diagnosed by a professional. Mental health symptoms include persistent low mood, severe anxiety, hearing or seeing things, and having persistent or obsessive thoughts. To be diagnosed as an illness, a doctor will assess the duration, severity, and impact of these symptoms.
Similar to how mental health is a spectrum, so too is mental illness. Illness can be experienced in varying levels of severity or not at all. This is demonstrated by the spectrum below.
A person with a more severe mental illness may experience symptoms that are longer-lasting or more disruptive to their daily lives than a person with a mild mental illness.
While mental health and mental illness are not synonymous, mental illnesses can significantly impact our mental health and are therefore important to discuss. When we talk about mental illnesses, we’re talking about a cluster of symptoms that majorly impact our lives. These symptoms are specifically irregular patterns in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and these patterns can impact how our mental health may fluctuate.
Mental illnesses that you may have heard of include depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders (e.g. bipolar disorder), and schizophrenia. All of these illnesses are patterns of mental health symptoms, and they need to be diagnosed by a professional. Mental health symptoms include persistent low mood, severe anxiety, hearing or seeing things, and having persistent or obsessive thoughts. To be diagnosed as an illness, a doctor will assess the duration, severity, and impact of these symptoms.
Similar to how mental health is a spectrum, so too is mental illness. Illness can be experienced in varying levels of severity or not at all. This is demonstrated by the spectrum below.
A person with a more severe mental illness may experience symptoms that are longer-lasting or more disruptive to their daily lives than a person with a mild mental illness.
When we bring these two spectrums together – to create a “dual spectrum” – we get a full representation of how we can understand fluctuations in our mental state. Regardless of having a mental illness, anyone can experience a struggle and anyone can experience optimal health.
Mental illnesses may cause an individual to struggle more frequently with their mental health, but with diagnosis and treatment, recovery is possible. With the right treatment and support, symptoms can be relieved and all of us can experience optimal health.
Similarly, a person with no diagnosable mental illness may struggle with their mental health in the event of a loss or other tragedy. It’s possible to struggle with our mental health and not fit the criteria for diagnosis of a specific mental illness.
When we bring these two spectrums together – to create a “dual spectrum” – we get a full representation of how we can understand fluctuations in our mental state. Regardless of having a mental illness, anyone can experience a struggle and anyone can experience optimal health.
Mental illnesses may cause an individual to struggle more frequently with their mental health, but with diagnosis and treatment, recovery is possible. With the right treatment and support, symptoms can be relieved and all of us can experience optimal health.
Similarly, a person with no diagnosable mental illness may struggle with their mental health in the event of a loss or other tragedy. It’s possible to struggle with our mental health and not fit the criteria for diagnosis of a specific mental illness.
With or without a mental illness, it can be quite difficult to recognize when mental distress has become too severe for us to look after on our own. Mental distress can be recognized as a “struggle” whenever we or someone we know experiences negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that have become intense, long-lasting, and are beginning to have a big impact on our lives. This framework is a helpful tool to use when we’re trying to assess the severity of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours we might be experiencing:
Intense?
These aren’t mild, everyday fluctuations. They’re stronger and more persistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours than the usual ups and downs of life.
Long-lasting?
They’re having a consistent or lingering presence over weeks, months, or longer. Many professionals suggest that anything that’s lasted two weeks or longer can be cause for concern.
Having a big impact?
They’re beginning to cause negative consequences in our life, possibly interfering with our ability to function and/or meet our everyday goals
With or without a mental illness, it can be quite difficult to recognize when mental distress has become too severe for us to look after on our own. Mental distress can be recognized as a “struggle” whenever we or someone we know experiences negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that have become intense, long-lasting, and are beginning to have a big impact on our lives. This framework is a helpful tool to use when we’re trying to assess the severity of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours we might be experiencing:
Intense?
These aren’t mild, everyday fluctuations. They’re stronger and more persistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours than the usual ups and downs of life.
Long-lasting?
They’re having a consistent or lingering presence over weeks, months, or longer. Many professionals suggest that anything that’s lasted two weeks or longer can be cause for concern.
Having a big impact?
They’re beginning to cause negative consequences in our life, possibly interfering with our ability to function and/or meet our everyday goals
In addition to assessing if thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are intense, long-lasting, and/ or having a big impact, it can still be difficult to recognize these struggles in ourselves or someone else. Here are some concrete signs we can look out for when trying to gauge if we or someone we care about might be struggling with their mental health:
Either way, a person showing these signs may need support and outside help in order to feel better. If we’re noticing signs of distressing thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviours, remember to consider if they’re intense, long-lasting, and/ or having a big impact on our life. If we think something might be becoming a struggle – for either ourselves or for someone we know – it’s important to say something.
Thoughts that express intense hopelessness, worthlessness, or things that aren’t there:
Feelings that are intense and long-lasting:
Behaviours that are having a big impact in our life:
In addition to assessing if thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are intense, long-lasting, and/ or having a big impact, it can still be difficult to recognize these struggles in ourselves or someone else. Here are some concrete signs we can look out for when trying to gauge if we or someone we care about might be struggling with their mental health:
Either way, a person showing these signs may need support and outside help in order to feel better. If we’re noticing signs of distressing thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviours, remember to consider if they’re intense, long-lasting, and/ or having a big impact on our life. If we think something might be becoming a struggle – for either ourselves or for someone we know – it’s important to say something.
Thoughts that express intense hopelessness, worthlessness, or things that aren’t there:
Feelings that are intense and long-lasting:
Behaviours that are having a big impact in our life:
We’ve described how to recognize the difference between everyday fluctuations and more serious struggles – but how do we know when it’s a “crisis” that requires immediate action? The signs above help us understand when someone might need outside help.
A crisis is when these symptoms become so severe that someone is at risk of causing harm to themself or someone else.
Threatening or talk about suicide or self-harm.
A sudden calmness after a period of struggle.
Making preparations such as creating a plan for self-harm or giving away personal possesions.
We’ve described how to recognize the difference between everyday fluctuations and more serious struggles – but how do we know when it’s a “crisis” that requires immediate action? The signs above help us understand when someone might need outside help.
A crisis is when these symptoms become so severe that someone is at risk of causing harm to themself or someone else.
Threatening or talk about suicide or self-harm.
A sudden calmness after a period of struggle.
Making preparations such as creating a plan for self-harm or giving away personal possesions.
Mental illnesses are just one of the many factors that can cause us to struggle with our mental health. Outside of having a mental illness, anyone can struggle with their mental health and there is no one singular cause.
Other factors that can come from our individual biology/genetics, individual environment and behaviours, as well as cultural norms and societal structures/barriers. In most cases, no one can be sure what precisely has caused any particular problem. It is usually a combination of factors that will ultimately determine if a person will struggle with their mental health, and some people can be more deeply affected by certain factors than others.
The model below helps to demonstrate the different types of factors that can impact our mental health:
These are the characteristics that make up who you are. These can include factors like age, gender, race, sexual orientation, genetics, etc. These factors are largely outside of our control. Some biological factors – in addition to mental illnesses – that may contribute to mental distress include:
The environment we live in and our individual behaviours can also affect our mental health. Where we live, our social support, work environment, access to health services, all play a part in shaping whether or not we will struggle with our mental health and to what degree. Factors such as these include, but aren’t limited to:
Struggling with mental health can be extremely challenging, but those who experience mental illness/struggles often say that the way they are treated by others for struggling is actually worse than the symptoms themselves.
This phenomenon can be explained by the presence of stigma – the collection of negative beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and stereotypes. Stigma can be ingrained in a culture and is a significant factor that can lead to distress. Importantly though, we can change the stigma and culture. When we’re looking to take action for mental health in our communities, stigma and harmful culture are areas we may look to focus on.
There are also factors within our social environment and structures that target and unfairly impact whole groups of people – also known as discrimination. Some examples include:
Mental illnesses are just one of the many factors that can cause us to struggle with our mental health. Outside of having a mental illness, anyone can struggle with their mental health and there is no one singular cause.
Other factors that can come from our individual biology/genetics, individual environment and behaviours, as well as cultural norms and societal structures/barriers. In most cases, no one can be sure what precisely has caused any particular problem. It is usually a combination of factors that will ultimately determine if a person will struggle with their mental health, and some people can be more deeply affected by certain factors than others.
The model below helps to demonstrate the different types of factors that can impact our mental health:
These are the characteristics that make up who you are. These can include factors like age, gender, race, sexual orientation, genetics, etc. These factors are largely outside of our control. Some biological factors – in addition to mental illnesses – that may contribute to mental distress include:
The environment we live in and our individual behaviours can also affect our mental health. Where we live, our social support, work environment, access to health services, all play a part in shaping whether or not we will struggle with our mental health and to what degree. Factors such as these include, but aren’t limited to:
Struggling with mental health can be extremely challenging, but those who experience mental illness/struggles often say that the way they are treated by others for struggling is actually worse than the symptoms themselves.
This phenomenon can be explained by the presence of stigma – the collection of negative beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and stereotypes. Stigma can be ingrained in a culture and is a significant factor that can lead to distress. Importantly though, we can change the stigma and culture. When we’re looking to take action for mental health in our communities, stigma and harmful culture are areas we may look to focus on.
There are also factors within our social environment and structures that target and unfairly impact whole groups of people – also known as discrimination. Some examples include:
Discrimination creates a power imbalance, and the repercussions can range from exclusion and name calling, to denial of resources (education, jobs, medical care, etc.), and physical assault. It is a cause of distress for those who experience it regularly and repeatedly and also is something that we have the power to change.
Furthermore, structural barriers are created when this inequality becomes rooted in the normal operations of institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or government, causing certain groups to not have the same access as the rest of the population.
Examples include:
1/5
1 in 5 people live below the poverty line
62%
62% of youth in Canada identifying as 2SLGBTQ feel unsafe at school, com pared to 11% of cisgender heterosexual students.
5-7x ↑
Suicide rates are estimated to be 5 to 7 times higher for Indigenous youth and 11 times higher for Inuit youth when compared to non-Indigenous youth.
5x
Transgender youth are 5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation and over 7x more likely to attempt suicide.
+80%
Between 2019 and 2020, the number of police-reported crimes motivated by hatred of a race or ethnicity increased by 80%. Black populations were the most commonly targeted group, representing
26% of these crimes.
Discrimination creates a power imbalance, and the repercussions can range from exclusion and name calling, to denial of resources (education, jobs, medical care, etc.), and physical assault. It is a cause of distress for those who experience it regularly and repeatedly and also is something that we have the power to change.
Furthermore, structural barriers are created when this inequality becomes rooted in the normal operations of institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or government, causing certain groups to not have the same access as the rest of the population.
Examples include:
1/5
1 in 5 people live below the poverty line
62%
62% of youth in Canada identifying as 2SLGBTQ feel unsafe at school, com pared to 11% of cisgender heterosexual students.
5-7x ↑
Suicide rates are estimated to be 5 to 7 times higher for Indigenous youth and 11 times higher for Inuit youth when compared to non-Indigenous youth.
5x
Transgender youth are 5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation and over 7x more likely to attempt suicide.
+80%
Between 2019 and 2020, the number of police-reported crimes motivated by hatred of a race or ethnicity increased by 80%. Black populations were the most commonly targeted group, representing
26% of these crimes.
Browse our free classroom resources to start preparing and teaching mental health today.
Jack.org is a Canadian charity that works alongside youth to build the mental health future we need.
This is not a site for personal disclosure of mental health distress, suicidal thoughts or behaviours. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Registered Canadian Charitable Organization number: 84852 1837 RR0001
This is not a site for personal disclosure of mental health distress, suicidal thoughts or behaviours. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency department.
If someone’s thoughts or behaviours threaten the safety of themselves or others, then this is what’s called a mental health crisis. Call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services. If someone has recently hurt themselves, but is no longer in danger, follow Be There’s Golden Rules and connect them to resources in their area.
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