Activities
Activity 1
Case study 1
Janice is a 15-year-old girl who was an enthusiastic teenager, enjoyed socialising and doing extracurricular activities. However, once she was diagnosed with type one Diabetes and prescribed the insulin pump therapy, she became withdrawn from friends and family. She lost interest in the activities she previously enjoyed. She slept poorly, lost weight, and constantly felt sadness and lack of energy. She loathed herself and considered herself worthless, and generally had a pessimistic outlook on life.
Questions:
Is Janice likely suffering from a mental health disorder? Which one? Which symptoms that she shows do you think could be noticed in classroom? Would you refer her to a psychologist?
Activity 2
Case study 2
Jack is a 10-year-old boy from a supportive family. He was shy and reserved in preschool but managed to integrate well in school, made friends and succeeded academically. However, he complained multiple times that he had a severe abdominal pain in the morning and missed school for about 20 times during the previous year because of the pain. He avoided school trips because he was afraid that the bus would crash. He had difficulty falling asleep and was unable to sleep at all before a test. He was worried that he and members of his family would die, demanded that the house must be secured in the evening to an unnecessary extent, and constantly sought reassurance from his parents, which was at times burdensome for them. During COVID-19 his symptoms additionally worsened.
Questions:
Is Jack likely suffering from a mental health disorder? Which one? Which symptoms that he shows do you think could be noticed in classroom? Would you refer him to a psychologist?
Activity 3
Matching symptoms to disorders
Symptoms | Disorders |
The adolescent looks sad constantly, looks like they don’t find much interest or joy in any activity. | ADHD (hyperactive-impulsive) |
The child looks tense, fidgets, often asks to go to toilet. Displays clingy behaviour with parents, mentions many worries. | Oppositional defiant disorder |
The child has difficulties remaining seated, frequently interrupts conversations or games. | Adjustment disorder |
The child often argues with adults, often actively defies, or refuses to comply with requests from adults or with rules. | Depression |
The child looks sad after returning from self-isolation imposed by COVID-19 and has angry outbursts toward other children. | Anxiety disorder |