Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called "Biological Influences on Mental Health," and it fits into the unit, Mental Health: How Might My Mental Health Change? During this lesson, we are going to be talking about mental health issues and sensitive content, so for this lesson, we require you to have an adult with you.

If you don't have an adult with you at the moment, please come back to this lesson when you do have one with you.

If at any point during this lesson you do feel worried or uncomfortable, it's important that you stop the lesson and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start on today's lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe a range of physical health factors that may influence mental health.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly.

before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else, it's important to challenge the statement, and not the person themselves.

Next, Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves.

If we want to share a story or an experience, we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we're not going to give away any identifying information.

Next, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in a discussion, and we should never put anyone on the spot as this can make some people feel uncomfortable.

And finally, Jacob reminds us that we need to not have any judgment.

We can explore any beliefs and misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

Now, let's take a look at the keyword for today's lesson.

These words are biological.

This means related to living things and life processes.

Stigma.

This means being judged or treated unfairly just because of a particular characteristic, situation or condition, like having a mental health condition.

And finally, we have support.

This is the actions taken to help someone who's in a difficult or dangerous situation, such as providing care and seeking medical attention.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called "How do changes in our bodies affect mental health?" And our second learning cycle is called "How might these changes impact us and others?" Let's make a start on our first learning cycle, "How do changes in our bodies affect mental health?" Our mental health and physical health are very closely linked.

Dr.

Elsie explains that "When our body feels strong, our mind tends to feel strong too.

For instance, when we exercise, our body produces endorphins, which are mood-boosting hormones.

This is why exercise can be a good way to relieve stress and reduce feelings of anxiety." When our physical health or our body goes through certain biological changes, our mental health can be impacted too.

Dr.

Elsie says that "Even if we try to look after our bodies, biological changes and periods of poor mental health can't always be avoided or prevented.

It's important to remember that it's not anyone's fault," if they're struggling with their mental health.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to decide if the statement is true or false.

Periods of poor mental health can always be avoided.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that even if we try to look after our bodies, biological changes and periods of poor mental health cannot always be avoided or prevented.

This is not anyone's fault.

Well done, if your answer was something like this.

We're now going to answer the question, what sorts of biological changes in a body might affect a person's mental health? First of all, we're going to talk about puberty.

This is a biological change in a body that can affect someone's mental health.

So during puberty, our body releases chemical messengers called hormones, which bring about both physical and emotional change.

Hormones can affect mood regulation and lead to fluctuating emotions.

This means emotions that can change quite quickly.

They can also increase vulnerabilities to poor mental health, for instance, low self-esteem.

Next, we're going to talk about perimenopause and menopause.

So perimenopause is the transition period before menopause when a female's hormone levels change, often leading to irregular menstruation or periods.

So this means that their periods don't come, for example, at the same time every month.

Menopause, which usually occurs in females in their mid-50s, is when menstruation stops.

So a person stops having periods.

Hormonal changes during both stages can impact mental health.

For instance, feeling increasingly anxious, irritable, or depressed.

Some women may also experience brain fog, which is an impairment of concentration, memory, or thought processes.

Let's do another check for understanding.

During puberty, hormones can affect our emotions and mood.

Which of the following best explains why this happens? A, hormones only affect physical changes in the body, not emotional ones, B, hormones make everyone feel exactly the same emotions during puberty, and finally, C, hormones are chemical messengers that can impact mood regulation.

Let's take another look at our question.

During puberty, hormones can affect our emotions and mood.

Which of those statements best explains why this happens? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if you said that C is correct.

Hormones are chemical messengers that can impact mood regulation.

Remember that hormones can cause both physical and emotional changes in the body, but that hormones can make everyone feel lots of different emotions during puberty.

Well done, if you said the same thing.

Now, we're going to talk about postnatal depression and how this can affect mental health.

So postnatal depression is a common mental health condition that can affect both females and males after having a baby.

It's not uncommon for someone to feel a little bit teary, down, or worried for a few weeks after giving birth.

This is because both pregnancy and birth can involve lots of different hormones.

However, if these feelings last longer, become deeper, or impact the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks, it could be a sign of postnatal depression.

Postnatal depression can begin at any point during the first year of a new baby's life.

The symptoms experienced will vary from one person to the next, but will often include persistent low mood or sadness, feeling lethargic all the time, so this means feeling quite tired or unwell, becoming socially withdrawn, difficulty sleeping at night, disturbing thoughts that can be very upsetting.

Next, we're going to talk about infertility and how this can affect mental health.

Infertility is when a couple cannot conceive, which means get pregnant, despite having regular unprotected sexual intercourse.

When an initial diagnosis of infertility is given, it may cause a feeling of shock, loss of confidence, anxiety, or even guilt.

If a couple decide to go through fertility treatment, the ongoing process can cause an emotional burden.

Furthermore, many of the hormonal changes involved infertility treatment can, themselves, lead to feeling stressed or depressed.

Infertility can put a significant strain on mental health for the couple themselves, and this impact can also extend to the wider family unit.

For example, other family members, such as grandparents-to-be, may feel disappointed while siblings or friends might feel awkward about their own pregnancies around the couple.

This can create tension in family relationships, which can impact mental health and wellbeing.

Let's do another check for understanding.

I'd like you to rewrite the sentence to make the statement correct.

Infertility only causes one mental health condition for couples trying to conceive.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if your rewritten sentence looks something like this.

Infertility can cause a variety of mental health conditions for couples trying to conceive.

Well done, if your rewritten sentence looks something like this.

Next, we're going to talk about chronic illness, and how this can affect mental health.

So chronic illness is a health condition that lasts for a long time, often for someone's life, and it can affect how your body or mind works, for example, with diabetes or asthma.

Chronic illnesses can often require ongoing treatment, and they can significantly impact a person's ability to carry out daily activities.

Living with a chronic illness often involves dealing with unpredictable symptoms, ongoing pain and limitations that can affect work, social life, and someone's independence.

The person with a chronic illness may feel isolated, anxious, or frustrated, and they could experience other emotions, like grief or guilt, too.

Chronic illnesses can lead to an increased risk of mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression for the person with the illness.

And this can also impact and extent to family members.

So, for example, family members may feel worried, helpless, or stressed, watching their loved ones struggle with their symptoms. They may also need to take on extra responsibilities, such as household tasks or caring duties, which can feel overwhelming.

Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Which of the following statements are true? A, infertility can put a strain on mental health for the whole family unit, B, menopause can cause irritability and brain fog, C, postnatal depression only affects women, or D, someone with a chronic illness is less likely to experience poor mental health? Which of those statements are true? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if you said that A and B are correct.

It's true that infertility can put a strain on mental health for the whole family unit and that menopause can cause irritability and brain fog.

It's not true that postnatal depression only affects women, as it can affect men too.

And someone with a chronic illness is actually more likely to experience poor mental health.

Well done, if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to our first practice task, and well done For your hard work in this lesson.

I'd like you to discuss the following questions with your partner.

Number 1, are mental health and physical health closely linked? Give an example to justify your answer.

Number 2, can periods of poor mental health always be avoided? And Number 3, what sorts of biological changes in a body might affect a person's mental health? Can you discuss those questions with your partner? Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For Question 1, are mental health and physical health closely linked, given an example to justify your answer, you might have said that our mental health and physical health are very closely linked.

When our body feels strong, our mind tends to feel strong too.

For instance, when we exercise, our body produces mood-boosting endorphins, which can help to relieve stress and reduce feelings of anxiety.

For Question 2, can periods of poor mental health always be avoided, you might have said something like, even if we try to look after our bodies, we may go through biological changes which can cause periods of poor mental health.

These cannot always be avoided or prevented, and it's not anyone's fault if this happens.

And finally, for Question 3, what sorts of biological changes in a body might affect a person's mental health, you might have said that there are many biological changes that might affect a person's mental health, such as puberty, perimenopause, menopause, postnatal depression, infertility, or chronic illness.

Well done, if your answers looked anything like this.

It's now time to move on to our second learning cycle: "How might these changes impact us and others?" Everyone is different and changes in mental health can vary from one person to the next.

Dr.

Elsie explains that "Poor mental health can impact your own personal state of mind; however, it can also affect the people around you, such as your family, friends, or the community," you live in.

So first of all, we're going to talk about puberty.

This is what Astrid has to say.

Astrid says that "Since starting puberty, I've noticed big changes in my moods.

Some days I feel absolutely fine, yet other days I get cross at little things or just start crying for no reason!" And Connor says, "I feel like my relationship with my sister has changed since she started puberty.

I'm constantly nervous about saying or doing the wrong thing in case I upset her!" Now, we're going to take a look at menopause.

And May says that, "Since starting menopause, I often walk into a room and forget what I went in to do! This makes me feel angry and frustrated because I can't focus like I used to." And Hassan says, "Watching my partner go through menopause has been hard.

I've noticed that her confidence has dropped and she doesn't seem to want to socialize with our friends anymore." Now, let's look at postnatal depression.

Grace says, "About two months after we had our little boy, I started to feel really down.

I'd lie awake, worrying about things and start to feel really disconnected from my partner." And Taj says, "A while after my grandson was born, I noticed that my son was becoming very withdrawn.

He avoided social situations, and if I did see him, he was really quiet and detached." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

I'd like you to complete the missing words in the sentence below.

Poor mental health can impact your own personal state of blank.

However, it can also affect the people around you, such as your blank, blank, or community.

Where I've said the word blank, can you decide which word is missing? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if you said that the missing words were mind, family, and friends.

So the sentence below should now say, poor mental health can impact your own personal state of mind.

However, it can also affect the people around you, such as your family, friends, or community.

Well done, if you've got this right.

We're now going to talk about infertility and how this can impact others.

Lin says, "I know that my brother and his wife have been trying to start a family for a couple of years now and you can see the emotional strain they're under.

Both of them look exhausted and have become withdrawn.

It's been especially hard telling them that my partner and I are expecting our first baby.

We feel so guilty that it's happened for us, but not for them.

Naturally, it's put our relationship under a little pressure." We are now going to look at chronic illness.

Dmitri says, "A few years ago, my friend developed early-onset arthritis.

Not only did they struggle to cope with the unpredictable nature of the pain, but it also left them unable to do the things that they used to be able to do.

Limited mobility left them socially isolated and depressed.

They had to start relying on other people for help, which knocked their self-confidence too.

I try to support them as much as I can, but I can't always be around as I'm often busy with my young family." Let's do another chat for understanding.

Based on the chronic illness example, which of the following impacts were discussed? A, financial difficulties and loss of income from work, B, social isolation, depression, and reduced confidence, C, improve physical fitness and better sleep patterns, or D, stronger relationships and increased social connections? Thinking about the chronic illness example that we've previously looked at, which of the following impacts were mentioned? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done, if you said that B is correct.

In the chronic illness example, the person referenced social isolation, depression, and reduced confidence in the person experiencing chronic illness.

Well done, if you got this right.

Poor mental health can affect anyone at any time.

Dr.

Elsie says that "It's likely that you'll come across people in your lifetime who have had or are having mental health struggles.

Talking openly about this, using carefully consider language, and remaining non-judgmental can help society to break down barriers and challenge the stigma around mental health." Whatever the reason for poor mental health, no one should have to struggle alone.

Dr.

Elsie says that "By challenging the stigma around mental health, people can get the support that they need.

If you're concerned about your own or someone else's mental health, it's important to speak to a trusted adult, such as a parent, carer, member of school staff, or medical professional, so that they can provide support." There might be times when we feel that we haven't been listened to when we seek support, and it's important that we keep asking for support until we're listened to, even if this means speaking to different trusted adults until that we're heard.

Let's do another check for understanding.

I'd like you to answer the question, how can society break down barriers and challenge the stigma around mental health? A, keep mental health struggles private.

B, openly talk about mental health struggles, or C, past judgment on anyone with poor mental health? What do you think? Post the video, talk to people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B is correct.

To help society to break down barriers and challenge the stigma around mental health, it's important that we openly talk about mental health struggles, if we feel comfortable to.

Well done, if you got this right.

We're now moving on to our final practice task, and well done for your hard work in this lesson so far.

I'd like you to read the scenario and then answer the questions on the next slide.

Hamish says, "A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a severe lung condition called COPD.

Recently, I've had to give up work which has put more pressure on my wife as she's now the sole earner in the house.

I barely see her anymore as she's tired from working long hours and she just wants to sleep when she's home.

I feel angry and depressed that I can't provide for my family, and I just want to shut myself away." Now, let's take a look at the questions that I'd like you to answer.

Number 1, how would you describe Hamish's mental health? Number 2, what biological changes have affected Hamish's mental health? Number 3, what impact have these changes had on Hamish? Number 4, what impact have these changes had on others around Hamish? And Number 5, what could help Hamish in this situation? Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For question Number 1, how would you describe Hamish's mental health, you might have said that Hamish's mental health is poor.

Number 2, what biological changes have affected Hamish's mental health? You might have said that Hamish is suffering from a chronic illness called COPD.

Number 3, what impact have these changes had on Hamish? Hamish has had to give up work, and it's put a strain on his relationship with his wife.

Hamish's mental health has also been impacted.

He feels angry, depressed, and disconnected from his partner.

Number 4, what impact have these changes had on others around Hamish? You might have said that Hamish's wife is under pressure as the sole earner in the house, and she's tired from working long hours, so she just wants to sleep when she's home.

She's likely feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the extra responsibilities.

Number 5, what could help Hamish? It could help Hamish to talk openly about his mental health without the fear of stigma or judgment.

This means that he could then get the support that he needs from professionals, friends, or family.

Well done, if your answers for anything like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that our mental health and physical health are closely linked, that biological changes such as puberty, menopause, chronic illness, and infertility can all affect mental health for individuals and their families.

Poor mental health can affect anyone at any time, talking openly about mental health and remaining non-judgmental helps challenge stigma and ensures that people get the support that they need with their mental health.

If you're concerned about your own or someone else's mental health, it's important to speak to a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher, or school counselor, or a medical professional.

It's also important to keep asking for support until you are heard.

In today's lesson, you might have found you've got some worries or questions, and if you do, it's really important that you share these with the trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you too.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.