Lesson video

Welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Wittams-Howarth.

We're going to be learning about depressants.

And some parts of the lesson might be upsetting or uncomfortable.

You are required to be accompanied by an adult.

If at any stage you feel uncomfortable or upset, you should close the screen and talk to that trusted adult.

So the outcome of today's lesson is, I can describe depressants and their associated risks, including legal consequences.

Let's do some ground rules.

Laura says, "Listen to others.

It is okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, we should challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep says, "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves." A good top tip would be to say, my friend, we don't know then if it's someone you actually know, it's yourself, something that you've seen on TV or the internet.

Izzy says, "You can choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join in discussion, we never put anyone on the spot." And that includes the adult with you.

And lastly Jacob says, "There is no judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without the fear of being judged." That also means that there are no silly questions.

So if you've got a question that you want to ask that you are not sure about, I can guarantee that someone else would want to know the answer to.

So please feel free to ask your questions.

Let's get started and look at some keywords.

The keywords for today's lesson are gonna be highlighted in bold all the way through so you'll be able to spot them easily.

The first one is depressants.

Depressants are substances that slow down the brain and body's functions.

They reduce alertness and activity levels.

Next, we have inhibition.

And that is a feeling that makes one feel self-conscious and unable to act in a relaxed or natural way.

And then lastly, recovery position.

A safe way to lay an unconscious person on their side to keep their airway open.

Okay, here is our lesson outline.

There are three parts to today's lesson.

The first part is what are depressants? The second part is what are the risks of taking depressants? And the third part is how can I help someone having a bad time? So let's start then with what are depressants? Depressants slow down processes by slowing down the central nervous system to decrease neural activity in the brain.

Depressants affect the body in several ways, including: lowering a person's blood pressure, lowering a person's heart rate, which means their heart beats more slowly, lowering a person's respiratory rate.

So that means it slows down someone's breathing.

Depressants slow down body and brain processes, which can make people feel relaxed and sleepy.

Laura says, "Can you think of any situations or functions that someone may want to slow down or relax perhaps?" I wonder.

Maybe someone might feel nervous or anxious.

Let's do a check.

How well have you been listening? True or false? Depressants can help people feel more relaxed, true or false? Have a little think and we'll take feedback in a moment.

So if you ticked true, you'll be absolutely right.

Well done, depressants can help people feel more relaxed.

Why? Depressants can help people feel more relaxed as they slow down a person's bodily and brain processes, it reduces their inhibitions.

Great, well done if you got that right really good listening.

So let's have a look at some examples of depressants now.

There are several different depressants that people may choose to take.

So here are three examples.

There are others.

A really common one is alcohol found in beer, wine and spirits.

Another is cannabis, also known as weed, skunk or hash.

And then nitrous oxide, also known as balloons or laughing gas.

So here are three different examples.

Depressants may also result in a reduction of inhibitions.

This means that a person might behave in ways that they might not normally.

This might result in someone feeling less self-conscious, speaking more loudly, saying things they might not normally say.

How well are you listening? Let's do a check.

Complete the sentence with the missing word.

The presence may also result in a reduction of what? Have a think and we'll take some feedback in a moment.

So what have you put? If you've put the word inhibitions, you'd be absolutely right.

Really well done.

Let's do a task now, Laura is confused about depressants, rewrite Laura's statements to explain the correct information.

So Laura said, "I heard that depressants don't really affect people's bodies or brains.

I also read somewhere that alcohol isn't a depressant, but cannabis is a depressant.

I don't think people's actions change much when they have had a depressant." So Laura is really confused.

I wonder if you can help her out.

What I'd like you to do is to pause the video and have a go at the task, and then we'll take some feedback in a few moments time, off you go.

You might have written something a little bit like this.

So remember Laura is feeling really confused about depressants.

Let's see if we can help her out.

Depressants do affect people's bodies or brains as they slow down body and brain processes.

Both alcohol and cannabis are depressants.

People's actions do change when they take depressants as they can reduce people's inhibitions.

So well done if you got anything a bit like that, you may have put something slightly different.

But the main points are that depressants affect people's bodies and brains.

They slow down people's reactions, they reduce people's inhibitions and alcohol and cannabis are also both depressants.

Really great, well done.

Let's move on to the second part of the lesson then.

What are the risks of taking depressants? Depressants affect how your body works.

Laura has another question.

"Can you think of any side effects that you might get from your body slowing down?" That's a good question, Laura.

Let's look.

You might get a slow heart rate.

You might have reduced motivation.

So that might mean you can't really be bothered to do anything.

You might feel really sleepy.

So specific depressants can have a range of different risks.

Let's have a look at some of them now.

So we've got solvents and they're found in things like glues and spray paints and aerosols, and they can cause confusion, aggression, and breathing difficulties.

Next, we have GHB or GBL, sometimes known as date rape drugs, and they are also known as gamma hydroxybutyrate.

They can make people unconscious and they can also cause mouth burn.

And lastly, we have heroin.

And heroin can cause people to become very sleepy.

It can put them into a coma or make them unconscious.

And then also with heroin, the problem is, is that you build up a tolerance, which means that someone needs more and more of the drug to have a similar effect.

And then there's also issues with withdrawal.

So if someone tries to come off heroin, they become very, very ill.

Let's have a look at some different risks associated with taking depressants.

And they include some of the following.

So firstly, accidents and injury.

So depressants reduce inhibitions.

It means that people's decision making processes are not as switched on, they're not as clear.

So they might do things that they wouldn't do if they weren't under the influence of a depressant.

And they can take more risks.

And that's sort of true as well with the STIs and unintended pregnancy.

So when someone has taken a depressant, then they would make decisions.

They could make decisions that they might not normally.

Poor mental and physical health.

So as people become more reliant on depressants, then that can cause a deterioration in their ability to think clearly and also their desire to look after their bodies.

Dependence overdose and withdrawal.

So with depressants, people become dependent on them.

They feel like they need to have them so that they can carry out their day-to-day activities.

Also, it's possible to overdose on depressants.

So that means your body cannot take the amount of drug that's put into it and that can make you very ill.

It can kill you.

Also withdrawing, coming off depressants is really difficult and takes time and often needs medical support.

There's also legal risks for taking depressants.

We look at those shortly.

And then also people can die from taking depressants because they slow down their bodies and brains that much that it puts them into a coma and then that can also lead to death.

Let's see how well you've been listening.

Which of these are potential risks from taking depressants? Let's have a look.

A, being better at sport.

B, becoming addicted.

C, accidents and injury.

D, being able to eat better food.

Have a look, here's more than one right answer and we'll take some feedback in a moment's time.

Off you go.

So if you said becoming addicted and accidents and injury, you'd be absolutely right.

Really well done.

Great listening.

So Lucas has a question about the legal risks.

If you get caught in possession of or selling depressants.

It's a really good question, Lucas.

Let's have a little look.

So you might know that drugs are classified into three different categories, Class A, class B, class C.

and there are penalties for possession and supply and production for each one.

So we'll start with Class C, which has the lowest penalties attached to it.

So for example, nitrous oxide is a Class C depressant.

So if you have the drug in your possession, which means you've got just enough for yourself, your personal use, then you could be given up to two years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Now, there are always more severe penalties if people are caught either supplying drugs, so giving or selling drugs to other people, even their friends or producing the drug.

And that penalty for Class C is up to 14 years in prison and unlimited fine or both.

Now let's have a look at Class B.

So for example, class B drugs like cannabis or GHB or GBL, that can get you up to five years in prison an unlimited fine or both for possession.

For supply or production.

You can get up to 14 years in prison an unlimited fine or both.

And then Class A heroin or methadone can get you up to seven years in prison and unlimited fine or both for possession.

And supply and production.

You could end up with life in prison an unlimited fine or both.

So you can see as you go through the classes that the penalties get more severe.

Now how well were you listening? There was an awful lot of information on that last slide.

So what might be the legal risks of supplying Class A depressants? Let's look.

Could it be an unlimited fine? Could it be a driving ban? Could it be up to seven years in prison.

Or up to life in prison? Have a think and then we'll take feedback in a moment.

So if you said an unlimited fine, and you said up to life in prison, you'd be right.

Really well done.

Great listening work.

Very good indeed.

Now let's do a task.

So let's have a look at this scenario.

What are the short term and longer term risks involved with taking a depressant? So here's a situation for you.

A group of five young people are smoking cannabis in a local park in the early evening.

What I would like you to do is to think about the short term and longer term risks that are involved with taking that depressant.

So what I'm gonna ask you to do is to pause the video, have a think about it, you might want to talk about it with other people near you, and then I'd like you to write down your answer.

We'll take some feedback in a few minutes.

Okay, so here's what you might have said.

Your answers could include to the question about the short and longer term risks of taking cannabis.

It's legal to possess cannabis.

The young people involved would be at risk of long-term legal consequences.

So for example, up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both, it's illegal to supply cannabis.

So the young people involved would be at risk of the long-term legal consequences up to 14 years in prison an unlimited fine or both.

They also could experience poor mental health in the short term and or the longer term.

And there's also short term risks of impaired decision making, risk taking and potential accidents and injury.

So well done if you've got any of those, there's a lot to think about there, so very well done.

Let's move on to the third part of the lesson.

How can I help someone having a bad time? So sometimes people who have taken drugs, especially depressants, can become unconscious.

If people become unconscious, they are at risk of choking on their vomit or on choking on their tongue.

So unconscious people need to be put into the recovery position.

It's also called the safe airway position.

And here's an illustration of someone being put into that recovery position.

Now if you come across somebody who is unconscious, so that means they're not responding to their name, they're not talking to you, they're not opening their eyes, you need to put them into the safe airway position or the recovery position.

Before you do that though, it's really important to talk to them and tell them your name and what you're gonna do because unconscious people are still sometimes aware of what's happening, even if they can't respond or speak to you.

So it's really important to tell them what you are gonna do.

So you might say something like, you know, hi, I'm here to help, I'm just gonna move you so that you are a bit more comfortable and that you're gonna be safe.

And then you know, I'm gonna put my hand on your knee, or I'm gonna put my hand on your shoulder, or whatever it is you're gonna do.

It's really important to keep talking to them.

One so they know that they're safe.

And also two, so that they know that they don't need to be worried about what you're gonna do to them.

Just helps reassure them.

So here is a sentence that's not correct, there's a mistake in it.

I wonder if you can spot it.

Let's look at it together and then I'm gonna give you a moment or two to think about it and correct it.

So you need to just change one word in this sentence.

If people become conscious from taking depressants, they are at risk of choking on their vomit or their tongue.

Have a look, read it carefully.

What word do you need to change? I'll take some feedback in a second.

So if you said unconscious and you changed conscious to unconscious, you would be absolutely right, really well done and well spotted.

So let's have a look how to put someone into the recovery position.

So first of all, you need to open the person's airway by tilting their head and lifting their chin.

So here we are imagining that they're on their back.

Check their tongue hasn't fallen to the back of their mouth.

So you need to open their mouth gently and have a little look.

When you do that, if the tongue has slipped backwards, you'd need to put in a finger and hook it out.

Next, what you're gonna do is place the arm nearest to you at right angles.

Then you're gonna get hold of the far leg, just above the knee and pull it up.

So the knee is pointing to the ceiling and the leg is bent.

You need to keep the foot flat on the ground, place the other hand against their cheek.

You can have a look at the diagram and see that's in progress.

Let's have a look at how to put someone in the recovery position.

We're gonna imagine that someone is lying on their back.

You need to check that their airway is open and you're gonna tilt their head and lift their chin towards the ceiling.

You need to check that their tongue hasn't fallen to the back of their mouth.

So gently open their mouth and have a look.

If their tongue has slipped backwards, you need to move it forwards again.

So put a finger into their mouth and move their tongue.

Next, you're gonna place the arm nearest to you at right angles to the body.

You need to take hold of their far leg, just above the knee and pull it up.

Keep their foot flat on the ground and the knee needs to be pointing towards the ceiling.

So their leg is bent, place their other hand against their cheek.

So that's gonna be the hand furthest from you.

You are gonna put that against their cheek.

Then you're gonna keep the person's hand pressed against their cheek and pull on the upper leg to roll them towards you and onto their side.

The person's head needs to be tilted back so they can breathe easily.

Make sure that both the hip and the knee of the upper leg are bent at right angles.

You make sure as well that the arm lowest down on the floor is also bent as well.

This position stops the casualty either rolling forward onto their front or rolling onto their back.

Either are not good to help them breathe properly.

So you can see that bottom diagram, that's what you need to end up with.

If it goes a bit wonky in the middle, that's not really the issue.

It's all about the position that they end up in so that their airway is protected.

Let's see how well you were listening.

There's a lot to take in there.

True or false, when putting someone in the recovery position, you should tilt their head forward so they can breathe easily.

True or false? Have a think, we'll take feedback in a moment.

If you said false, you'd be absolutely right.

Really well done.

So their head needs to be tilted back.

That opens their airway and they can breathe more easily.

You can test it out for yourselves if you see the difference between breathing when your chin is tucked in and when your head is lifted back.

You can see for yourself that it's much easier to breathe with your head backwards than it is with your chin tucked under.

Let's do some practise.

What I would like you to do is to put these steps in order so that you can show how you would put someone in the recovery position.

So here are the steps.

See if you can organise them.

So we've got place the arm nearest to you at right angles to the body.

Bend the far leg, keep the foot flat on the floor, place their other hand against their cheek.

And then we've got make sure that both the hip and the knee of the upper leg are bent at right angles.

Then tilt the head back so they can breathe easily.

Then keep their hand pressed against their cheek and pull on the upper leg to roll them towards you and onto their side.

And then open their airway by lifting their chin.

Lie them on their side, straighten their legs.

So what do you think? See if you can put those in order.

We will take feedback shortly.

Now that was quite a tricky task.

So let's see what you should have got.

So it should go E first.

Open their airway by lifting their chin.

Lie them on their side, straighten their legs.

Then A, place the arm nearest to you at right angles to the body.

Bend the far leg, keep that foot flat on the floor.

Place their other hand against their cheek.

Then D, keep their hand pressed against their cheek.

Pull on the upper leg to roll them towards you and onto their side.

Then C, tilt the head back so they can breathe easily.

And then B, make sure that both the hip and the knee of the upper leg are bent at right angles.

Great work if you've got those in order.

It is a really tricky task to do and probably only really makes sense if you actually have a go and practise putting someone in the safe airway position or the recovery position.

But great work well done if you got that right.

So let's have a look at the summary of our learning today.

A depressant is a drug that slows down the central nervous system.

Depressants lower blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.

There are risks associated with taking depressants, for example, reducing inhibitions, accidents and injury and dependence.

There are also legal risks associated with depressants.

For instance, some depressants are illegal to have in your possession or to supply to others, and there are fines and prison sentences associated with them.

It is useful to know how to put people in the recovery position or the safe airway position in case of an emergency.

It also might not be a drug related emergency too.

Great work today.

Very well done indeed.

On this last slide, we've got some examples of where to get support.

So we've got the NHS Live Well.

And there's the website that you can have a look at.

There's SafeCall and also Childline.

Thank you ever so much for your input and your hard work today.

Really, really well done.

It's been great to have you here.

I'll see you again soon for another lesson.

Take care of yourselves.