Losing It

Activities

1 Working in single sex groups, brainstorm all the ways in which young people of your gender deal with stress. Write down as many as possible without worrying whether they are 'good' ways of coping or not. Compare the lists compiled by the different sexes – are they similar or do they differ? Which are the most common ways of coping? Could any of the strategies lead to more problems? Which ways do you think are most effective for you?

2 Fill in Worksheet 1 and then compare your answers with those given. Is there anything that surprises you or that you would like to know more about?

3 Having seen Losing It, think about the three main characters involved: Jude, Tom and Muna. Work in small groups, with each group considering a different person. Talk about:

• how you would describe that character’s personality.
• what problems you think that character has.
• what strengths you think the character has.

Feed your answers back to the other groups. Alternatively, one person from each group could be asked to take on the role of a character and to answer questions about him or her.

4 Having seen Losing It and read Worksheet 2, discuss the following questions in small groups and record your answers.

• Jude is driving recklessly, and deliberately getting into fights. When do you think that risk-taking behaviour becomes a real problem?
• Is there anything Jude could have done to avoid feeling so out of control?
• Is there anything his friends could have done?
• Refer to Worksheet 2 to see whether you think Jude is clinically depressed. What sort of help does he need? Do you know where he could go for professional advice?

Share your answers with other groups. Was it easy to answer the questions? Did you need more information and if so, about what? Did some questions lead to differences of opinion?

5 Research and present one of the mental illnesses on Worksheet 3. You can get more information by clicking here.

6 Look at the four postcards (below) produced by MIND to raise awareness and change people’s perceptions of mental health and mental illness. How effective do you think they are in reaching their audience? If you were setting up a mental health awareness campaign for a specific target audience, which medium would you regard as most important? Television, radio, print or a mixture of all three? What key messages would you want to put across to increase understanding of mental health issues and reduce stigma and prejudice?

Click on the thumbnails above to see larger versions.

7 Design a poster, leaflet or web page – which you think will appeal to young people – showing various helplines and where individuals can go for support if they have a mental health problem.