Page 71 - SafeCert Approved First Aid for Mental Health at Work (Level 3) | Trainers Manual

PAGE
70

Lesson Plan

Handout 1 - Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness

Someone experiencing mental illness may:97
Teaching
• Cry a lot OR find it hard to express emotion.

• Behave in a calm, almost detached way.

• Be afraid to go out OR to stay in.
• Have disturbed sleep patterns.

• Experience difficulties with eating and/or with their digestive processes.
• Experience headaches and muscular pain.

• Have no energy OR become restless or hyperactive.
• Have difficulty coping with every day living. Administration

• Hear, see or smell things that others don‘t.

• Become anxious, fearful or paranoid.
• Feel their life is out of control or run by others.

• Experience serious mood swings.
• Become irritable, angry, threatening or violent.

• Have difficulty forming or maintaining relationships.

• Experience continual low mood and/or low self esteem.
• Have a low sex drive or other sexual difficulties.

• Withdraw from other people.
• Develop phobias or obsessions. Lesson Plans

• Feel ashamed, embarrassed or guilty about their problems.

• Exhibit inappropriate behaviour.
• Want to move house or move area.

• Take risks.
• Harm themselves deliberately or by neglecting themselves.

• Have suicidal thoughts.
• Attempt or complete suicide.

Many symptoms are common to more than one mental illness. Some of these symptoms may also
be displayed by individuals who experience, bullying, harassment, abuse or violence.

Any change in a person‘s usual normal behaviour may show that there is an underlying mental health
problem. Handouts

© Copyright 2021 Abertay International Training Ltd