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Mental Health

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Goal

We are learning to:

  • Describe mental health as a continuum

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  • Identify typical and atypical behaviour

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Access Prior Knowledge

  •  Think–Write–Pair–Share:

What does ‘good mental health’ look, sound, and feel like at school, at home, and online?

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  • Mental health is not just ‘you have it or you don’t’ — it’s a spectrum

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  • The Mental Health Continuum is just one way to help us to differentiate between different mental health states. It’s important to understand the differences because different mental health states should be managed or supported differently.
  • A person can be in each of these states at the same time. For example, over the course of one day a person can be laughing and having fun with their friends (no distress, problem, or disorder), can experience distress (lost their house key), be experiencing a mental health problem (their uncle with whom they were close died earlier this week), and have a mental disorder (such as depression).

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Definition:�The mental health continuum is a model showing that mental health exists on a sliding scale from optimal wellbeing to severe illness:�

Mentally Healthy: Positive emotions, strong coping skills, functioning well in daily life.��

Mental Health Challenge: Short-term struggle due to stress or life events, but able to recover with support.��

Mental Disorder: Clinically diagnosable condition (e.g., anxiety disorder, depression) that significantly affects functioning.�

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Examples

  • Healthy: Balanced mood, good sleep, connected to friends��
  • Challenge: Trouble sleeping before exams, but settles after��
  • Disorder: Panic attacks that occur most days and interfere with school attendance

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When we explain whether someone is mentally healthy, experiencing a mental health problem, or living with a mental disorder, we use evidence words to back up our explanation. These words help us show how the behaviour or feelings are affecting the person.

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1. Frequency – How often does it happen?

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  • Does the person feel this way every day, once a week, or only occasionally?�
  • Example: “She feels nervous before every single class presentation” (high frequency) vs. “He only felt nervous once before a speech” (low frequency).

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2. Duration – How long does it last?

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  • Does it last minutes, hours, days, or weeks?�
  • Example: “His sadness lasted for two months” (long duration) vs. “She felt sad for one afternoon” (short duration).

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3. Intensity – How strong are the feelings or behaviours?

Are they mild, moderate, or extreme?�

Example: “He feels a little nervous but can still talk” (low intensity) vs. “She panics so much she can’t breathe or speak” (high intensity).

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4. Functional Impact – Does it stop the person from doing everyday things?

Does it affect school, work, friendships, or hobbies?�

Example: “He still goes to school even though he’s a bit worried” (low impact) vs. “She stays home from school because of her anxiety” (high impact).

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5. Context / Culture – Is it normal or expected in this situation or culture?

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Sometimes behaviour is appropriate depending on the situation or culture.�

Example: “Crying at a funeral is expected in most cultures” (normal in context) vs. “Crying daily with no clear reason” (not normal in context).

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Putting it together…

When you explain where someone is on the mental health continuum, use these words to give evidence:

“Her anxiety is intense and happens frequently, lasting for weeks. It has a big functional impact because she misses school. In this context, it suggests she is moving from a mental health problem towards a mental disorder.”

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Application Task:��https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j-BD1JZHhxE3hu20u5S1017srjX3R_gLNqga04dtvTs/edit?usp=sharing

In a group, read the 6 scenarios and place them on the mental health continuum.

As you justify each placement, use “evidence words” — frequency, duration, intensity, functional impact, and context/culture.

Let’s go through an example together…

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Eg: Alex has an important oral presentation at school next week. For the past two nights, they’ve been finding it hard to fall asleep because they keep thinking about it. During the day, they feel a bit tired, but they’re still managing homework and hanging out with friends.�

Frequency: Two nights so far.

Duration: Short-term, likely to end after the presentation.

Intensity: Low–moderate — some tiredness, but still functioning.

Functional Impact: Mild — slightly less energy but no major disruptions.

Context/Culture: Common before performance events.

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Typical vs Atypical Behaviour

Not all strong emotions or unusual behaviours mean someone has a mental illness — context matters.

Psychologists use the idea of typical and atypical behaviour to work out if a person’s thoughts, feelings, or actions are part of a normal response or if they might need extra help with their mental health.

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Typical Behaviour

  • Definition: Behaviour that is normal for most people in a particular culture or age group, at that time.
  • It fits social norms and is expected in certain situations.
  • Varies depending on context (what’s happening), culture (what’s “normal” where you live), and age (developmental stage).

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Examples:

  • Feeling nervous before a job interview.
  • Crying after a sad movie.
  • A 3-year-old having trouble sharing toys.
  • Being excited before your birthday.�

Key Point:�Typical behaviour doesn’t mean you do it all the time — it’s about whether the behaviour is appropriate and expected in that context.

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Atypical Behaviour

  • Definition: Behaviour that differs from what is normal for most people in a culture, context, or age group.
  • It might be uncommon, unexpected, or inappropriate for the situation.
  • Can be temporary (due to stress, grief, etc.) or ongoing and persistent, possibly indicating a mental health concern.

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Examples:

  • Laughing at a funeral (unexpected for the context in most cultures).
  • Feeling extreme fear every time you leave the house, even when nothing dangerous is happening.
  • A teenager refusing to go to school for months because of anxiety.
  • Talking to people who aren’t there when others can’t see or hear them.

Key Point:�Atypical doesn’t automatically mean “bad” or “a disorder.” Some atypical behaviours are harmless or even positive (e.g., exceptional talents, creative thinking).

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In Summary

Typical = fits the situation (context, culture, age).

Atypical = stands out as unusual, unexpected, or inappropriate for the situation.

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There’s 4 criteria to determine if a behaviour is typical or atypical

Sociocultural: Is it acceptable in this culture?��

Functional: Does it allow the person to meet everyday demands?��

Statistical: Is it common or rare in the population?��

Situational/Adaptive: Is it appropriate for the context?

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Atypical behaviour can sometimes reflect neurodiversity

Main character Sam Gardner is an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum.

His behaviours are sometimes atypical for his peers (e.g., very direct social communication, sensory sensitivities, strict routines), but typical for someone with autism.

Atypical doesn’t always mean “bad” or “wrong” — it might simply reflect neurodiversity.

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Application Task

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Goal Review�

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Exit Ticket

Write one thing you learned today or found interesting.

Write a question you have about mental health.