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We all have mental health: animation & teacher toolkit

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This animation and accompanying teacher toolkit is aimed at Key stage 3 secondary school pupils (Years 7-9). They were developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and mental health experts.

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The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain

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Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups? Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically “teenage” behavior is caused by the growing and developing brain.

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The UK’s leading MCs, rappers and lyricists talk openly about mental health, and offer science-based mindfulness techniques to help young people improve their wellbeing

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Sir David Attenborough | Mental health and nature

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This animated TED talk debunks some of the common myths surrounding OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a commonly misunderstood condition. In this animated video, Dr. Natascha Santos explores some of those misunderstandings and shares more information about OCD.

Using this resource

This resource is designed for:

young people aged 11 and up

use with whole classes

This resource could be used as part of a lesson on OCD and other conditions. In the event that a student in the school is diagnosed with OCD, it could also be used to share information about the condition with their peers.

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Debunking the myths of OCD video : Mentally Healthy Schools

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This animated TED talk debunks some of the common myths surrounding OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a commonly misunderstood condition. In this animated video, Dr. Natascha Santos explores some of those misunderstandings and shares more information about OCD.

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What's Up With Everyone is a project to improve mental health literacy, reducing stigma and opening up conversation around perfectionism, loneliness, competitiveness, social media and independence. Offering support, self-care tips and resources.

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Managing mental wellbeing in an ‘always on’ digital world

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Understand the importance of positive habits in an increasingly online world and learn some strategies to look after your mental health.

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van der Pols (2018) Nutrition and mental health-bi-directional associations and multidimensional measures. Public Health Nutrition, 21(5): 829-830.

Stevenson, R., Francis, H., Attuquayefio, T., et al. (2020) Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (2). Available here

Dimov, S., Mundy, L., Bayer, J. et al., (2019) Diet quality and mental health problems in late childhood. Nutrition Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2019.1592288.

Hosker, D., Elkins, M. and Potter, M. (2019) Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in Youth Through Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 28(2): 171-193.

Memariani, Z., Farzaei, M.H., Ali, A. and Momtaz, S. (2020) Nutritional and bioactive characterization of unexplored food rich in phytonutrients. Phytonutrients in Food,157-175

Peirce, J.M. and Alviña, K. (2019) The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety. The Journal of Neuroscience Research, 97 (10):1223-1241.

Hayes, C.L., Petere, B.J. and Foster, J.A, (2020) Microbes and mental health: Can the microbiome help explain clinical heterogeneity in psychiatry? Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (58).

Simkin, R. (2019) Microbiome and Mental Health, Specifically as It Relates to Adolescents. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21) 93.

Provensi, G., Schmidt, S.D., Boehme, M., et al. (2019) Preventing adolescent stress-induced cognitive and microbiome changes by diet. PNAS, 116 (19): 9644-9651.

Carvalho, K.,Ronca, D., Michels, N. (2018) Does the Mediterranean Diet Protect against Stress-Induced Inflammatory Activation in European Adolescents? The HELENA Study. Nutrients 10 (11) 1770.

Antonopoulo, M., Mantzorou, M., Serdari, A., et al. (2019) Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students' academic performance and mental health? The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 35(1): 5-21.

Thomas, D., Cote, T., Lawhorne, L., et al. (2008) Understanding Clinical Dehydration and Its Treatment. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 9: 292-301

Ganio. M. Armstrong, L., Case, D., et al. (2011) Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British Journal of Nutrition, 106, 1535-1543.

Stachenfeld, N., Leone, C. and Mitchell, E. (2018) Water intake reverses dehydration associated impaired executive function in healthy young women. Physiology and Behavior, 185, 103-111.

Anglin, R., Samaan, Z., Walter, S. and McDonald, S. (2013) Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression in Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 202: 100-107.

Ju, S-Y., Lee, Y.-J. and Jeong, S.-N. (2013) Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the risk of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging,17: 447-455.

Utter, J., Denny, S., Lucassen, M and Dyson, B. (2016) Adolescent Cooking Abilities and Behaviors: Associations With Nutrition and Emotional Well-Being. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48 (1): 35-41.

Keeley, J and Fields, M. (2004) Appleton central alternative charter high school's nutrition and wellness program. Better Food, Better Behaviour. Available at: https://www.sustainlv.org/one/wp-content/uploads/Appleton-school-food-study.pdf

NHS (2019) The Eatwell Guide

Rios-Hernández, A., Alda, J., Farran-Codina, A., et al. (2017) The Mediterranean Diet and ADHD in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 139 (2): e20162027.

Sobieski, E., Sobieski, J. and Milner, R. (2019) Dietary Screening-Questioning Adolescent Dietary Trends and Providing Evidence-Based Dietary Recommendations. Adolescent health Screening: an Update in the Age of Big Data, 21-32.

Stevens, A., Rucklidge, J. and Kennedy, M. (2019) Epigenetics, nutrition and mental health. Is there a relationship? Nutritional Neuroscience, 21(9): 602-613.

Utter, J., Denny, S., Peiris-John, R., et al. (2017) Family Meals and Adolescent Emotional WellBeing: Findings From a National Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49 (1): 67-72.

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Benefits of a healthy diet & your mental health | Charlie Waller

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van der Pols (2018) Nutrition and mental health-bi-directional associations and multidimensional measures. Public Health Nutrition, 21(5): 829-830. Stevenson, R., Francis, H., Attuquayefio, T., et al. (2020) Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (2). Available here Dimov, S., Mundy, L., Bayer, J.

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Using the metaphor of a black dog, this video from the World Health Organisation explores depression and how it feels.

In collaboration with WHO, writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming the "black dog of depression".

Although this video was originally created for adults, it is still suitable for use with secondary school students. The metaphor of a black dog can help young people to learn about depression in a non-threatening way without medicalised language.

Using this resource

This resource is designed for:

young people aged 11 and up

use with individual students, small groups or whole classes

Given the subject of the video, it is likely to be triggering to anyone experiencing depression or close to someone who is. The video should come with a trigger warning and followed up with advice and support.

The teacher facilitating the session should have watched the video prior and feel comfortable with the content/questions that may arise.

Curriculum links

England - RSHE

Mental health and wellbeing By the end of secondary school pupils should know:

· common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression)

Northern Ireland - Learning for Life and Work

Personal Health KS3 pupils should have opportunity to:

· Develop understanding about, and strategies to manage, the effects of change on body, mind and behaviour
Key Stage 4 pupils should be enabled to:
develop an understanding of how to maximise and sustain their own health and well-being

Scotland - Health and Wellbeing

Mental and emotional wellbeing For early to fourth level (4-14):

I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave and I am learning ways of managing them.

Wales - Health and Wellbeing

Progression step 3: I can see the benefits of communicating about feelings as one of a range of strategies which can help promote positive mental health and emotional well-being.

Progression step 4: I can advocate the benefits of communicating about feelings as one of a range of strategies which can help promote positive mental health and emotional well-being.

Progression step 5: I can use my self-awareness to appreciate the complexity of my emotions and apply strategies to self-regulate them in a healthy way and to connect with others.

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I had a black dog video : Mentally Healthy Schools

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Using the metaphor of a black dog, this video from the World Health Organisation explores depression and how it feels. In collaboration with WHO, writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming the "black dog of depression". Although this video was originally created for adults, it is still suitable for use with secondary school students.

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Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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Health For Teens | Everything you wanted to know about health

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Health for Teens offers a great choice of content and quizzes across all areas of your health, from sexual health to your feelings, growing up, lifestyle and much more.

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"MeeToo really turned my life around, no exaggeration! 2020 had been a really crap year for me, then my social worker and crisis worker introduced me to MeeToo. The atmosphere of this community is just amazing! The members are so sweet and the advice is really helpful. The anonymous feature is really helpful too, everything stays private and makes it much more confidentiality. Thank you MeeToo!"

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Information and help for young people worried about self-harm

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Self-harm can be scary and isolating, and it often feels like there is no way out. I should know: I’ve been there.

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van der Pols (2018) Nutrition and mental health-bi-directional associations and multidimensional measures. Public Health Nutrition, 21(5): 829-830.

Stevenson, R., Francis, H., Attuquayefio, T., et al. (2020) Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (2). Available here

Dimov, S., Mundy, L., Bayer, J. et al., (2019) Diet quality and mental health problems in late childhood. Nutrition Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2019.1592288.

Hosker, D., Elkins, M. and Potter, M. (2019) Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in Youth Through Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 28(2): 171-193.

Memariani, Z., Farzaei, M.H., Ali, A. and Momtaz, S. (2020) Nutritional and bioactive characterization of unexplored food rich in phytonutrients. Phytonutrients in Food,157-175

Peirce, J.M. and Alviña, K. (2019) The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety. The Journal of Neuroscience Research, 97 (10):1223-1241.

Hayes, C.L., Petere, B.J. and Foster, J.A, (2020) Microbes and mental health: Can the microbiome help explain clinical heterogeneity in psychiatry? Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (58).

Simkin, R. (2019) Microbiome and Mental Health, Specifically as It Relates to Adolescents. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21) 93.

Provensi, G., Schmidt, S.D., Boehme, M., et al. (2019) Preventing adolescent stress-induced cognitive and microbiome changes by diet. PNAS, 116 (19): 9644-9651.

Carvalho, K.,Ronca, D., Michels, N. (2018) Does the Mediterranean Diet Protect against Stress-Induced Inflammatory Activation in European Adolescents? The HELENA Study. Nutrients 10 (11) 1770.

Antonopoulo, M., Mantzorou, M., Serdari, A., et al. (2019) Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students' academic performance and mental health? The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 35(1): 5-21.

Thomas, D., Cote, T., Lawhorne, L., et al. (2008) Understanding Clinical Dehydration and Its Treatment. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 9: 292-301

Ganio. M. Armstrong, L., Case, D., et al. (2011) Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British Journal of Nutrition, 106, 1535-1543.

Stachenfeld, N., Leone, C. and Mitchell, E. (2018) Water intake reverses dehydration associated impaired executive function in healthy young women. Physiology and Behavior, 185, 103-111.

Anglin, R., Samaan, Z., Walter, S. and McDonald, S. (2013) Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression in Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 202: 100-107.

Ju, S-Y., Lee, Y.-J. and Jeong, S.-N. (2013) Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the risk of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging,17: 447-455.

Utter, J., Denny, S., Lucassen, M and Dyson, B. (2016) Adolescent Cooking Abilities and Behaviors: Associations With Nutrition and Emotional Well-Being. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48 (1): 35-41.

Keeley, J and Fields, M. (2004) Appleton central alternative charter high school's nutrition and wellness program. Better Food, Better Behaviour. Available at: https://www.sustainlv.org/one/wp-content/uploads/Appleton-school-food-study.pdf

NHS (2019) The Eatwell Guide

Rios-Hernández, A., Alda, J., Farran-Codina, A., et al. (2017) The Mediterranean Diet and ADHD in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 139 (2): e20162027.

Sobieski, E., Sobieski, J. and Milner, R. (2019) Dietary Screening-Questioning Adolescent Dietary Trends and Providing Evidence-Based Dietary Recommendations. Adolescent health Screening: an Update in the Age of Big Data, 21-32.

Stevens, A., Rucklidge, J. and Kennedy, M. (2019) Epigenetics, nutrition and mental health. Is there a relationship? Nutritional Neuroscience, 21(9): 602-613.

Utter, J., Denny, S., Peiris-John, R., et al. (2017) Family Meals and Adolescent Emotional WellBeing: Findings From a National Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49 (1): 67-72.

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Benefits of a healthy diet & your mental health | Charlie Waller

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
van der Pols (2018) Nutrition and mental health-bi-directional associations and multidimensional measures. Public Health Nutrition, 21(5): 829-830. Stevenson, R., Francis, H., Attuquayefio, T., et al. (2020) Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (2). Available here Dimov, S., Mundy, L., Bayer, J.