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People
keep quiet about mental illness. They don't talk about
their brother who hears voices, their mother who stays
in bed because of her depression, or the counting rituals
they themselves do before they can leave their houses.
But they should....
Scratch
the surface and you will find that almost everyone has
a relative or knows someone who has mental illness.
But few speak out about it out of shame. There is still
a terrible stigma which surrounds mental illness, which
is reinforced by violent or comic media images.
So our children become hidden victims. Afraid to speak
about their illness, or unable to recognize the symptoms,
they may deteriorate for years before getting treatment.
One
out of five of our children will be struck by a serious
mental illness at some point in their lives, but few
learn about it in their health classes. In a pilot
project in the New York area, virtually all health educators
said they would teach about these brain disorders if
they could find the right materials.
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Fight
the stigma of mental illness |
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Learn
the warning signs of mental illness |
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Teach
that mental illness is treatable |
EASY
TO USE
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Fully
scripted lessons and activity plans for grades 4-6,
7-8, 9-12 |
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Easily
reproducible activities |
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Package
includes eye catching posters and board game |
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Plans
can be used for one day lesson or expanded to several
days |
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No
prior knowledge of the subject required |
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Meets
National and NYS Learning Standards |
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WHAT
PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE LESSONS
"Mental
illness is one of the leading causes of disability
in this country. These lessons, which teach the
warning signs of mental illness, should be part
of every child's education."
James L. Stone, M.S.W.
Commissioner NYS Office of Mental Health
"Programs
like this designed to de-stigmatize mental illness
will help millions get the help they need."
Harold Koplewicz, M.D., author IT'S NOBODY'S
FAULT
Published by Random House
"These
lessons based on true stories piqued the students'
interest and made it easy to understand what mental
illness is all about. With knowledge comes compassion
for people they might previously have ridiculed."
Anna Eng, Health Educator
Manhasset, NY Public Schools
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BREAKING
THE SILENCE has been piloted extensively throughout
the United States and distributed as part of a Campaign
to End Discrimination sponsored by the National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).
The cost
for these lesson plans is only $15.00 per grade
level or $40.00 for set of three plus postage. Unfortunately,
due to printing and other expenses we must now charge
for lesson plans in New York State, as well as outside
New York, effective immediately.
For
information on the plans or to obtain copies click
here or you can contact NAMI Queens/Nassau at 1981
Marcus Avenue, Suite C117, Lake Success, NY 11042. Phone:
(516) 326-0797; Fax: (516) 437-5785; Email:
BTSlessonplans@aol.com.
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