AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
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Activity 15 : Responding to a person who is hearing voices,<br />
suspicious of others, or expressing unusual beliefs<br />
Time : 1 hour<br />
Purpose : To teach participants how to respond to and help someone who is hearing<br />
voices, suspicious of others, or expressing unusual beliefs.<br />
Materials : Case study A (found in Appendix E) and Role plays 3 and 4 (found in<br />
Appendix F). This exercise requires two facilitators to per<strong>for</strong>m role plays<br />
that are watched by the participants. Black/white board and marker pens.<br />
Directions : Step 1<br />
Ask the group what they remember about Severe Mental Disorders.<br />
• What are some of the symptoms associated with Severe Mental<br />
Disorders such as schizophrenia?<br />
Give a presentation based on the ‘In<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> Presentation’ box below.<br />
INFORMATION FOR PRESENTATION<br />
<strong>The</strong> person who is hearing voices, suspicious of others or expressing<br />
unusual beliefs<br />
Hearing voices that are not really there is often a symptom of a Severe Mental Disorder:<br />
• <strong>The</strong>se voices are often saying unpleasant things about the person.<br />
• <strong>The</strong> person hearing voices may be quite frightened because the voices are very real to<br />
him/her.<br />
• People who hear voices can appear to be talking to themselves, but they are actually<br />
answering the voices.<br />
• Occasionally the voices may instruct the person to inflict self harm or to harm others<br />
• <strong>The</strong> person hearing voices may also be very suspicious of others and have unusual beliefs<br />
e.g. believing that people are spying on them.<br />
2<br />
• <strong>The</strong> person who is hearing voices may not be taking good care of themselves.<br />
Excessive suspiciousness and unusual beliefs are symptoms of a Severe Mental Disorder:<br />
• Unusual beliefs that are obviously false are called delusions.<br />
• <strong>The</strong>se false beliefs cannot be altered through reason.<br />
• <strong>The</strong> false belief is very real to the person who is experiencing it.<br />
• Examples include a person thinking:<br />
• others are talking about them, trying to hurt them, plotting to harm them or<br />
interfering with their thoughts<br />
<strong>AN</strong> <strong>INTRODUCTION</strong> <strong>TO</strong> <strong>MENTAL</strong> <strong>HEALTH</strong> 67