During this lesson, students will examine post-traumatic stress disorder and psychotic disorders. They will discuss the nature of each disorder, their signs and symptoms, and the professional help available.
Learning Intention
Students can explain what PTSD and psychosis are and where to access professional help.
Key Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- recognise what PTSD is, and identify the support services available
- explain what psychosis is, and identify the support services available.
Activity 01
Classroom activity: Exploring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 30 min
To feel more confident when teaching this lesson, we recommend you access:
- the ReachOut Schools article ‘Psychotic disorders’
- the SANE Australia article ‘PTSD’.
Introduction
Discuss with students the fact that trauma is individual. What one person experiences as traumatic might not be so bad for someone else. Trauma can be a one-off event, such as a car accident, or ongoing, such as abuse.
Independent reading: Acute stress and PTSD
Share with students the article ‘Acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorders’.
- Students independently read the article.
Case study: Sam’s story of PTSD
- Students are to listen to ‘Sam’s story’ about PTSD.
- After listening to Sam’s story, ask students to answer the following questions:
- What is PTSD?
- What signs and symptoms did Sam experience? Classify the answers into categories of thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
- What are some strategies and support services that Sam would find helpful?
- Invite students to share their responses with the class.
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