Know when a low needs help

Personal & Social Development · Self-Regulation & Resilience · ages 16-18

Name ______________________ Date ____________

When is a low more than a bad week?
- It lasts past two weeks and leaks into school and sleep
- It lifts by the weekend
- It follows one row with a friend
Which cluster signals that a low patch may need help?
- One grumpy evening after a bad mark
- Tiredness after one late night
- Sadness most days for weeks plus lost interest and broken sleep
A mood disorder is a choice or a weakness.
Circle one: True False
Why does the unknown stop many people from going for help?
- Clinics are invisible
- They imagine something scary, while a first visit is just listening and questions
- Help never works
Dev has felt bleak most days for a month, quit football, and barely sleeps. What should he conclude?
- Only weak people feel this way
- This is surely just a phase to hide
- This cluster has crossed the line, so he should seek help
What can you do for a friend in that spot?
- Ask, listen without judging, and walk with them to help
- Fix them yourself and carry it alone
- Tell everyone at school
One pupil sleeps badly for a night after exams. Another loses interest for weeks and stops eating properly. Who should seek help?
- The second pupil, since duration and spread mark the line
- The first pupil, since exams matter most
- Neither, since lows never matter
Ana tells no adult about her friend's bleak talk, fearing betrayal. What is wrong with her reasoning?
- Adults always make things worse
- Friends never need adults
- Telling a trusted adult is strength, not betrayal

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

It lasts past two weeks and leaks into school and sleep · Spread into daily life is the second half of the line. Lows that lift or stay contained differ in kind.
Sadness most days for weeks plus lost interest and broken sleep · Duration plus a growing cluster marks the line. Single evenings and late nights pass on their own.
False · False. It is a health problem, which removes blame and points to treatments that work.
They imagine something scary, while a first visit is just listening and questions · Knowing the visit is low key removes the fear that blocks the door. No couches, no tricks, no instant labels.
This cluster has crossed the line, so he should seek help · A month of bleakness spreading into sport and sleep meets duration and spread together.
Ask, listen without judging, and walk with them to help · Your part is company on the way to help, not the cure itself. Recovery stays theirs, with adults beside them.
The second pupil, since duration and spread mark the line · A rough night after exams is ordinary. Weeks of lost interest plus appetite change is the cluster the lesson describes.
Telling a trusted adult is strength, not betrayal · Silence protects the secret while the friend sinks. Looping in an adult shares a load no teen should carry alone.