Mind Over
Matter
Evaluating How Behavior Modification Can Curb Stress
Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students explore the difference between hypochondriasis and somatization syndrome. Students also create scenarios and design experiments to learn about how behavior modification can curb stress in the daily lives of teens
Objectives:
Students will:
1. Evaluate their knowledge of the mind/body connection to health.
2. Learn about current treatment for somatization
syndrome by reading and discussing the article, “In the Riddle of Unexplained
Illness, Lies an Element of Self-Fulfilling Prophesy.”
3. Create scenarios that illustrate the role stress can play in the lives and
behaviors of teenagers.
4. Research various aspects of stress and how it affects
health
Activities:
1. WARM-UP: Students respond to the following questions: “When you hear the
word ‘hypochondriac’ what comes to mind? What words are associated with
hypochondria? What does it mean to be a hypochondriac? To what extent do you
think our minds play a role in the health of our bodies?"
2. Have the class read and discuss the article, “In the
Riddle of Unexplained Illness, Lies an Element of Self-Fulfilling Prophesy”
focusing on the following questions:
a. According to the article, from what might people soon find relief?
b. What do the results of two new studies reveal for an estimated three percent
of the population?
c. What did the German study set out to prove?
d. What did the results reveal about patients with somatization
syndrome?
e. Where were the findings for the first study published?
f. What did the results of the second study reveal?
g. Who is Dr. Lesley A. Allen?
h. What does Dr. Allen’s treatment emphasize?
i. How many patients were in the second study? And
what did the study emphasize?
j. Who is Dr.Arthur J. Barsky
and what did his 2004 results reveal about this topic?
3. Divide
the class into five groups. Explain to students that they will be writing
scenarios that illustrate how stress impacts the lives and behaviors of
teenagers and the approaches that can be taken to ameliorate a variety of
situations. Prepare five slips of paper each indicating a typical area of a
teen’s life, such as: eating/exercise patterns, study habits, communication
with friends, communication with family, or job situations. On the same slip of
each paper, indicate one of the five areas of behavior modification which include :
developing a new behavior; strengthening a behavior; maintaining an established
behavior; stopping inappropriate behavior; and modifying emotional behavior.
Scenario:
A
16-year-old girl has been staying up later than usual. She has had trouble
sleeping and now she has begun watching television late at night. Subsequently
she is over-sleeping in the morning when it is time to get up for school, and
remains tired throughout the day. She is nervous that she isn’t going to do
well in her classes and hasn’t been able to enjoy many of her other activities.
In order to stay awake in the afternoon so that she can complete her homework
and extracurricular activities, she drinks caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull.
Questions for Discussion:
-How does stress impact your daily life?
Vocabulary:
fatigue, baffling, Somatization, syndrome,
hypothetical, resurgence, cognitive, incapacitated, re-engagement,
hypochondrias
Topics for Research:
Select one:
1. Create a mixed media collage on endorphin producing activities that are personally satisfying and relieve stress. Examples might include bike riding, bowling, dancing, skating, swimming or any other activities of your choice. Create a gallery in your classroom where your work is displayed
2. Create a Newsletter on how other diseases and/chronic conditions such as allergies, post-partum depression, and anorexia nervosa moved from being considered emotional or “hysterical” diseases to more “legitimate” conditions.
3. Create a “How It Works” poster on how stress impacts the immune system.
4. Munchausen syndrome and/or Munchausen syndrome by proxy are illnesses that are psychosomatic by nature. Write a newsletter on the history and effects of this disease. Be sure to include examples of people who have been diagnosed with it, and how it can be treated.
Evaluation:
|
Warm-up |
Short response |
10 Points |
|
Questions |
Complete sentences for lettered questions a-j, and questions for discussion |
20 Points |
|
Vocabulary |
Selection of sentence in article, appropriate definition |
20 Points |
|
Scenario |
Presentation |
10 Points |
|
Answer questions, include appropriate pictures |
40 Points |