Mental Health Jeopardy
Submitted by Melissa Conarroe of PATHS at Pardee

Size of Group: 4-16

Equipment/Supplies Needed:  White board, expo markers, tape, bells (or signs to hold up), list of Jeopardy questions, category tiles, and number tiles.

Activity/Treatment Objective or Expected Outcome:  Educational game of Jeopardy used to teach mental illness patients about mental health. Participants will learn about symptoms, medications, coping skills, causes, and types of mental illnesses.

Description of the Activity:

1. Tape point-value cards on a wall beside the white board.
2. Divide participants into teams depending on the total number in the group. Allow them to choose a title for their team. Write the team names on the white board.
3. Instruct participants to choose a category and the number of points they want to go for.
4. Ask the team a question related to mental health and tell them to work together to come up with an answer.
5. Each time is provided a dry-erase marker, and whenever the team has agreed on an answer, one member from the team will write it on the board; the writer/answerer will rotate with each round, giving each person equal opportunity. Bells/dingers can also be used if group is not able to run to board.
6. Which ever team correctly answers the question first, wins the round. If the team is unable to answer the question correctly, the next team can steal the question by answering it with the correct answer. This continues until all teams have had the chance to answer the question.
7. Leader should keep score on white board where all members can see. If there is a tie between two at the end of the game, provide a tie breaker question for both teams to answer.

QUESTIONS:

Symptoms:
•  100 – A symptom of depression is a persistently ____ mood. 
Answer: SAD or DEPRESSED or UNHAPPY

• 200 – Name 2 symptoms of withdrawal.
Answers: SWEATING, GOOSEBUMPS, VOMITING, ANXIETY, INSOMNIA, or MUSCLE PAIN

• 300 – This symptom occurs when you stop liking your favorite hobby/activity.
Answer: LACK OF INTEREST /PLEASURE

• 400 – Abnormal physical or psychological features that follow the abrupt discontinuation of a drug that has the capability of producing physical dependence
Answer: WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOM

Medications:
• 100 – Give the name of one antidepressant.
Answers: PROZAN, ZOLOFT, PAXIL, CELEXA, LEXAPRO, LUVOX, EFFEXOR, CYMBALTA, WELLBUTRIN, ELAVIL, LIMBITROL, NORPRAMIN, SINEQUAN, TOFRANIL, PAMELOR, AVENTYL, VIVACTIL, NARDIL, MARPLAN, or PARNATE.

• 200 –What do antidepressants attempt to fix?
Answer: THEY TRY TO CORRECT THE IMBALANCES IN NEUROTRANSMITTERS

• 300 – When a person begins medication, what symptoms improve before the depressed mood improves?
Answer: ENERGY LEVELS AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE ACTION (MAKE DECISIONS).

• 400 – How long does it take for antidepressants to start having an effect?
Answer: 2-4 WEEKS.

Causes:
• 100 – A cause of depression is an imbalance in ____.
Answer: NEUROTRANSMITTERS or IMBALANCED CHEMICALS IN BRAIN.

• 200 – If these people have a history of depression, you are put at a higher risk for depression.
Answer: FAMILY MEMBERS

• 300 – Name 2 major life events that may cause a person to have depression.
Answers: DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, MAJOR LOSS OR CHANGE, CHRONIC STRESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, VICTIM OF ABUSE.

• 400 – Name one of the three neurotransmitters involved with depression.
Answer: NOREPINEPHRINE, SEROTONIN, or DOPAMINE.

Coping Skills:
• 100 – A natural way to get in shape and increase feelings of happiness is to ____.
Answer: EXERCISE

• 200 – Who could you talk to about your feelings of depression/addiction?
Answers: FAMILY, CLOSE FRIEND, COUNSELOR, SOCIAL WORKER, SPONSOR, DOCTOR, THERAPIST, TEACHER, ETC.

• 300 – What are 2 ways of improving your self-esteem?
Answers: LEARNING NEW SKILL, NEW INTERESTS/ACTIVITIES, WRITING, SAYING GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF, ETC.

• 400 – What are benefits of having good coping skills?
Answers: ABILITY TO DECREASE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION OR CRAVINGS, BETTER MANAGEMENT OF EMOTIONS, A BETTER MOOD, OR HIGHER SELF-ESTEEM, ETC.

Substance Abuse:
•  100 – Name a well-known support group associated with alcoholism?
 Answer: AA (Alcoholic’s Anonymous)

• 200 – A strong desire to consume a particular substance is a ____?
Answer: CRAVING

• 300 – When a person gradually needs a larger dose of a drug to feel the same effect, it is called ____.
Answer: INCREASED TOLERANCE

• 400 – A primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry is referred to as ____.
Answer: ADDICTION

Tie Breaker Questions:
• How many adults in the U.S. have an addiction?
Answer: 23.5 MILLION AMERICAN ADULTS – 10% OF POPULATION

• What percentage of people diagnosed with depression are treated effectively and return to their usual daily lives?
Answer: 80% - 90%
 

Processing:

1.)           Name 2 things you learned throughout the game.
2.)           What do you think the purpose of this Jeopardy game was?
3.)           How do you think this can help you with recovery from drugs/alcohol or mental health?

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Size: 3 to 5 players, any number of audience

Equipment: A wall or easel, poster board, plain and lined paper, pen, markers and a good imagination.

Objective: To stimulate memory by using trivia.

Description:
Set Up: You will need to be the one who puts the Jeopardy 'Answers' together. In Jeopardy the answer is the question. Decide, based on your clients what type of categories to have and what answers they would be likely to guess at better.

Tailor make the game for them. Some categories could include facts about their home and the people they know as well as history, movies, television, animals, food. The sky is the limit.
But try to group categories and give them interesting names like a category about junk food might be titled, 'Food For Rot'.

Then put the answers from easiest to hardest in order. assign a point value like 200, 400, 600 and 800 to them.

Cut some blank paper into squares and write your answer and the correct reply (In the form of a question) on it. Like this:

Each American consumes an average of 51 pounds of this sweet substance every year.

What is Chocolate?

Then fold it over and tape it on the back of another small square sheet of paper. Use a marker to put the amount of points it is worth on the paper. (ie 400).

Then line up all the papers of that category in order on the poster board up to down. Fill out a title sheet for the category to put at the top.

Then place all your categories and questions on the poster board in the same way. To look like the Jeopardy game on TV.

Next - Hide your categories under other papers until game time.

Come up with a slightly harder final jeopardy question. Put it in an envelope. Write the category on the back and write Final Jeopardy on the front. Tape it front side out at the bottom of the poster board. Attach the poster board to the wall or easel.

Get a lined paper score sheet and pen ready. And have one or two helpers.

Time To Play:

Line up your contestants along the front facing the wall and audience behind them.
When ready - ask the audience to cheer them on but not to give out any help.

Ask your participants to show you how they will signal to show they think they know the correct response. (raising hand, nodding head, etc.). Your helpers must watch to see who signals first, second, etc. Uncover each category title one at a time announcing tonight's categories. Determine who goes first as you wish. I usually think of a number between 1 and 20. The closest to guess it goes first.

They pick a category and point value. Read the answer. The 1st one to reply correctly (who is...,what is..., etc.) Gets the points added to their score and gets control of the board to pick the next answer. No one loses points for an incorrect answer during normal play (unlike real jeopardy). If nobody correctly responds the person who last picked, chooses again.

You can either use a time limit on the round or wait until the last answer is gone.

At the end of this part - tally the points and tell the clients how much they have to wager in final Jeopardy. (If anyone has zero they cannot play final Jeopardy). Then read the category to them and only the category. They must decide how many points to wager based on the category.
Then - Tell them not to talk or raise their hand because they will whisper the response to you. When they understand that - read the answer.

Give them a moment to think about it. Then have them each whisper their response. If they get it right - add the amount they bet to their total. If they got it wrong - subtract the amount they bet. Then you will have a winner. Our residents love this game.

You can make it more exciting by adding Jeopardy music and sound effects. Be creative and have fun.