2 . READING AND WRITING
A Teen Case Study
Mrs Zhang, our school counsellor who is also a medical doctor, is passionate about the advantages of playing sport. She believes that it is vital for teenagers to have a positive attitude, and sports help them do this. She gave us the following example as inspiration.
I had a teenage patient, who was depressed and moody. Let’s call her Shan. Conventional wisdom said that I should prescribe medication of some sort. I decided rather to ask about her lifestyle. From her responses it was clear she was getting no exercise. So l encouraged her to choose a school sporting activity and take part in it. I suggested that she keep a journal of all her new activities, and how she felt about them and about herself.
Shan took my recommendation and joined the school volleyball team. Six months later she was hardly recognisable: she had lost weight and was looking fit and healthy; she had more friends; her schoolwork had improved, and best of all, she was no longer depressed or moody. Her mum told me she was a changed person. Shan told me later that I had changed her life. I hadn’t really. It was Shan herself who did it. She took the idea I gave her and embraced it with enjoyment and determination.
Read the report. Answer the questions. 1. What was Shan’s problem?
_____________________________2. Why didn’t Mrs Zhang prescribe medication for Shan? What did she decide rather to do?
_____________________________3. What were the benefits to Shan of taking up volleyball?
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