Breaking the Silence
I just got home from an evening event in suburban Philadelphia called Breaking the Silence: Opening Eyes and Minds about Mental Health. This event was sponsored by Active Minds. Founder and Executive Director, Alison Malmon, spoke about her organization’s success at educating college students around the country about mental illness and recovery. Ross Szabo, Director of Youth Outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, came from California to present as well. His energy and candor appealed to the adolescent members of the audience, with whom I happened, by chance, to be sitting. Also presenting were Dr. Wade Berrettini, whose research at the University of Pennsylvania is making inroads into the genetic map of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and Gail Griffith, author of the now-in-paperback book “Will’s Choice: A Suicidal Teen, a Desperate Mother and a Chronicle of Recovery.”
Early on in the evening, I was struck by many of the facts that Ross Szabo kept throwing out. One in five young adults has a mental illness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. He pointed out that high school and college are tougher today than they have ever been due to our culture’s ever increasing glorification of alcohol, drugs, sex, self-harm, violence and even suicide. We all know that factors such as fear, denial, misinformation, and isolation contribute to the pressure to keep silent about mental illness, whether one is young or old. But adolescents and children are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to dealing with stigma. Their access to information may be sorely limited. Developmentally, they are heavily influenced by peers, many of whom most likely do not understand mental illness. Ross talked about having been the most popular kid in his high school, playing varsity basketball, having a 3.6 GPA, until he was hospitalized for bipolar disorder. Suddenly, he began to lose friends and become the subject of rumors. This kind of negative peer influence has a chilling effect on teens talking about their emotions at a time when they are most vulnerable.
So, you would think given the extra difficulties that children and adolescents face, there would be established programs and educational campaigns informing youth about mental illness. One of the first questions that came out of the audience last night was where do I find this kind of curriculum to educate my children? The answer was that there is virtually nothing out there. NAMI has developed a program for secondary and elementary schools called Breaking the Silence (http://www.btslessonplans.org/), but it requires its purchasers to forge their way into unreceptive school environments without much guidance. Alison and Ross are working together on creating a school based intervention, but it hasn’t yet been finalized. Even when it is finalized, they face a series of hurdles in the implementation process, first and foremost, reluctant school districts responding to worried parents.
I left the presentation realizing that there is so much to be done if we truly intend to educate our children about these issues. I have a seven year old and a five year old myself. I have talked to them about my mental illness in an age appropriate way. But think of how much better it would be, if they could not only talk about mental illness with me, but also with their peers and with other mental health professionals? It could normalize their experience. It could give them a greater understanding of people. It could give them an opportunity to share their experiences—to help someone else or be helped themselves. I left last night’s presentation with a promise to myself, that by the time my children are adolescents, there will be an effective program in place in my school district. I have a renewed commitment to spreading the word about mental illness to today’s youth. Will you join me?
Please start by supporting Active Minds.
Posted by Loran Kundra
Early on in the evening, I was struck by many of the facts that Ross Szabo kept throwing out. One in five young adults has a mental illness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. He pointed out that high school and college are tougher today than they have ever been due to our culture’s ever increasing glorification of alcohol, drugs, sex, self-harm, violence and even suicide. We all know that factors such as fear, denial, misinformation, and isolation contribute to the pressure to keep silent about mental illness, whether one is young or old. But adolescents and children are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to dealing with stigma. Their access to information may be sorely limited. Developmentally, they are heavily influenced by peers, many of whom most likely do not understand mental illness. Ross talked about having been the most popular kid in his high school, playing varsity basketball, having a 3.6 GPA, until he was hospitalized for bipolar disorder. Suddenly, he began to lose friends and become the subject of rumors. This kind of negative peer influence has a chilling effect on teens talking about their emotions at a time when they are most vulnerable.
So, you would think given the extra difficulties that children and adolescents face, there would be established programs and educational campaigns informing youth about mental illness. One of the first questions that came out of the audience last night was where do I find this kind of curriculum to educate my children? The answer was that there is virtually nothing out there. NAMI has developed a program for secondary and elementary schools called Breaking the Silence (http://www.btslessonplans.org/), but it requires its purchasers to forge their way into unreceptive school environments without much guidance. Alison and Ross are working together on creating a school based intervention, but it hasn’t yet been finalized. Even when it is finalized, they face a series of hurdles in the implementation process, first and foremost, reluctant school districts responding to worried parents.
I left the presentation realizing that there is so much to be done if we truly intend to educate our children about these issues. I have a seven year old and a five year old myself. I have talked to them about my mental illness in an age appropriate way. But think of how much better it would be, if they could not only talk about mental illness with me, but also with their peers and with other mental health professionals? It could normalize their experience. It could give them a greater understanding of people. It could give them an opportunity to share their experiences—to help someone else or be helped themselves. I left last night’s presentation with a promise to myself, that by the time my children are adolescents, there will be an effective program in place in my school district. I have a renewed commitment to spreading the word about mental illness to today’s youth. Will you join me?
Please start by supporting Active Minds.
Posted by Loran Kundra
1 Comments:
Very enlightening, Loran. I can't believe that with all we've learned about mental illness and all the progress we've made in treating it, children still aren't getting the message that someone can help. Treatment may not work immediately for some, but I so wish people weren't so skittish about seeking help. I mean, what's a little stigma if you can prevent the catastrophic effects that untreated mental illness can have on your life. With all the efforts to educate people, you almost have to wonder if someone is deliberately keeping this information from kids at this point.
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