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myth: Troubled youth just need more discipline.
fact: Almost 20% of youths in juvenile justice facilities have a serious emotional disturbance and most have a diagnosable mental disorder.
US Department of Justice
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myth: Teenagers don't suffer from "real" mental illnesses–they are just moody.
fact: One in five teens has some type of mental health problem in a given year. Ten million children and adolescents suffer from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.
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myth: People who abuse drugs aren't sick, they're just weak.
fact: Over 66% of young people with a substance use disorder have a co-occurring mental health problem which complicates treatment.
Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health
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myth: Eating disorders only affect celebrities and models.
fact: 3–5% of teenage girls and 4–10% of boys have a diagnosable eating disorder. Anorexia affects 2.5 million Americans and has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
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myth: Children are too young to get depressed, it must be something else.
fact: More than two million children suffer from depression in the United States and more than half of them go untreated.
US Center for Mental Health Services
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myth: We're good people. Mental illness doesn't happen in our family.
fact: One in four families is affected by a mental health problem.
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
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myth: Childhood mental health problems are the result of poor parenting.
fact: If someone in your family has a mental illness, then you may have a greater chance of developing the illness. Mental illness generally has little or nothing to do with parenting.
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myth: Talk about suicide is an idle threat that need not be taken seriously.
fact: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among high school students and the second leading among college students. Talk about suicide should always be taken seriously.
Live Laugh Love
Why does every school need Live Laugh Love: Educating Youth about Mental Health
Some Facts:
• Suicide in Kent County is the third leading cause of death in children ages 15 to 24.
• 3–5 percent of teenage girls have a diagnosable eating disorder; the youngest to be diagnosed has slipped to 9 years old.
• 1 in 100 children is diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and 59 percent of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia reported suffering their first symptoms during childhood or adolescence.
Add to these statistics the fact that 79 percent of children affected by mental illness NEVER get treatment and this reality makes educating people about mental illnesses an extremely important priority.
Live, Laugh, Love: Educating Our Youth about Mental Health
Early childhood years are the most important time to prevent mental health disorders and promote healthy behavior. Some kids experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, and pressure to succeed at home and at school. Some kids feel left out and are targeted and bullied, or are the bullies themselves. They may develop depression and contemplate suicide or turn to harmful substances and engage in other types of risk-taking behaviors as the solution to their problems. While childhood suicide is very uncommon, death from suicide continues to increase and is the second leading cause of death among high school students in Kent County.
The Mental Health Foundation has created a ground-breaking secondary school curriculum that includes a variety of interactive lessons that help students, parents, and teachers recognize the symptoms of depression and the warning signs of suicide in themselves, a friend or family member. Our educational program also encourages students to set aside stereotypes and give fellow classmates understanding, compassion and acceptance. The educational curriculum is also designed to help young people who may be personally affected by mental illness to get past the stigma and seek treatment.
Some Interactive lesson plan topics include:
• Stigma
• Stress and coping skills
• Depression and suicide prevention
• Anxiety
• Deliberate self harm disorder
• Co-occurring disorders (mental illness and substance abuse)
• Bullying
A Student's Perspective
My father lost his life to suicide in the fall of 2003. I was 8 years old and I was confused and hurt, but mostly sad. I became severely depressed for five long years. My grades were slipping and every day all I thought about was the loss I felt. Then, at the end of my freshman year in high school, two representatives came to my school to teach my health class about mental illness. The program is called Live Laugh Love: Educating youth about Mental Health. After the second lesson, which was on depression, I became overwhelmed with emotion. Christy Buck pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay. After talking with her, she gave me several options for counseling but I knew I wasn’t ready for that. So, together, we found a way for me to begin to get over this traumatic event in my past. She asked me to participate and volunteer at the Foundation. I accepted and now I have people who support me as I support them. I never felt this great since the fall of 2003. I know that my mental health will only get better from here and I am so thankful that God brought the program to me.
Anonymously yours, A student and friend of the Mental Health Foundation.
