“Regardless of how happy, smart or popular someone seems on the outside, everyone is fighting battles we have no idea about,” said Katie Ramboyong, a junior at Freedom High School in Loudoun County, Va., and one of the first students to complete the teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) pilot program. “I noticed a friend … Read more
Forgetting to do your homework, misplacing a project that is due or leaving your lunch at home are all minor inconveniences that high schoolers face. They may be frustrating at the moment and become a low for the day, but they are forgiven, and you move on. In the pressure cooker that is Loudoun County, … Read more
One in five teens has had a serious mental health disorder at some point in their life. And suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds. It’s critical that we help teens in every way we can, and this starts with the teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) pilot program. We’re … Read more
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 9-1-1, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text “MHFA” to 741-741 for 24/7 confidential counseling from the Crisis Text Line. Peer pressure. Bullying. College applications. Extracurricular activities. High school students today face a number of personal challenges, and sometimes these challenges … Read more
“More than nine in 10 Generation Z adults (ages 15-21) said they have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress, such as feeling depressed or sad or lacking interest, motivation or energy,” according to research published by the American Psychological Association. High school teens spend most of their time attending classes, … Read more
I’ve never been embarrassed or felt shame about catching a cold or getting the flu. I remember having countless sports injuries that required a trainer and sometimes even a doctor’s attention – x-rays, stitches and staples. I even had my own collection of ankle wraps next to my sock drawer in my dresser. I never … Read more
“It’s not really ‘normal’ to talk about mental health with people. Being able to help everyone know about mental health and the real struggles that everyone is experiencing is important,” said Drew Voris, a recent graduate of Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Mo., and one of the students who nationally completed the teen Mental Health … Read more
“While notable shares [of teens] say they at times feel overwhelmed by the drama on social media and pressure to construct only positive images of themselves, they simultaneously credit these online platforms with several positive outcomes – including strengthening friendships, exposing them to different viewpoints and helping people their age support causes they care about,” … Read more
I have been a counselor for 15 years and have watched teens struggle with anxiety and depression. I have lost students. When you become a school counselor nowhere in your training do they tell you that you will lose students, that you will love them with all your heart and know them to the core … Read more
Valley High School has been a part of the wellness movement for a couple years here in Las Vegas but the stigma surrounding mental health has never gone away. Our principal, Ramona Esparza, found an amazing opportunity to partner with the Born This Way Foundation and Mental Health First Aid to bring a new pilot … Read more
I was eight when my wonderful, tall, partially-bald-with-scant-red-hair dad with a smile that could light up a room died. His illness had been part of our lives. Then, one day he couldn’t endure another heart attack. I remember being told he died. I remember people around me. I remember people telling me daddy was out … Read more
Annika was a beautiful soul we were blessed to have in our lives. She was a straight-A student, a musician who played three instruments, an actress who was active in theatrical arts and, although she did not have a competitive bone in her body, played three teams sports: swimming, Nordic skiing and softball. She was … Read more
August 23, 2011, is a day that I will never forget. It was the day my brother took his life by suicide. After battling depression for several years, it seemed to consume him on that Tuesday and we lost him forever. For years leading up to that day, Jim sought help from a therapist and … Read more
“In the United States, over 80 percent of college students have at least one alcoholic drink over a two-week time period. Of these college students, 40 percent are binge drinking on occasion,” according to research published by NYU Steinhardt in Applied Psychology OPUS. Several factors contribute to why so many college students drink alcohol, including … Read more
Peer pressure in schools. Stress in the workplace. Negative memories you can’t let go of. Everyone faces personal challenges and their own journey to recovery. One of the things that makes Mental Health First Aid unique is tailored courses that meet the needs of specific populations. Whether you are a young adult in school, public … Read more
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you’re not sure if someone is purposefully hurting themselves with suicidal intentions, please read our guide on how to help someone who is suicidal for more information on how to help make that determination. This article will only address nonsuicidal self-harm. Self-harm – or self-injury – can arise in many different forms, … Read more
Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year’s focus on adolescent mental health is timely. One in five teens and young adults lives with a mental health condition. Half of them develop the condition by age 14, but too often their problems go undetected and untreated. Globally, depression is one of the leading causes … Read more
From living on your own to partying without a curfew, college offers a panoply of first-time experiences. There’s one “first,” however, that no college student wishes for — a first-time brush with mental illness. But it’s a possibility that anyone headed for college needs to be prepared for, based on the following data: Depression (major … Read more
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to train local club staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid. The eight-hour course teaches parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent … Read more
“It’s probably not a big deal. I’m probably overreacting,” thought Sara, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, when her dark thoughts were not going away. She was sitting in her university’s counseling center at the time (What colleges must do to promote mental health for graduate students, The Conversation, August 3, 2018). Not … Read more
Mental health is an issue that touches teachers and school administrators in their work across the country. ThriveNYC has teamed up with the Department of Education and the Department of Health to train school faculty and staff in Mental Health First Aid to help them better support their students’ wellbeing and education. Mental illness can … Read more
“If you see something, say something” became a popular slogan in the aftermath of 9/11; however, my eyes bore witness to a number of situations that remained unspoken for more than nine or eleven years. Raised in a ginormous, loving, familial environment replete with its own rendition of This Christmas, Almost Christmas, Boyz N Da … Read more
College marks a new beginning in a child’s life – for many it’s the first tentative steps away from the safety of their home. It is when a child becomes a young adult, and when they may quickly become aware that they are truly “on their own” for the first time. With high school friends … Read more
As a trained Mental Health First Aider, you know that mental illness and substance use disorders are prevalent. And that’s true for young people, too: one in five youth aged 13-18 will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. That means that in a classroom of 25 students, five will have a mental illness. To … Read more
Michaela is a high school sophomore. She’s a straight A student, excels as point guard on the girls’ basketball team, plays second chair clarinet in the marching band and is popular with teachers and other students alike. Suddenly, Michaela starts showing up late for class. She stops turning in her homework on time, misses several … Read more
This article originally appeared on www.BravadoHealth.com. Read it here. In July 2017, my 20-year-old son’s best friend, Jack, took his own life. Jack had battled depression in the past. At the time his parent’s sought counseling and Jack seemed to be doing well during the year prior to his suicide. By all accounts, Jack had kissed … Read more
For years, most states have mandated that schools provide physical health education. This year, New York and Virginia will be the first two states to pass laws that require mental health education, too. Mental health education will be integrated into the curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade in New York, and from ninth to 10th … Read more
With the recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, suicide prevention and mental health awareness are a significant part of the daily news cycle. As someone who has been affected personally by suicides, I am hopeful that the more open we are about these issues, the less it becomes a taboo topic. As a … Read more
In December 2016, Graham Burton, a sophomore at Hamilton College in upstate New York, died by suicide. His parents, Gina and Stewart, found out only afterward that there had been red flags indicating Graham was at risk, but the college chose not to share this information. Their story highlights the gaps in our higher education … Read more
This piece was originally published on the Ohio Department of Education’s Extra Credit Blog. Read it here. I’m going to be open and honest here. The staff and students of Indian Lake Local Schools have experienced the suicides of two high school students in the past five years. I was serving as the high school … Read more
Teen Health Week has gone global. Begun in Pennsylvania in 2016, the annual celebration of adolescent health and mental health now includes more than 27 states and 36 countries. This year – from March 18 to 24 – teens, teachers and physicians worldwide are wearing lime green and sharing social media posts with the hashtag … Read more
Older teens living with depression are twice as likely to drop out of high school than their peers without depression, Canadian researchers report. This was the first study of its kind to assess depression symptoms among high school students the year before dropout. (“Depressed High School Students More Likely to Drop Out,” Psych Congress, December … Read more
Being safe is about being seen and heard and allowed to be who you are and to speak your truth. –– Rachel Naomi Remen When Lisa Marie Basile was in high school, she purposely didn’t make friends. She crafted an image of “happy,” despite the secret that weighed on her every day. “I felt invisible, … Read more
“We are in community each time we find a place where we belong.” — Peter Block Our young people are hurting. Members of the generation born between 1995 and 2012 – which psychologist Jean Twenge calls iGen –– are increasingly lonely and depressed. They go out less often, get less sleep and are more likely … Read more
On a warm fall afternoon in Kansas Public School District #500, Officer Orlando Singleton takes a breather after helping another teenager through a mental health crisis. “We just got him calmed down,” Singleton shares before transporting the student to professional care. “We’re letting him de-escalate and breathe. He’ll ride with us to the care facility … Read more
Nearly half of students across college campuses report having a diagnosable psychiatric disorder every year, while one-third have seriously considered suicide. In recognition of World Mental Health Day, GirlTrek, the largest public health movement and nonprofit for Black women and girls in the country, is hosting Mental Health First Aid trainings on college campuses across … Read more
Teachers today are called upon to do much more than just teach their area of expertise, whether its math or English, art or football. Teachers often play a critical role in the lives of children beyond the classroom. They can be an outlet, a source of support and help when kids really need it. This … Read more
On her good days, Michelle was a ray of sunshine. On her not-so-good days, she was withdrawn, agitated and erratic. No matter what her mood, the glimmer in her eye was always radiating. She was an avid reader, writer and brilliant poet. I know these things about Michelle because I was her 10th grade English … Read more
September is already underway and we’re continuing our focus on mental health at school as part of our #BeTheDifference campaign. Whether in the classroom or out, we know how critical it is for students, teachers and caregivers to take care of their mental health, especially during the stress of the school year. As the school year … Read more
This article originally appeared in Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation’s Born Brave Blog. Read the original post here. “Thank you for being part of a community capacity-building program that empowers laypeople to show concern and kindness so that any challenge a child may be struggling with doesn’t have to turn into a crisis.” That’s … Read more
“You can’t always stop a bully, but you can reach out to someone being bullied so they don’t feel so alone.” —From Dianne Grossman’s Facebook page Mallory Grossman was a 12-year-old cheerleader and gymnast whose smile lit up a room. Her parents called her an “old soul” and a “free spirit.” She spent her free … Read more
August is back-to-school month, and we all know what that means. The new school year means new clothes, shoes, school supplies and more. But part of preparing to go back to school, whether as a student, teacher, parent or caregiver, also means taking care of your mental health and well-being. As part of our #BeTheDifference campaign, we’re … Read more
Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. –Neil Postman “The most vulnerable of the vulnerable” is what many have called children in foster care. Often these children come from homes marked by mental illness, substance use and violence, all of which exact a toll. Children in foster care … Read more
Talking to your teenager (or a teenager you know) about, well, anything, can be difficult. When it comes to sensitive issues like mental health, getting a conversation started can be even harder. But the reality is that more than 22 percent of people between the ages of 13-18 will experience a mental health or substance … Read more
Valencia D. Clay was 28-years-old when she finally got care for her major depressive disorder. Before then, she didn’t have the vocabulary to understand, or even begin to process, what she was experiencing. She thought, “This is just how I am.” Now, Clay is using what she’s learned about mental health to help her middle … Read more
Sadness is a normal part of the human emotional spectrum—we all experience it from time to time. When we lose a loved one, go through a breakup or watch one of those heartbreaking ASPCA commercials, sadness is a typical reaction and a healthy part of the emotional process. But there is a difference between healthy … Read more
Arduous and challenging are the two words Nicola Louise uses to describe the teaching profession. But when she returned to the obstacles of this profession after having a child, she entered an entirely new realm of anxiety. Teaching – the job she had loved – took her to a very dark and lonely place (“What … Read more
Even before the stress of college begins to set in, one in four students has a history of mental illness and treatment. That means 25 percent of college students have been formally diagnosed or treated for mental health issues – twice as many as non-college adults. On top of the usual college stressors, student athletes … Read more
Education Connection in collaboration with Northwestern Regional School District 7 and the NW CT Youth and Adolescent Mental Health Coalition has received a three-year, $375,000 Project AWARE Community grant to support Youth Mental Health First Aid training in northwest Connecticut. One of 70 grants awarded across the nation, Project AWARE is funded by the U.S. Department … Read more
When a high school athlete breaks his arm, he walks down the hallways with a cast and “everybody says it’s really cool,” said Fred Robinson, Tosa United coordinator for the Wauwatosa School District. Equally, when a classmate is home sick with the flu, they’ll receive well-wishing messages from friends at school. But when a student is battling … Read more
