When teens need help

Community turns out for mental health forum

Secaucus held a town-wide forum on depression and mental health among youth this past Wednesday. The well-attended forum was led by three mental health professionals who provided information to parents on the warning signs of mental illness. The town-hall-style meeting also offered parents information on available treatment options and resources for kids dealing with possible mental illness.
About 250 to 300 people, mainly parents, attended the forum.
Although there had been plans to hold a similar forum Wednesday night for teens and young adults, those plans were eventually shelved. Students participated instead in a separate town hall meeting on mental health in school.

Warning signs

Donna Amundson, program manager of Hudson County’s Traumatic Loss Coalition (TLC) for Youth, and TLC Coordinators George Scott and Silvana Gomez led the two-hour educational event, which was held at the Secaucus Recreation Center.
The coalition, which is run out of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, is a statewide network of mental health professionals and resources dedicated to preventing suicide in youth and helping young people deal with death.
Peers and teachers are often the first to see the early signs of depression, but may not recognize or properly label what they’re seeing.

_____________

“This was the place to be tonight.” – Michelle Eckert
________

Irritability, moodiness, a loss of interest in some activities, or drug and alcohol use could be signs of typical teenage growing pains. But Amundson noted they could also be signs of depression or another mental health problem. If these symptoms persist in a child for several weeks, parents should seek help.
Although professional treatment options were discussed, Amundson spent some time discussing the ways lay people – friends and family members – can help a depressed person who may be feeling suicidal, and who may need help.
“The best thing for you to do is to listen,” she said. “Then, repeat back to them what you think they’re saying…It’s important not to be judgmental or to use language that will cause them to shut down…There’s a lot of shame associated with suicide. We have to take away the shame so that people feel comfortable talking about their emotions and getting further help.”
As part of the forum, Scott played the film “More Than Sad,” a video that uses both actors and real-life parents and teachers who talk about their experiences helping young people get help for depression and other mental illnesses. (In conversations held after the forum, a number of attendees said this film was a high point of the forum.)
Some of the illnesses and behaviors discussed in the film include major depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, and drug/alcohol abuse.
“The good news is every mental illness discussed here tonight is treatable,” Amundson said at the meeting’s conclusion.

Parents respond

Parents who were willing to be interviewed after the forum ended said they found it useful and informative.
“I thought this was great,” said parent Michelle Eckert. “I thought they gave a lot of information. They were very knowledgeable about the signs of suicide and giving us places to call. I thought they had some nice resources. This was the place to be tonight. I think a lot more parents should have been here.”
Another parent, Claudia Macaro, agreed.
“This was very informative. I thought the movie was very moving and very educational. It gave us signs to look for. And in the end, I appreciated having all the places you can go, all the places you can call in the county. I’m now interested in seeing what they’re going to be doing in school with the kids.”

Resources

Throughout the forum, a number of resources were offered where families can go for help:

Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth of Hudson County
(201) 215-2268

Hudson County Mobile Crisis Unit & Suicide Hotline
(866) 367-6023

North Hudson Community Action Corporation
(201) 210-0200

Giant Steps (specializing in substance abuse issues)
(201) 792-8200

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
800-273-TALK (8255)
Free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
1-888-333-AFSP (Note: This number is not a prevention hotline.)
www.afsp.org

www.SAVE.org
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.

© 2000, Newspaper Media Group