IN K [ ][ L I N G S
Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS October 30, 2018 Vol. 83 Issue 2
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Read about supernatural experiences
“Cutting Weight”: wrestlers slim down to compete
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Look at the extremes of online challenges page 15
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! PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JESSI ALCORTA-ROBLES and LINDSEY BAEZA
Groups in community work to counteract mental health stigmas; provide aid through therapeutic treatments BY LINDSEY BAEZA JESSI ALCORTA-ROBLES
I
co-editor-in-cheif assistant editor
n a given year, 43.8 million adults experience some sort of mental illness according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). With mental health conditions becoming more prominent, so is bringing awareness to those who can help. The mental health clinic Crown Counseling offers a wide variety of services including standard individual and family therapy, eating disorder treatment programs, outpatient substance abuse programs, assessment services and more. Wen Dee Anderson, a licensed social worker at Crown Counseling, uses various therapeutic methods to counsel clients. “The most common type of therapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),” Anderson said. “CBT is a lot of working with our thought processes and our behaviors. Our thoughts tell us one thing, and so therefore we behave a certain way. Say you feel bad about yourself, so when I behave and the way I portray myself, it’s going to show. If we can change those negative cognitions, we can change our negative behaviors.” Sophomore Anne Gregg, who is clinically diagnosed
with anxiety and depression, speaks openly about her struggles. Participating in therapy for her has been beneficial in that she is able to receive helpful suggestions. “I encourage therapy. Just talking to someone, like someone who knows everything, is just great,” Gregg said. “Talking to people your age can be good, but professionals know what they’re doing, and they’re not going to give you really bad advice. I think everyone can benefit from someone who always knows how to handle a situation.” In therapy the goal is to see positive physical and mental changes in behavior or thinking. Gregg feels therapy has had a noticeable impact on her, and that if not for treatment, she would be experiencing worse symptoms of anxiety and depression. “I think I would still be very anxious about school, and I think I wouldn’t being doing as much as I do now,” Gregg said. “I think my grades would be worse. I have healthy amount of caring now. I think I’d be tired, and I don’t think I’d be as close as I am with friends.” The benefits of therapy are described as being able to restore the quality of one’s life, however, some still have their doubts on the validity of
stats to
SILENCE the
STIGMA Suicide is the
third
leading cause of death in youth ages 10 - 24.
Half
of students with a mental illness age 14 and older dropout of high school.
95% of people who suffer from eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.
50%
of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.
Statistics provided by: https://www.nami. org/getattachment/Learn-More/MentalHealth-by-the-Numbers/childrenmhfacts.
mental illness treatment. “A lot of people don’t believe mental illness exists or that you need help to deal with it. They can’t see it. I can say I feel shaky today, but you don’t see me shaking. They can’t see a problem, and so they make other people believe that their problems don’t exist,” Gregg said. “We’ve been taught that either mental illness doesn’t exist or that it isn’t a big deal because physical illness is a big deal.” Mental illness, although not always visible, may cause physical and psychological symptoms such as extreme changes in eating or sleeping habits, difficulty concentrating, severe mood swings, delusions or hallucinations, intense worries and prolonged sadness (NAMI). Senior Cheryl Houser explains that identifying with a mental illness is difficult at times to express to people who don’t also identify. “There are a lot of things that I can’t do because I feel like I’m going to have an anxiety attack. I’m kind of restricted with traveling or anything that will cause me to struggle or have any issues,” Houser said. “When I tell people [about my anxiety] it goes two ways. They’re either sympathetic or steering away from me.”
Anderson believes that a misconception stems from the lack of understanding people may have about mental illness, potentially detering treatment. “The whole stigma stops teenagers from getting help. You have a lot of people who, because of the way it’s portrayed, feel that they can’t ask for help because it’ll make them look weak,” Anderson said. “They think that they should be able to figure it out on their own. As a kid, you could go to your parent and say ‘I’m depressed’ and they might tell you that you’re fine due to a lack of mental health awareness.” Despite the possible reactions teenagers may receive from their parents or peers, from a therapist’s point of view, Anderson believes the best thing to do is to tell the truth. “It’s always important to be honest and tell your parents what you’re thinking,” Anderson said. “Many times I see kids and we find out they have some suicidal ideation or they’re self harming or whatever it is, and their parents had no idea. They didn’t feel comfortable enough to tell their parents, so I think it’s really important for kids to tell their parents and are sharing their feelings. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed.”
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