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Panel offers tips on recognizing mental illness in teens

Half of all cases of diagnosable mental health problems begin before age 14, so one mental health awareness group in St. Charles is putting a focus on teens.

A free panel discussion called Teens Campaign to Change Direction will help young people and their parents recognize the signs of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression and learn ways to speak about, cope with and recover from the conditions.

Putting a face to a name of a condition will help, said Kristen Kauke, a St. Charles social worker who is organizing the event.

At least three teens who have struggled with anxiety and depression will be panelists at the event from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles.

The teen panelists will talk about "what it was like for them, in their own words, and their journey through mental health into wellness," Kauke said.

Kauke and Eric Nolan, a psychiatrist at a private mental health agency in St. Charles called Creekwood Associates, will moderate the discussion so it doesn't dive into the depths of teen self-harm or scare anyone away with vivid details of suffering. The point of letting the teens tell their stories is to focus on treatment, solutions and the road to wellness, she said.

Finding wellness begins with learning to talk about emotional problems, despite the societal pressure to keep them secret.

"Because of the fear of talking about it, people avoid support services and they suffer alone in silence," Kauke said. "We have to demonstrate and live out that it's OK to talk about it."

St. Charles Campaign to Change Direction is part of a larger, national effort that began after the White House National Conference on Mental Health in 2013 following the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The campaign aims to help people recognize the signs of emotional distress and begin to treat mental health as equally important to physical health.

A cornerstone of the national campaign is teaching the five signs of emotional distress - withdrawal, agitation, hopelessness, personality changes and poor self-care. Campaign materials display the signs in emoticon-like designs illustrated as simple orange faces. One face looks angry, another puzzled. One looks blah, another is frowning and the last is shedding a tear.

Kauke said the teen panelists will explain how they experienced symptoms of withdrawal, hopelessness and other signs of emotional problems before they eventually were diagnosed with a condition. Parents also will learn how to seek treatment if their children display these signs. Therapy and medication - two common forms of treatment - can be used to bring someone's mental condition to a stable state, if only they reach out to get help.

"This is information that can literally save a life," Kauke said.

Mental health campaign launching in St. Charles

If you go

What: Teens Campaign to Change Direction

When: 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday

Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles

Who: Hosted by the St. Charles Campaign to Change Direction mental health awareness group

Cost: Free

Info: facebook.com/stcharleschangedirection

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