St. Charles panel sheds light on teenage mental illness

Dressed in jeans, T-shirts and hoodies, their dialogue frequently interspersed with “like” and “whatever,” the teens sharing the Arcada Theater's stage Saturday to talk about anxiety and depression appeared the epitome of adolescent normalcy.

That was, after all, exactly the point — bringing the often isolating struggle with emotional problems out into the open, to remind others who are suffering that they are not alone.

“Let's just dispel the myth right now: What does a (child) have to be depressed about? It's not just events in life, it's biology, it's stress,” said Kristen Kauke, a St. Charles social worker who organized the Campaign to Change Direction event, and moderated the panel with the help of psychologist Eric Noland.

The St. Charles campaign 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 as physical health.

“It's time to tell everyone who's dealing with a mental health issue that they're not alone, and that getting support and treatment isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength,” Michelle Obama said then. That quote was projected on a screen behind the stage Saturday for attendees to see.

The teen panelists, whose full names were not broadcast, took turns explaining how they began to experience signs of emotional distress, including agitation, hopelessness, personality changes and withdrawal.

One boy described making up excuses for not seeing friends after his family moved from DeKalb to St. Charles. A girl, a self-described straight-A student, stopped doing her homework altogether. Another teen said she began “freaking out” at the smallest of requests from her parents, such as being required to make her bed.

“The biggest mistake I ever made was not giving in and saying I need help,” she said.

Parents also learned 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 symptoms are recognized.

“We've got these things that can be masked very easily,” Nolan said. “A lot of times we dismiss things and say it's just a phase. But if we can take a few steps back we can do that targeted intervention, which is huge.”