Editorial: By talking, teens can learn how to cope
As a Naperville mother of a 14-year-old, Lisa Gangi knows what kinds of struggles teens face in the suburbs.
And she's using that knowledge in a positive way, acting in a new film that explores those struggles and better yet, provides some answers to help teens cope.
"I'm very familiar with some of these challenges," Gangi told Daily Herald staff writer Marie Wilson for a story earlier this week on the movie. "It gives examples of how teens might be in crisis and what some possibilities might be to help."
The main message is for people to talk about their challenges, because by voicing their concerns they might just find out that others face similar problems. It's a message that teens and their parents need to hear.
"The more you get involved in mental health and suicide prevention work, the more it becomes clear that the single biggest obstacle is silence," Carl Evans, director of programs and operations for the nonprofit group Hope for the Day, told Wilson. "It's this silence that makes people walk around thinking that they're alone with these problems and these issues."
Evans' group and Naperville-based Nickel a Day Films produced the movie titled "I'm Fine" that explores how to get conversations going on mental health issues. It will be used in mental health awareness talks that Hope For The Day conducts at schools.
Half of all cases of diagnosable mental health problems begin before age 14, according to organizers of a St. Charles panel discussion this weekend called Teens Campaign to Change Direction. They, too, see the need to help teens and their parents recognize the signs of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression and to learn how to speak about them.
Smartly, the St. Charles panel discussion will focus on treatment and solutions, not vivid details of suffering.
"Because of the fear of talking about it, people avoid support services, and they suffer alone in silence," social worker Kristen Kauke told Wilson in a story published today about the panel discussion. "We have to demonstrate and live out that it's OK to talk about it."
Silence may be golden in some situations, but when it comes to mental health, it can be seriously dangerous. This film and this panel discussion are two excellent ways for suburban teens and their parents to learn how to cope and to realize that getting mental health help is just as important as treating any physical ailment.
As Kauke said, "This is information that can literally save a life."
If you or a loved one are in crisis, visit the nearest emergency room or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-(800) 273-7255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.