Addison community comes together to talk about teen mental health

On Tuesday, May 14, the Addison Public Library hosted its first-ever "On the Table" event, which seeks to bring community members and organizations together to discuss an important local issue and brainstorm solutions. The inaugural evening's theme was teen mental health.

"Mental health is close to my heart and intertwined in my daily life," said parent Jennifer Wachholz-Bero, a participant in the event. "I'm very interested in seeing how we can protect kids in the community."

Becky McFarland, Community Initiatives Coordinator at the DuPage County Health Department, opened the evening with a presentation on teen mental health statistics in the Addison area, compiled with data from the Impact DuPage website (impactdupage.org) and the Illinois Youth Survey.

According to results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 12.8 percent of adolescents, aged 12 to 17, had a period of two weeks or longer in the past 12 months when they experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities.

In the 2018 Illinois Youth Survey of DuPage County adolescents, 15 percent of 10th-graders and 15 percent of 12th-graders reported seriously considering a suicide attempt during the past 12 months.

In that same survey, 26 percent of eighth-graders, 29 percent of 10th-graders, and 31 percent of 12th-graders reported feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks in a row or more during the past year that they stopped participating in some of their usual activities.

McFarland also reviewed local hospitalization and emergency room data as it related to teen mental health.

Addison has the fifth highest hospitalization rate due to pediatric mental health and the third highest hospitalization rate due to adolescent suicide and intentional self-injury in DuPage County.

Addison's rate for emergency room visits due to adolescent mental health is the highest in DuPage County - 84.7 per 10,000 compared to the DuPage rate of 55.1 per 10,000.

The data surprised many "On the Table" participants. To the community organization leaders who work with teens on a regular basis, the statistics helped define something they already see.

"We have firsthand experience seeing teens struggle (with mental health). We know it's a big problem. I didn't know it was this big of an issue in Addison," said April Difatta, Youth Program Coordinator for NAMI DuPage.

Elizabeth Lynch, Head of Teen Services at the Addison Public Library, said they see close to 100 junior high students each day, so the statistics hit close to home.

"Those numbers are all individual kids to us. It feels like we are seeing their mental health struggles more and more," she said.

At the end of her presentation, McFarland reiterated that there is hope: the numbers demonstrate a problematic trend, but there is room to improve.

As the lights turned back on, teens, parents, community organization representatives, and library staff mingled at each table, igniting quiet but passionate conversations.

Around the room, participants shared personal anecdotes and expressed their concerns about mental health as it related to their own lives and loved ones. Some smiled and laughed; some nodded intently as they listened to another's story.

John Taci, 15, initially felt surprised by the teen mental health statistics in the community, but also felt optimistic after spending the evening learning about other people's stories.

"I think this could actually really help in the future," he said.

While each table's conversation differed, each group found common ground. One thing participants could easily agree on was the importance of changing the perception of mental health issues.

"It's not just issues, it's everything about a person and their state of being," said Courtney Moore, Teen Services Specialist at the library. "We want to work on ways to make resources available but also stop the stigma so people stop waiting until the crisis point to get help."

Another common theme of the evening was communication: many participants felt the community is not aware of the breadth of services that are available to them.

"We talked at our table about the barriers: people not knowing what's out there and feeling hesitant to talk to people they don't know," said Kathy Welko, Head of Community Engagement at the library. "Teens especially may not know what's available to them."

Some of those community resources available to Addison residents include:

• The DuPage County Health Department's Crisis Intervention Unit is a mental health support system that handles mental health emergencies 24 hours a day, from suicidal thoughts to symptoms of serious mental illnesses like depression, anxiety disorder, and others that may require hospitalization. The Crisis Intervention Unit can be reached at (630) 627-1700.

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) DuPage offers a number of workshops, support groups, and other resources, some of which are specifically dedicated to youth. More information is available at (630) 752-0066 or at namidupage.org.

• Impact DuPage has an extensive list of community resources available on their website at impactdupage.org.

• Northeast DuPage Family and Youth Services offers counseling services, trainings, and referrals to those in need. The clinicians also work collaboratively with five local police departments (Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights, Itasca) to help officers respond to various situations relating to mental health crises. More information is available at (630) 693-7934 or www.nedfys.org.

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since its inception, the Lifeline has engaged in a variety of initiatives to improve crisis services and advance suicide prevention. By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you'll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.

• The Crisis Text Line is a national service that "brings a hot moment to a cool moment" by texting with someone in crisis. People in DuPage can text "REACH" to 741741.

In addition to those community resources, On the Table participants shared their own ideas for spreading the word about available services and creating support for those who need it.

"One suggestion was peer-lead trainings or workshops so that teens themselves could be a reference point for someone struggling with mental health," said Welko. "Sometimes seeing other people get help helps teens seek out their own help."

Shannon Hartnett, MA, works for Northeast DuPage Family and Youth Services, said what surprised her most about the evening was hearing from teens who they feel comfortable going to for help.

"I think there's a trust issue there that we need to figure out," she said. "Kids want to seek help- we need to find a way to empower them to be allies to their friends and to help point them in the right direction."

Another idea was to start the conversation about mental health at a younger age, or create a mental health support group for parents. Jay Rivera, 14, felt a parent-focused group would be an especially helpful way to address teen mental health in Addison.

"It's helpful to talk to kids your own age, but adults need that too if the kids are struggling," she said.

Wachholz-Bero agreed, saying "It's OK to ask for help, and parents have to know there's support for children and for them."

As the evening came to a close and tables began to say their goodbyes, one parent stood to thank the room for coming, saying "This has been invaluable to us."

"It's amazing to see parents responding," said Lynch. "And it was amazing to see the teens be so forthcoming in sharing their own experiences. The adults at the table took it all in and asked questions."

While the topic of mental health is something that will need a more regular conversation to make lasting change in the community, Mike Monahan, Head of Adult Services at the library, thinks On the Table was a step in the right direction.

"This is just the beginning of the conversation," said Mike Monahan, Head of Adult Services at the library. "I think this was a helpful start."

If you would like to get involved in a future On the Table event or continue the conversation about teen mental health, please contact the library at (630) 458-3314.