 Approximately one in five adolescents in the United States have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Of these adolescents, 70% will not receive sufficient treatment. This is an alarming number given that if untreated, mental health concerns can lead to suicide attempts. In fact, completed suicides are the third leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States. Currently, there are a lack of referral services to help these adolescents find the appropriate help.
As a call to awareness and action, this interactive presentation will focus on identifying mental health concerns as well as provide effective tactics for FACS teachers to employ. A brief solutions-focused approached will be used in a roundtable style discussion.

 NAMI reports 8% of teens 13-18 years old have an anxiety disorder (MACMH,
2014); 50% of those teens have a co-occuring mental health disorder
 Symptoms (MACMH, 2014)
 Frequent absences and/or failing grades


Excessive worry about grades and homework
Withdrawn, isolated behavior
 Physical complaints (e.g., stomach aches, headaches)
 Impact on Academics (MACMH, 2014)
 Students are easily frustrated; difficult time completing tasks


Fear of failure may impede effort
Anxiety can lead to school avoidance (making problems worse)

 Lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder is 14%
 10-20% of youth experiencing minor depression
 Strong risk for reoccurrence; 40% adolescents experience another major depressive disorder within 2-5 years of recovery
 Comorbidity between depression and other disorders is common
 Symptoms (MACMH, 2014)
 Enduring sadness, low self-esteem




Failing grades, frequent absences
Inability to concentrate; forgetfulness
Lack of energy; sleeping in class; isolate self
Talks about dying or suicide
 Impacts on Academics
 Loss of interest in studies; increased absences
 Grades may drop significantly



School and social withdrawal
Self Harm
Excessive Anger (Mostly in Boys)

During the last 12 months, have you had
SIGNIFICANT problems with…
…feeling very trapped, lonely, sad, blue, depressed or hopeless about the future?
…feeling very anxious, nervous, tense, scared, panicked or like something bad was going to happen?
M: 17%
F: 34%
M: 22%
F: 39%
…thinking about ending your life or committing suicide?
M: 9%
F: 18%
8 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
9 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
11 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
M: 20%
F: 38%
M: 23%
F: 41%
M: 24%
F: 40%
M: 24%
F: 41%
M: 10%
F: 20%
M: 10%
F: 15%

8 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
9 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
11 th grade
(answered
“Yes”)
Have you ever seriously considered attempting suicide? (past year)
M: 6%
F: 15%
M:7%
F: 17%
M: 7%
F: 12%
Have you ever actually attempted suicide? (past year)
M: 2%
F: 5%
M:2%
F: 6%
M:2%
F: 4%

Every 12.8
Minutes
Suicide
Attempts
Leading Cause of Death
th
nd
In 2013, 41,149 suicide deaths

 Get groups
 Take 3 minutes to discuss and write down the following:
 What are the weaknesses of your school (i.e. mental health)?
 Awareness
 Response
Be prepared to share your answers w/ the big group

 School connectedness
 Family connectedness
 Religious identity
Connectedness-degree to which a person or group is socially close, interrelated or shares resources with other people/groups.
Connectedness = “fostering a sense of personal worth that provides access to a larger source of support”

 Address mental health needs comprehensively on environmental, programmatic, and individual levels.
 Environmental
 Create a supportive school environment that values mental health
 Be aware of mental health resources and services offered within the school and community
 Programmatic
 Implement programs/curricula that target skills development: social skills, conflict resolution, and bullying prevention
 Individual
 Promote connectedness and individual resiliency
 Provide interventions for students with mental health needs

 Implement a “predictable set of expectations and the consistent and fair use of rewards and punishments; others avoid extrinsic incentives in favor of promoting and relying on students’ intrinsic motivation”
 “Encourage students’ participation in school and in classroom decision making and planning”
 “Provide opportunities for students to interact with one another in cooperative activities or in other ways, to have experiences of success, to be self-directing, and to explore areas of interest” (Schaps, 2005)

 Advisory Programs:
“configurations in which an adult advisor meets regularly during the school day with a group of students to provide academic and social-emotional mentorship and support, to create personalization within the school, and to facilitate a small peer community of learners”

 Let’s all take time to complete this handout w/ your group members
 Be prepared to share your answers to the big group

 http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs/take-a-course/course-types/youth/
 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/07-08/self-injury.aspx
 http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_878.html
 http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/connectedness_teachers.pdf
 https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-
Guide/Talking-To-Kids-About-Mental-Illnesses-084.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors
among youth. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/connectedness.pdf
Chandra, A.; Minkovitz, C. S. 2006. Stigma Starts Early: Gender Differences in Teen Willingness to Use Mental Health
Services. Journal of Adolescent Health 38: 754e.1-754e8.
Kessler, R. C.; Berglund, P.; Demler, O.; Jin, R.; Walters, E. E. 2005. Life-time Prevalence and Age-of-onset Distribution of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Co-morbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 62: 593-602.
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health. (2014). Disorder fact sheet. Retrieved from www.macmh.org
National Association of School Psychologists. Whelley, Cash, & Bryson. (2002). Children’s mental health: Strategies for
educators. Retrieved from www.nasponline.org
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury
Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). www.cdc. gov/ncipc/wisqars (accessed Sept. 2007).
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2013). Mental illness facts and numbers.
Perou, R., Bitsko, R.H. Blumberg, S.J., et al. (2013). Mental health surveillance among children-United States 2005-
2011. MMWR, 62(02),1-35.
Schaps, E. (2005). The role of supporting school environments in promoting academic success. Center for the
Collaborative Classroom.