Suicide is the leading cause

of death for youth ages 15-19

in Howard County.
 It’s OK to Ask
How Youth Interaction Can Influence the
Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

Zohra Ahmed, Carolyn Frommer, Paula Shin

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 The Health Department and You

➢ The Health Department provides so many valuable services

to our community…

○ Behavioral Health ○ Emergency Preparedness

○ Birth/Death Certificates ○ Environmental Health
○ Cancer Prevention ○ Immunization & Disease Prevention
○ Child Health ○ Local Health Improvement Coalition
○ Clinical Services ○ Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
○ Refugee Referral Service

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Around how many people do you
think experience a mental health
condition in the U.S.?

a.) 25 million

b.) 44 million

c.) 39 million

d.) 28 million
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 Purpose

➢ Alleviate negative stigma about mental health conditions.

➢ Promote early detection of mental illnesses.

➢ Inform people on how to have a conversation with a friend

about mental health.

➢ Support peers in finding ways to cope and encourage help-

seeking.
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 Youth Suicide

➢ When an adolescent causes his or her own death on purpose.

Before attempting to take his or her own life, a teen may have
thoughts of wanting to die.

➢ Warning signs:
○ Drastic changes in mood, behavior, personality or sleep
○ Significant weight loss/gain
○ Severe, risk-taking behaviors
○ Feeling sad/withdrawn for more than two weeks
○ Difficulty in concentrating or staying still
○ Worries/fears that get in the way

➢ Asking about suicidal thoughts or feelings won’t push someone

into doing something self-destructive.

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 Depression

➢ A mood disorder that involves great feelings of sadness or

discouragement

➢ Examples of Symptoms:

○ Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, and

worthlessness
○ Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”
○ Difficulty concentrating
○ Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts

➢ When some of these symptoms persist for a long time, it

may be a sign of depression.

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 Anxiety

➢ Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress.

➢ Symptoms of anxiety vary and can negatively affect

an individual’s well-being.

➢ Examples of symptoms:

○ Feeling nervous, restless or tense

○ Variations in breathing
○ Sweating
○ Increased weakness
○ Inability to control worries

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 Stress
➢ Stress is the body’s natural reaction to a challenge
or pressure.

➢ Common sources of stress include school,

friendships, financial problems or family trouble.

➢ Tips to manage stress & anxiety:

○ Discuss your problems

○ Set small goals
○ Schedule breaks
○ Get enough sleep, exercise and eat regular
meals

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 How many young adults
experience a mental health
condition in the U.S.?

a.) 1 in 10

b.) 1 in 25

c.) 1 in 15

d.) 1 in 5
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 What to Look For

➢ Drastic changes in mood, behavior, personality or

sleep

➢ Significant weight loss/gain

➢ Severe, risk-taking behaviors

➢ Feeling sad/withdrawn for more than two weeks

➢ Difficulty in concentrating or staying still

➢ Worries/fears that get in the way of life

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 Campaign Timeline
January

□ Recruit 5 Ambassadors from each school participating

□ Identify merchandise, campaign giveaways and information to

distribute

□ Finalize concepts and resources for toolkit as well as manual

February

□ Ambassadors are identified and notified

□ Order merchandise

□ Put together resource toolkits

 Campaign Timeline

March-May

□ Attended a 2 hr. orientation and mental health training using

Friend2Friend program led by Maryland’s Suicide Prevention and Early

Intervention Network (MD-SPIN) staff Campaign Launch

□ Design and create display boards

□ Contact ambassadors to get up to date with campaign events

□ Set up information tables

□ Daily announcements on video monitors, morning announcements

Ambassador Resources

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Depression Resource Guide

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5 Ways to Deal with Anxiety

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 Campaign Events

➢ Assembling ambassador resources

➢ Training session

➢ Angst Screening

➢ Youth opportunities fair

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Assembling Ambassador Resources

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Training Session

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Angst Screening

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Youth Opportunities Fair

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 Toolkit and Campaign Manual

➢ Overview of campaign

➢ Info to recreate campaign

➢ Michigan Medicine’s

Depression Awareness

Peer to Peer Toolkit (2016-

2017)

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 5 Ways to Start a Conversation

1.) Hey, we haven’t talked in a while. How are are you?

2.) Are you OK? It seems like you haven’t been yourself
lately.

3.) Hey, you seem frustrated today. I’m here for you.

4.) Seems like something’s wrong. Do you want to talk?

5.) I’m worried about you and want to know what I can
do to help.
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 Carolyn’s Research

Research Question: How do environmental factors such as

sleep, socioeconomic status, and time spent on a phone affect
youth suicide ideation and attempts?

Hypothesis Key Terms

➢ Increased sleep relates Socioeconomic class- social standing or class of
to lower suicide rates an individual or group, measured as a
combination of education, income and
occupation.
➢ Increased phone usage
correlates to higher
suicide rates Suicide ideation- thinking about or planning
suicide, it does not include the final act of
suicide.
➢ Lower socioeconomic
classes have a higher
risk of suicide

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 Paula’s Research

Research Question: How do forms of entertainment such as tv

shows and movies affect the public’s perceptions about
different mental illnesses?

Hypothesis Key Terms

➢ False portrayals of mental illnesses Stigma- a label that devalues individuals
are displayed in popular forms of
media
Public Stigma- the negative beliefs, attitudes,
and the common misconceptions about
➢ These portrayals influence the mental illness
opinions of viewers

➢ Strategies to eliminate the stigma

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 Zohra’s Research
Research Question:
How can we bring variety to, and increase the effectiveness of
the treatments offered within the field of psychiatry?

Hypothesis Key Terms

➢ Medical and Medical Patches- transdermal patch that emits
microneedle patches a particular drug into the skin.
(transdermal)

Microneedle patches- a medical patch with

➢ SSRI makeup microscopic needles.

➢ More options → Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)-

Diversity A medication that increases serotonin.

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 Zohra’s Research
Final Product:
 The Future of the Campaign

➢ Can be carried on by interns or students interested in

different schools.

➢ Manual and activity lists can be altered.

➢ More students can get involved.

➢ Stigma can be lessened.

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What are you grateful for? What
motivates you to continue living
your life?

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 Reaching Out
Free Crisis Hotlines:

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: 1-800-

950-NAMI (6264)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Teen Line: 1-310-855-HOPE (4673) or 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-

8336)

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741

You can also contact the Grassroots Crisis Intervention 24-

Hour Crisis Hotline if you need to speak to someone.

Talk: 410.531.6677 // Visit: www.grassrootscrisis.org

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Carolyn: Resources
Garcia-Navarro, Lulu, producer. "The Risk of Teen Depression and Suicide Is Linked to
Smartphone Use, Study Says." NPR, 17 Dec. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/12/17/
571443683/the-call-in-teens-and-depression. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

Lee, Sang-Uk et al. “Suicide rates across income levels: Retrospective cohort data on 1
million participants collected between 2003 and 2013 in South Korea” Journal of
epidemiology vol. 27,6 (2017): 258-264.

Paula:
Corrigan, Patrick W, and Amy C Watson. “Understanding the impact of stigma on people
with mental illness” World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association
(WPA) vol. 1,1 (2002): 16-20.

“ISSTD Statement on the Movie ‘Split.’” ISSTD News, 23 Jan. 2017,

news.isst-d.org/isstd-statement-on-the-movie-split.

Zohra:
Different approaches to psychotherapy. (2018). Retrieved October 30, 2018, from American
Psychological Association website: https://www.apa.org/topics/therapy/psychotherapy-
approaches.aspx

Friedman, R. A. (2013, August 19). A dry pipeline for psychiatric drugs. Retrieved October 30,
2018, from New York Times website: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/health/a-dry-
pipeline-for-psychiatric-drugs.html
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 Any questions?
Check out the Teen Health Matters website at teenhealthmatters.org

@teenhealthmatters_

@teenhlthmatters

Email Dr. Dougé at jdouge@howardcountymd.gov

to receive more information about the campaign