Real Data About Mental Illness
1 high school. 40 kids. A BIG mission. Can young people really make a difference in the world?
Let's take a look at what the very first LETS club can do!
| Self. | ||
| L | earning and teaching others about mental health is a fun way youth apply academics to their LETS clubs. | |
| Fact: 12 million children and adolescents have a mental illnessi and are less likely complete skilled work training.ii | ||
| E | ncouraging youth to find their own voices, LETS is a forum for kids to speak up, share ideas, and self-publish. | |
| Fact: The first high school LETS club is the largest club at their school. | ||
| T | alking about mental illness becomes comfortable and safe, and adults listen. | |
| Fact: 4 out of 5 teen suicide attempts are preceded by warning signs.iii | ||
| S | elf-advocacy builds confident leaders who decide what theywant for their clubs and for the world. | |
| Fact: By Summer, 2011 LETS will have chapters in greater Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Berkeley, Stanford, Boise, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C. to start. | ||
| Peers. Families. | ||
| E | rasing stigma within families builds supportive homes should youth or their family members need help. | |
| Fact: Youth with mentally ill family members are more likely to develop a mental disorder.iv | ||
| M | otivating change is a joint effort when youth find solidarity in shared goals that help future generations. | |
| Fact: Most of the public cannot identify common mental disorders.v | ||
| P | hysical health, mental health, and community health merge. | |
| Fact: 2 out of 3 youth with a substance use disorder also have another mental health issue.vi | ||
| O | vercoming isolation and shame strengthens individuals, who strengthen their peers and families. | |
| Fact: Most adolescent suicides occur at home after school hours.vii | ||
| W | ords and encouragement from youth teach and support their friends and families through mental illness. | |
| Fact: 1 in 4 Americans feel that they have no one they can confide in.viii | ||
| E | arly intervention and prevention help people beforethey reach a crisis. | |
| Fact: 50% of mental illness begins by adolescence and often gets worse later in life.ix | ||
| R | eduction of negative attitudes toward mental illness enables youth to build future homes without stigma. | |
| Fact: Anti-stigma campaigns are associated with improved attitudes toward mental illness.x | ||
| S | trong sense of self and belonging grows when peer support replaces isolation. | |
| Fact: LETS sponsors outreach events, conferences, and youth symposiums every year. | ||
| Communities. | ||
| Y | outh make a welcoming culture where everyone can talk about mental illness. | |
| Fact: The LETS Facebook page already has 1,429 fans. During its first 5 months, the LETS website had 7,1000 visitor hits. | ||
| O | pen exchange of ideas gives the community new and supportive ways to and talk about mental illness. | |
| Fact: Those with low mental health literacy assume that untreated emotional problems go away.xi | ||
| U | nderstanding and respect grow when students say, "Hey, it's ok to talk about mental illness!" | |
| Fact: 66% of young people with mental illness do not seek the support they need.xii | ||
| T | he community sees kids involved in positive activities, believes in them, learns from them, and includes them. | |
| Fact: LETS receives emails daily from people who want to get involved, invite us to participate, or share enthusiasm. | ||
| H | ope spreads like fire, and now many are asking how they can erase stigma and stand behind LETS youth. | |
| Fact: Our affiliates support our mission: NAMI, NULA, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, Pacific Asian Counseling Services, Free Your Mind Projects, Abraham Low Self-Help Systems, Exodus Recovery Center, Pacific Clinics, LA County Department of Mental Health. LETS youth say that they feel good knowing they're making a difference. | ||
i Szabo, Ross. Hall, Melanie: Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, a Guide for Young Adults. Los Angeles: Volt Press, 2007.
ii Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health.
iii Teen Suicide Warning Signs. Teen Suicide.us.
iv Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health.
v Jorm AF, Korten AE, Jacomb PA, Christensen, H, Rodgers B, Pollitt P: "Mental health literacy"; a survey of the public’s ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Med J Aust 1997; 166:182–186.
Lauber C, Nordt C, Falcato L, Rössler W: Do people recognise mental illness? factors influencing mental health literacy. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2003; 253:248–251.
vi Szabo, Ross. Hall, Melanie: Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, a Guide for Young Adults. Los Angeles: Volt Press, 2007.
vii Youth Suicide Fact Sheet. American Association of Suicidology.
viii Szabo, Ross. Hall, Melanie: Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, a Guide for Young Adults. Los Angeles: Volt Press, 2007.
ix Szabo, Ross. Hall, Melanie: Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, a Guide for Young Adults. Los Angeles: Volt Press, 2007.
x Paykel ES, Hart D, Priest RG: Changes in public attitudes to depression during the defeat depression campaign. Br J Psychiatry 1998; 173:519–522.
xi Wells JE, Robins LN, Bushnell JA, Jarosz D: Perceived barriers to care in St Louis (USA) and Christchurch (NZ): reasons for not seeking professional help for psychological distress. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1994; 29:155–164.
xii Szabo, Ross. Hall, Melanie: Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, a Guide for Young Adults. Los Angeles: Volt Press, 2007.
