GETTING NOTICED, BEING HEARD, RAISING AWARENESS
Awareness Day amplifies the national conversation about children’ s mental health and related issues. For instance, The News and Observer reported on school-based activities in North Carolina, which included assemblies, hall decorating, and morning announcements with mental health messages. Similarly, the website NJ Spotlight featured a story on one of the Family Leader Panelists, Nicole Pratt, which brought attention to her work and that of her organization. Each of these stories is inspiring on its own, but they represent only a very small fraction of the thousands of Awareness Day stories like them that occur each year.
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH AWARENESS DAY LIVE!
Awareness Day Live! is an interactive experience that provided an opportunity for individuals and communities to view the live event webcast and join the onstage discussions by asking questions of the panelists and sharing insights through a variety of digital platforms.
Communities around the country hosted 2017 Awareness Day Live! events such as informal live webcast viewing opportunities. For instance, a family-run organization in Ashland, Kansas, hosted a viewing event at a public library that linked the local system of care and the local library system. Also, through Awareness Day Live! communities engaged national event panelists by submitting questions through social media.
Some of these questions included:
“ What can I, a teenager who has a mental illness, do to teach adults that this is a real thing?”
“ There has to be something that that person who may not be as accepting of your situation is passionate about. It helps to draw comparisons to something that they can relate to.”
JUAN VÉLEZ COURT Youth M. O. V. E., PR
How does childhood mental health differ in rural communities compared to urban or suburban communities? What specific risk factors do these children face, and how can integrated health care help address these risk factors?
“ Mental health crosses all socioeconomic barriers, classes, cultures, and races. It’ s important to integrate who that child is, who that family is, and the culture from which they originate.”
LISA M. CULLINS, M. D. American Academy of
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, MD
What do you see as the largest barrier for fully integrated mental health into primary care?
“ As a pediatrician, it can be hard to refer patients to our colleagues because there might be a lack of them, or long waits. More needs to be done to help primary care physicians on the ground to feel like they have access to adequate strategies and evidence-based practices that they can adapt into primary care practice if they are not co-located or integrated.”
NERISSA BAUER, M. D. American Academy of Pediatrics, IN
What if a loved one is experiencing a mental illness but refuses to go to therapy or acknowledge the extent of their illness? What advice do you suggest to urge to them to get help?
“ For an adult, having a conversation with that person to really help them see what areas of their life are working and what areas are not optimal. This might open up a moment for that family member to say,‘ Well, from my perspective, it seems like you might be experiencing depression, or you might be overwhelmed, and it might be helpful to go in and talk to someone. It doesn’ t mean you have to be on medication.’ Expressing your love and concern for that person is key.”
LISA LAMBERT Parent / Professional Advocacy League, MA
2017 FINAL REPORT
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