Mental health surveys, seminars help raise awareness

“It is an odd paradox,” began actress Glenn Close, “that a society which can now speak openly and unabashedly about topics that were once unspeakable still remains largely silent when it comes to mental illness.”

Close is the founder of Bring Change 2 Mind, a nonprofit organization working to overcome the stigmas associated with mental illness.

Ritzville High School alumnus Haley Oestreich shared the same goal as she conducted mental health surveys and informational workshops with Lind Ritzville High School students.

Oestreich’s case study is part of her senior thesis at Eastern Washington University.

The case study began with an anonymous survey asking students, with parental consent, questions demonstrating their knowledge about mental illness. The study then included educational seminars on mental illness, followed by post-surveys.

Supplementing the surveys and seminars in Oestreich’s research were interviews with administration, counselors, and health education instructors to gain insight into how mental illness is handled in Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School Districts.

Explaining her motivation behind the case study, Oestreich explained, “I feel that raising awareness for mental illness is important because it is a lot more common than people think. There is a negative stigma surrounding mental illness and there shouldn’t be.”

“With working with high school students, I hope that I helped clear up any questions that they might have and feel more comfortable talking about it and normalizing it,” she added.

High school students were deliberately chosen as the target audience for the research.

“I decided on high school students because 50 percent of mental illnesses begin around the age of 14, right when kids are starting high school,” Oestreich reported.

This becomes more problematic when teenagers feel pressure to make critical decisions about their future.

Oestreich reflected, “High school can be a scary time; you are trying to figure out where you belong, learn about yourself, and decide your future career.”

“To add to the problems that could be associated with mental illness in high school can be harmful to a student,” she added, “especially if they don’t know anything about mental illnesses.”

Officially, the Mayo Clinic refers to mental illness as any mental condition or disorder that affects mood, thinking, and or behavior. Common examples include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.

Oestreich’s case study aimed to help high school students differentiate between these examples and other health conditions not classified as mental illness.

“For example, Down’s Syndrome is not a mental illness. However, 51.8 percent of students thought it was,” Oestreich reported.

Mental illness and associated stigmas are not by any means exclusive to LRHS. Therefore, collecting and presenting data is only the beginning of the process towards improving mitigation strategies and building tolerance.

“Schools are currently deficient in education and resources to adequately assist students suffering from or providing social support to those with mental illness,” stated Oestreich.

Overall, the research was a first major step in informing LRHS students about mental health and overcoming stigmas. The next step Oestreich sees is to improve resources, and awareness of these resources, available for those who need it.

In explaining the overall purpose for her research, Oestreich said, “The results will… help the school leaders understand the importance of improving mental illness awareness in high schools. Schools should strive to improve approaches towards mental illness and encourage the students to use the resources available.”

She concluded, “We must do the best for our future; improving mental illness education is only the beginning.”