Teens
Royal Oak
Ferndale
Look At Suicide
s
ome 150 members of the
B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization from
southeast Michigan and
Canada listened intently Oct. 30
as a panel of speakers related
their personal and professional
experiences with mental illness.
Jason Zaks, program chair for
Michigan Region BBYO, had a
personal stake in the program at
Tamarack Camps. His battle
with depression and obsessive
compulsive disorder began when
he was in high school.
"I am a suicide survivor," he
said. "I couldn't talk about the
way I was feeling. When I was in
high school we had speakers on
drunk driving, drugs and AIDS,
but I never heard about mental
illness.
Zaks described his deliberate
drug overdose and another inci-
dent when he decided not to
pull the trigger on a shotgun
pointed "right down my throat."
He told the BBYO group, "I
couldn't see any other way to end
Jason Zaks. of BBYO discussed his suicide
the pain, but at the last minute,
attempts.
something made me stop.
"My goal is to talk about this
life outside of an institution. Wanetik
now, so others know where to turn
alerted the teens to the common
for help.
problem of "dual diagnosis" where an
Mental health clinician Ann
individual may be abusing drugs and
Wanetik from the Oakland County
alcohol to self-medicate the symp-
Community Mental Health Authority
toms of an affective disorder.
told the teens that mental illness most
Zaks asked the BBYO teens to
often strikes during the late teen years
increase their involvement in commu-
or early 20s. She stressed that affec-
nity service projects. He will be distrib-
tive disorders are biologically based
uting information about the Light for
and need to be viewed in the same
Life Foundation Yellow Ribbon pro-
light as other physical illnesses.
gram, which is a teen suicide preven-
"It is not an embarrassment to
tion outreach. Castine, OCCMHA
have diabetes, or cancer. It should not
community education specialist who
be an embarrassment to have a
coordinated the panel, said her organi-
depressive disorder or schizophrenia,"
zation is available to provide informa-
she said. "What is a shame is not to
tion to other groups. I 1
have those symptoms identified
because without this step there can be
no treatment."
For information about mental
A panel of four talked about their
health education, call Jacqueline
illnesses: major depression, schizo-
Castine of the Oakland County
phrenia and bipolar disorder and all
Community Mental Health
said that new medications make it
Authority, (248) 975-9684.
possible to live a productive, happy
53
Plymouth
Canton
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