family focus

Mental Illness
In Teens Is
Event Focus

Orley family hosts fundraiser to support U-M
mental health student group efforts.

Keri Guten Cohen

gles, but only one in three continued that
care.
"I battle with depression and have for
most of my life Dishell said. "First we
turn to friends, so why not be able to get
help from other students:'
Orley said, "In the U.S., suicide is the
second leading cause of death among
college students; 67 percent of college stu-
dents who are feeling suicidal tell a friend
before anyone else. This peer-to-peer con-
nection is so important. It is often the first
line of defense:'

Story Development Editor

0

n Aug. 26, 2013, Diane Orley
got a knock on her door that
she says changed her life and
who she is forever.
"My son had commited suicide she
said.
Orley related her personal tragedy
to a crowd of about 250 people who
had gathered at the Townsend Hotel in
Birmingham Feb. 5 to learn about a new
University of Michigan peer-to-peer sup-
port network that helps students suffer-
ing from depression, anxiety and other
mental health issues.
The fundraising event was sponsored
by the George Orley Mental Wellness
Initiative, started in his memory.
George A. Orley, 20, a U-M rising junior,
was a loving son, a caring brother, an
accomplished athlete, a devoted friend, a
natural leader, a strong advocate for those
less fortunate and a passionate supporter
of Detroit. He also struggled with depres-
sion and bipolar disorder.
"The hopelessness and helplessness that
accompanies depression and bipolar disor-
der had gotten to him:' Orley said.
George also had type 1 diabetes.
"This disease is socially accepted and
actually became a bonding experience
with other kids and families that dealt
with the disease she said. "It was a much
different experience than the way we
talked about — or didn't talk about — his
mental health issues.
"George went to U-M and, in the first
semester of freshman year, his troubles
began. He struggled, but very quietly:'
Orley said. "Not until that spring did he
share with us that he had tried to take his
life during first semester.
"Going to college is a huge transition.
You're growing up, meeting new people,
living on your own, learning to deal with a
different workload, eating habits, exercise
routine. You have to constantly be the best
possible version of yourself at all times. All
of us know that this pressure is way too
much to go through alone:'
With psychiatric help and medicine,
George found a way of living with mental
illness.
"The constant worry, counting of pills
behind his back, trying to get his friends
to watch over him — it was all an enor-
mous worry for us and our family:' Orley
said.

Student Leaders

Cooper Charlton, Diane Orley, Linda Aikens
and Bobby Dishell

"In the aftermath of losing my son, I
am determined to find something positive
and make a difference for kids who suffer
as George did. With amazing energy and
dedication to the same mission, Linda
Aikens and I set out to do what we could
in Ann Arbor, helping the daily life strug-
gles that are so common at college age:'

Wolverine Support Network

That night at the Townsend was the cul-
mination of a synergistic meeting between
Orley, her close friend Aikens and U-M
Student Body President Bobby Dishell,
who was moved by George's death.
"George knew so many people; his death
affected campus:' said Dishell, a senior
from Los Angeles. "He was that kind of
guy. There was widespread sadness."
After running in 2013 on a platform
that stressed the need to address mental
health on campus, Dishell and a handful
of other students launched the Wolverine
Support Network this winter.
Loosely based on a peer program at
Harvard-Westlake High School in Los
Angeles, WSN engages more than 200 stu-
dents in 23 peer groups that meet across
campus to support each other's mental
well-being. Each session is led by two or
more trained WSN volunteers. Every other
Friday, the groups come together for a
stress-busting activity.
Wolverine Support Network is a regis-
tered student group. Training was orga-
nized and facilitated by students with
support from various campus services and
organizations involved in wellness.
WSN conducted a campus poll and
learned that one in five students had
sought professional help for their strug-

WSN leader Max Rothman, a freshman
from Los Angeles, attended Harvard-
Westlake High School and participated in
its peer support program.
"I lost my friend, Julia, in eighth grade
he said. "I had never experienced death
before. The first time I talked about it was
in a peer group. It changed my life forever.
Everyone has issues; the peer groups help
take the stigma away:'
Cooper Charlton, a junior from
Cleveland, is a WSN director and a varsity
athlete in lacrosse. After surgery during his
freshman year kept him from sports for a
while, he said his depression reappeared.
"It took me a while to realize that what
it means to be strong means being able to
ask for help:' he said. "Strength isn't doing
it alone:'
The three WSN leaders fielded questions
from the audience, stressing that they plan
to expand the program at U-M and take
it to other college campuses. For example,
U-M orientation leaders now will talk
about the program to incoming freshman.
Many in the crowd spoke of mental health
issues of their own or in their families.
"By raising awareness and reducing the
stigma of mental illness, we all can save
lives:' said Orley, who was accompanied by
her son, Sam, husband, Randy, and other
family members. "The numbers of kids
suffering are staggering. I'm determined
to make a difference in the mental health
world — shattering the stigma and start-
ing the important conversation:'

❑

You Can Help

The George Orley Mental Wellness
Initiative (GOMWI) has raised
$40,000 for WSN. To donate, go to
http://umichwsn.org or send a check
(made payable to GOMWI) to 6379
Muirfield, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

S

hedding Light on Teen Mental
Health" will be the focus of
a community conference on
Sunday, March 1, at the West Bloomfield
High School auditorium.
Created to raise awareness and
address the stigma surrounding teen
mental illness, the conference is being
convened by the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit and a consortium
of caring community partners for par-
ents, teachers, mental health profession-
als, youth professionals and adults who
care for our teens.
Only 20 percent of children suffering
from mental disorders receive mental
health services in any given year. This
conference is designed to open pathways
of communication among struggling
teens, those who love them and those
who can make a positive change in their
lives.
The program will begin with a key-
note address by Ross Szabo, CEO of the
Human Power Project and an award-
winning speaker, writer, trainer and
author of Behind Happy Faces: Talking

about Mental Health and Teen Mental
Illness.
Szabo will explain common mental
health conditions and individual differ-
ences, and address the warning signs
students can look for in their friends and
peers as well as resources that can pro-
vide guidance in sensitive situations.
He will then join a panel of mental
health professionals in the fields of
depression, addiction, eating disorders,
crisis intervention and therapies for a
discussion facilitated by Cheryl Chodun,
former WXYZ-TV reporter. The panel
will include Dr. Isabelle Beaulieu; Dr.
Ann Moye; Connie Wood, M.S.; Sara
Tischler, MSW; Dr. Melissa Oleshansky;
and Ray Dalton, MA, CAADC.
Following the panel discussion, par-
ticipants will be invited to visit resource
tables staffed by community mental
health and service organizations. All
participants will receive a resource book
with information about levels of care,
treatment options and resources, includ-
ing national organizations and support
services, categorized by disorder.
The program, which runs from
1-3:30 p.m., is open to the public. Pre-
registration is a $5 donation to Common
Ground, $10 at the door. Register at
jewishdetroit.org/events.
Three continuing education clock
hours will be awarded through Core
Learning Inc., (248) 933-2673; $15 addi-
tional fee for social workers.

❑

February 19 • 2015

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