metro >> on the cover

'The Dark Secret'

Program sheds light on teen mental Illness.

Ronelle Grier I Contributing Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

people resources for finding help.
Just last month, Diane Orley of Bloomfield
Hills spoke publicly for the first time about
the mental health issues that led to her son's
suicide in 2013 at age 20.
The Orleys gathered several hundred
people at a fundraising meeting for the
Wolverine Support Network, a new student-
led organization that runs peer-to-peer
group sessions to address depression, bipolar
disorder, anxiety and other issues that face
University of Michigan students.
"About 66 percent of people with mental
illness don't seek help," Szabo, CEO of the
Human Power Project and co-author of

Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your
Mental Health, told the crowd at WBHS.
"Why? They are afraid of the stigma; they
feel hopeless; they can't find resources; or
they feel they should be smart enough to fig-
ure things out by themselves7
Like many troubled teens, Szabo's outward
profile did not match the way he felt inside.
He was a good student and varsity basketball
player in high school, but his internal despair
led to a suicide attempt during his senior
year.
"I didn't want to die; I just couldn't handle
living the way I was living anymore," he said.
"I really thought everyone would be better
off without me:'
Tragically, Szabo's experience is not
uncommon for teens with mental illness.
According to the National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI), suicide is the third leading
cause of death for individuals ages 15-24,
and more than 90 percent of those who com-
mit suicide had at least one mental disorder.
Other sobering statistics provided by
NAMI report that 20 percent — or one in

Teen
Mental
Health

T

his is a partial list of nonprofit
community organizations serv-
ing those with mental illness,
substance abuse issues and other chal-
lenges. There are also many private
service providers throughout Metro
Detroit.

8

March 12 • 2015

Speaker Ross Szabo
with Becky Eizen of

Feinberg Consulting

Steffanie Samuels

started an advocacy
service for students
with mental illness.

five teens — ages 13-18 has or will have a
serious mental illness such as severe depres-
sion or anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizo-
phrenia. Mood disorders such as depression
are the third most common cause of hospi-
talization in the U.S. for those between the
ages of 18-44.
For Szabo, accepting his challenges and
learning to like himself were the first steps
in overcoming his illness. Next, he gave up
drugs and alcohol and worked on developing
a healthier lifestyle that included good nutri-
tion, regular exercise, proper sleep and new
methods of coping with stress and anxiety.
"Anxiety was a trigger for me, so finding
ways to calm that anxiety helps:' said
Szabo, who said he occasionally still halluci-
nates but is able to keep his symptoms under
control.
He believes it is possible and important
to form new neuropathways to avoid falling
back into old self-destructive patterns.
"The longer you use a coping mechanism,
the more automatic it becomes:' he said.

Common Ground
24-hour crisis line: 1-800-231-1127
www.commongroundhelps.org

National Alliance for Mental Illness
(NAMI)
1-800-950- NAMI (6264)
www.nami.org

National Suicide Prevention Hotline
(24 hours)
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Kadima
Support and residential options for people
with mental illness and their families
(248) 423-8453
www.kadimacenter.org

Helene Kroll from Kadima
and event chair Wren

Beaulieu-Hack

"The neuropathways get deeper and harder
to change. Coping mechanisms are the pillars
of mental health:'
The conference was chaired by Wren
Beaulieu-Hack, chairperson of the Youth
Professional Council of the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit, a group of profes-
sionals serving Jewish youth throughout the
community.
Bringing mental illness into the open is
especially important to Beaulieu-Hack, who
encountered many challenges while raising
her daughter, Maggie, now 19, who has bipo-
lar disorder.
"I know people who still won't talk about
this:' she said. "What this conference did
was raise awareness of the issue and the
struggles; it made it allowable to have the
conversation, reduce the stigma and make
people aware of the resources so they will feel
free enough to pick up the phone:'
Helen Kroll, a therapist at Kadima in
Southfield who works with children and
adolescents, said, "We are seeing teens with

Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House
(Friendship Circle program)
(248) 788-8888
www.friendshipcircle.org/friendshiphouse/

Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan
Detroit
(248) 592-2313
www.ffsdetroit.org

Mental Health First Aid, an accredited
training program for parents and profes-
sionals about helping those with mental
illness
Friday, May 1
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Jewish Family Service, 6555 W. Maple
Road, West Bloomfield

depression and substance abuse issues that
are often caused by mental illness. This
has been a taboo subject for so long, but
ifs out there. Some kids are so depressed
they don't even go to school for months at a
time. We need to find a way to make it more
approachable:'
Kroll said Kadima is considering holding
support groups in more "user-friendly" loca-
tions such as schools because many families
are reluctant to seek help because of the
stigma.

Expert Advice

Following Szabo's talk, former WXYZ-TV
newscaster Cheryl Chodun moderated a
panel of professionals from various areas
of the mental health field. Panel members
agreed that anyone experiencing symptoms
of mental illness should first undergo a
physical exam to rule out or identify under-
lying medical issues, such as thyroid or
other metabolic disorders.
Melissa Oleshansky, a clinical psycholo-
gist and certified Hatha yoga teacher, spoke
about the benefits of therapy, including
cognitive restructuring and mindfulness
training.
"Sometimes it's important for teens to
have an objective person to talk to, some-
one who is not a parent:' she said.
Psychiatrist Dr. Seema Kumar of West
Bloomfield said medication can be helpful,
but it is important to get the right diagnosis
before developing a treatment plan.
"Certain mental health disorders are often
mistaken for ADHD or anxiety:' Kumar said,
adding that appropriate medication can
help teens focus and make better use of the

The Dark Secret on page 10

No charge, call (248) 592-2313 for reserva-
tions or information

West Bloomfield Youth Assistance
(248) 592-1278
www.wbyouthassistance.org

Greater West Bloomfield Community
Coalition
www.gwbcoalition.org
Contact: Lisa Berkey
lberkey@gwbcoalition.org
(248) 928-4942

Tri-Community Coalition, serving
Berkley, Huntington Woods and Oak Park
(248) 837-8008
www.tricommunitycoalition.org

