Taking a look at statistics on mental illness in adolescence is a startling eye-opener: 12 percent of children under age 18 have a diagnosable mental illness but only one-fifth of those are in treatment. The median age for the onset of anxiety and impulse-control disorders is 11 years old. One in 100 adolescents ages 15 to 19 are diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia and 30 percent of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder go on to develop early-onset bipolar disorder (manic-depression). Fifty percent of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder reported their conditions started before age 15.
The peak onset of major depression is at age 15. Fifty percent of adolescents with major depression also have an anxiety disorder that existed before the onset of depression, and 90 percent of adolescents who commit suicide have a diagnosis of mood disorder and alcohol/substance abuse (a way of self-medicating). Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among adolescents ages 15 to 19.
The good news, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which compiled the statistics above, is that the consequences of mental illness are highly treatable when recognized. The earlier detection and treatment takes place, the better chance for recovery. The closest observers of children are their parents and teachers so making sure they’re working together is vital.
NAMI representatives from California last month came to Kingston Junior High with their “Parents and Teachers as Allies: Recognizing Early-onset Mental Illness in Children and Adolescents” program and conducted training sessions on not only identifying early warning signs but also how to deal with family response and how schools can best communicate with families about mental health-related concerns.
“My goal,” said NAMI facilitator Donna Pollard, “is to get this information to teachers. You can’t know what no one’s told you … Our job as educators is just to understand it as much as we can and listen to what parents are saying.”
Donna Wallis, the other NAMI facilitator and also the mother of a mentally ill child, said “We have to work together between schools and families without that wall going up.”
In the last year, three students in North End schools died of suicide as ruled by the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office. It’s a red flag for everyone to take a closer look at how students are handling adolescence, a time when mental illness can first surface.
Suicidal thoughts are part of mental disorders for many teens, according to NAMI, and it’s important that parents and teachers keep a trained, vigilant eye on the moods and emotions of students for signs of mental illness.
NAMI’s program trains educators not just on the facts and signs of mental illness, but brings in the personal experiences of families and individuals to make it more real.
The North Kitsap Education Foundation set up the training with NAMI. Last spring, after two 15-year-old KJH students died, then-principal Ed Serra asked the foundation to meet with Eric and Shari Kvistad whose son Zachary was one of those lost due to the tragedy of mental illness. The Kvistad’s wanted to use memorial funds to raise awareness about mental illness in adolescents and children, according to NKEF vice-president Ken Shawcroft who found the NAMI training group and thought it was a good way to carry out those wishes.
Eric Kvistad attended the workshop to give teachers insight into his experience as father of Zachary who had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette’s Syndrome at age 11.
Eric explained how treatment for mental illness, including medications and therapy, works.
“It’s a relationship that takes months to build that trust – to know for sure (your child) has mental illness,” he said. “If the child is in treatment, it takes years and years to get that sorted out. The other problem is that when they’re teenagers you ask, ‘Is it the illness or is it just them being a kid turning into an adult?’
“We couldn’t just snap our fingers and make it better. With mental illness, it’s not always apparent what’s going on but you get an intuitive sense about it.”
Eric also emphasized to teachers how important it is to be patient with children diagnosed with mental illness and their parents. “If you have one in class, work with the parents but realize the parents may be a little hostile and frustrated because often parents don’t have an outlet and teachers are a convenient target … it’s really hard to hear that your pride and joy has a problem and you can’t do anything to fix it.”
Leatha and John Goar experienced the same rollercoaster of emotions after their daughter Alison, a senior at North Kitsap High School, was diagnosed with bipolar and manic-depression disorders. Leatha spoke to the NAMI training group, which included John who teaches there. She said recognizing mental illness in her daughter was a challenge and very intuitive. Alison also went through the “medication maze,” and side effects from the drugs may have contributed to a suicide attempt.
Leatha said Alison is prospering now and hopes to be a teacher. “The key is her own desire to be well … and to have compassion for herself.”
Leatha encouraged teachers to be aware of mental illness and reach out to parents if they have concerns about a student, “having the courage to go to a parent and say, ‘I’m seeing something that’s not quite right.’ ”
Mental Health Resources
School counselors
The first step in identifying mental illness in children may be through talking to teachers and school counselors. Contact Kingston Junior High Counselors at (360) 394-4917. Contact the North Kitsap High School Counseling Office at (360) 779-5044 for referrals to the school psychologist, counselors, the Behavior Intervention Services Program. Call Spectrum Community School to speak with counselors at (360) 394-2860.
LIV: Life is Valuable
This North Kitsap Youth Suicide Awareness Task Force has a local 24-hour Crisis Line (360) 479-3033 or toll free (800) 273-TALK
The focus of LIV is on awareness and prevention to create healthy families, linking local schools in developing suicide awareness amongst students and collaborating with community agencies.
Youth Suicide
Prevention Program
For immediate help: (800) 273-TALK. Besides providing crisis assistance, Seattle-based YSPP assists communities in creating Suicide Prevention Action Plans and promotes cooperation between mental and physical health resources and families, advocating for early identification of children’s mental health issues and encouraging families to seek help rather than avoid it. For information from YSPP on awareness, warning signs, training and resources, go to www.yspp.org, e-mail info@yspp.lorg or call (206) 297-5922.
Kitsap Mental Health
A clinic to serve North Kitsap residents recently opened in Poulsbo providing intake, assessment, brief and longer-term treatment and limited medical services. Kitsap Mental Health offers care to children, adults and their families. The new clinic is located in the Community Recreation Center at 19540 Front Street in Poulsbo, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the clinic at (360) 405-4010. Call the Bremerton office at (36) 429-4994.
National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI is the largest organization in the U.S. dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with mental illness through family education programs, workshops, support groups, a child action center for caregivers and professionals, and networking with many other mental health organizations. Go to www.nami.org or call the HelpLine to find local resources at (800) 950-6264. The NAMI booklet “Parents and Teachers as Allies: Recognizing Early-onset Mental Illness in Children and Adolescents” is available for $1 from Parents and Teachers as Allies, NAMI store, Colonial Place Three, 2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201-3042.
Mindzone, a mental health Web site designed for teens is a resource that provides information on facts related to mental illnesses in an accessible format, located at www.copecaredeal.org.
