Support systems can help teens struggling with mental health issues, suicidal thoughts

PLEASANT RIDGE, Ohio (WKRC) – A crisis team will be at Walnut Hills High School on Tuesday after an eighth-grader killed himself over the weekend. 

He’s the second student at Walnut Hills to do so in two years. A large crowd gathered at 1000 Hands Park to pray for the boy’s family and offer support for his classmates.

"Getting people and the community to talk more about mental health is a huge step in improving mental health in the community,” said Maya Sivakumaran.

Sivakumaran is a student at Walnut Hills High School. She’s also a member of the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention.

The YCSP is made up of students from around the Tri-State and works with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and other organizations to provide support and resources for teens struggling with mental health issues.

“The main focus is to start that conversation, to be there for others, to start talking about our own experiences with mental health and how we can use that to help other people going through those things,” said Sivakumaran.

Sarah Shirey is also a member of YCSP and was at the vigil. Shirey says she joined the council after seeing a friend deal with mental health issues.

“The first instinct when people are having mental health issues is to hide them,” said Shirey. “So a lot of times, people aren’t aware of what’s going on unless the student or anyone speaks up, and a lot of times, it comes out of nowhere, which is very hard on anyone who is involved in it, which is very tragic.”

Some in the crowd question what they could have done to prevent the tragedy. The circumstances around the boy’s are unknown.

Cincinnati Country Day student, Manav Midha, says he talks with his friends constantly about how things are going and how they’re feeling and wishes more students would do the same.

"Everyone needs to share their stories,” said Midha. "We need to understand that and really use that fact to build connections with people so we can help each other."

There’s a prayer service for the eighth-grader set for Tuesday night at 7:30 at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church. The visitation will be on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by the funeral until 1 p.m. at Crossroads in Oakley.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24/7. You can call 1-800-273-8255 or chat online.

More Funding for Mental Health Services Proposed

SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois advocacy group is pushing legislation it says would bring $50 million in new money to state mental health services over the next four years.

According to the Illinois Coalition for Better Mental Health Care, more than 2.5 million Illinoisans have a mental health condition.

But the state ranks only 38th in the nation for mental health investment, and 82 of its 102 counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas by the federal government.

Two lawmakers, state Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, and state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, are sponsoring legislation — House Bill 2486 and Senate Bill 1673 — that would ramp up state mental health funding and change the funding structure to incentivize good results over flat service fees.

“Thousands of Illinois families … are victims of our mental health crisis,” Conroy, who heads the House Mental Health Committee, said Monday in a news release. “By creating a multiyear solution to reinvest and restructure our mental health programs with targeted, federally matched dollars, we can provide renewed hope to the millions affected.”

Most of the services targeted by the bills are Medicaid services, for which the federal government matches funding.

“The phase-in of rates that would enable growth of (mental health services) would happen slowly over a four-year period,” said Heather O’Donnell, who drafted the legislation and is vice president at Chicago-based mental health group Thresholds.

In year one, Illinois would provide $3.4 million of new funding, to be matched by the federal government. In year two, $5.7 million; in year three, $10.7 million; and in year four, $13 million.

After four years, O’Donnell said, the state would pay no more than $13 million in additional mental health funding in any given year, while the total new funding for state mental health services would reach more than $50 million with federal matching funds.

The state also would have to cover startup costs in years three and four, and bring additional funding to components of the bill that are not matched with federal funds.

So, although this federal matching would provide a much-needed funding boost, it is not clear where the new state money would come from.

“Preferably it would be new revenue,” O’Donnell said. “Some of it could come from the legalization of cannabis, but we are not specifying revenue sources (in the bills).”

Conroy agreed, saying “we’re all hoping for new revenue,” particularly from internet gambling and legalized marijuana.

“I know there is a commitment that some of the revenue from cannabis will go to mental health and addiction services, so that’s on the table,” Conroy said without discussing specifics. “And I do believe the commitment (to mental health and addiction) is there from the governor. He’s made it clear that’s a priority for him.”

Without specific funding plans, the bills more or less just lay groundwork for the new funding and changed payment methods.

Those changed payment methods deal with how mental health providers get money for the services they provide.

Currently, nearly all Medicaid contracts with mental health providers in Illinois are fee-for-service — the providers provide the service, and get reimbursed a specified fee.

The bills claim that this structure “allows for no innovation” in providing better services, because there is no reward for better outcomes and efficiency.

If passed, the bills would create a working group of providers, managed care organizations and state health workers, to figure out a set of metrics to “bring the regulatory structure in line with modern health care,” O’Donnell said.

These metrics would drive a new “pay-for-performance” structure, which providers could opt into each year, or opt out of after two years if they don’t like it.

Both bills await further assignments to committee.

5 Ways Bosses Can Reduce the Stigma of Mental Health in the Workplace

Experts tell us that one in four adults will struggle with a mental health issue during his or her lifetime. At work, those suffering — from clinical conditions or more minor ones — often hide it for fear that they may face discrimination from peers or even bosses. These stigmas can and must be overcome. But it takes more than policies set at the top. It also requires empathetic action from managers on the ground.

We count ourselves among those who have wrestled with mental health challenges. One morning a few years ago, in the midst of a successful year, Jen couldn’t get out of bed. As a driven professional, she had ignored all the warning signs that she was experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But her mentor, Diana, could see something was wrong, and when Jen couldn’t come to work, the gravity of the situation became even clearer. In the ensuing weeks, we worked together to get Jen the help she needed.

Diana understood Jen’s struggles because she had been there, too — not with PTSD but with anxiety. As the mother of adult triplets with autism and a busy job, she’d often had difficulty managing things in her own life.

Throughout both of our careers, we have moved across the spectrum of mental health from thriving to barely hanging on, and somewhere in between. What we’ve learned through our own experiences is how much managerial support matters.

When bosses understand mental health issues — and how to respond to them — it can make all the difference for an employee professionally and personally. This involves taking notice, offering a helping hand, and saying “I’m here, I have your back, you are not alone.”

That’s exactly what Jen said when a coworker told her that he was grappling with anxiety; it had gotten to the point where it was starting to impact his work and his relationships at home. He came to her because she’d been open about her own struggles. She listened to him, worked to understand what accommodations he needed, and told him about available resources, such as Employee Assistance Programs. Then she continued to check in to see he was getting support he needed and make it clear that she and others were there to help.

How do you learn or teach the people on your team to address colleagues’ or direct reports’ mental health issues in the same way? Here are five ways managers can help drive a more empathetic culture:

Pay attention to language. We all need to be aware of the words we use that can contribute to stigmatizing mental health issues: “Mr. OCD is at it again — organizing everything.” “She’s totally schizo today!” “He is being so bi-polar this week — one minute he’s up, the next he’s down.” We’ve heard comments like these, maybe even made them ourselves. But through the ears of a colleague who has a mental health challenge, they can sound like indictments. Would you open up about a disorder or tell your team leader you needed time to see a therapist after hearing these words?

Rethink “sick days.” If you have cancer, no one says, “Let’s just push through” or “Can you learn to deal with it?” They recognize that it’s an illness and you’ll need to take time off to treat it. If you have the flu, your manager will tell you to go home and rest. But few people in business would react to emotional outbursts or other signs of stress, anxiety, or manic behavior in the same way. We need to get more comfortable with the idea of suggesting and requesting days to focus on improving mental as well as physical health.

Encourage open and honest conversations. It’s important to create safe spaces for people to  talk about their own challenges, past and present, without fear of being called “unstable” or passed up for the next big project or promotion. Employees shouldn’t fear that they will be judged or excluded if they open up in this way. Leaders can set the tone for this by sharing their own experiences, as we’ve done, or stories of other people who have struggled with mental health issues, gotten help and resumed successful careers.  They should also explicitly encourage everyone to speak up when feeling overwhelmed or in need.

Be proactive. Not all stress is bad, and people in high-pressure careers often grow accustomed to it or develop coping mechanisms.  However, prolonged unmanageable stress can contribute to worsening symptoms of mental illness. How can managers ensure their employees are finding the right balance? By offering access to programs, resources, and education on stress management and resilience-building. In our marketplace survey on employee burnout, nearly 70 percent of respondents said that their employers were not doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout. Bosses need to do a better job of  helping their employees connect to resources before stress leads to more serious problems.

Train people to notice and respond. Most offices keep a medical kit around in case someone needs a bandage or an aspirin. We’ve also begun to train our people in Mental Health First Aid, a national program proven to increase people’s ability to recognize the signs of someone who may be struggling with a mental health challenge and connect them to support resources. Through role plays and other activities, they offer guidance in how to listen non-judgmentally, offer reassurance, and assess the risk of suicide or self-harm when, for example, a colleague is suffering a panic attack or reacting to a traumatic event. These can be difficult, emotionally charged conversations, and they can come at unexpected times, so it’s important to be ready for them.

When your people are struggling, you want them to be able to open up and ask for help. These five strategies can help any boss or organization create a culture that ceases to stigmatize mental illness.