Teens and Mental Health

The ASCEND fellows met at the Ivy Youth & Family Center on Saturday, May 6th under the theme, “Mental Health of Teenagers”.

As a part of our overall health initiative, we encourage workshops and other avenues of support to acknowledge and educate the community about the very real and often ignored issue around stress, bullying, suicidal idealization, etc.

May is Mental Health Month. The ASCEND committee invited two speakers ---a social worker and a detective to share on the topic of mental health, but from different perspectives:

Speaker #1 – Ellen Livingston (Licensed Social Worker) spoke to the students about the signs of depression and what to look for in others as well as in yourself. She discussed stress and the manifestations of stress such as cutting. She also talked about suicide and the fact that people should reach out to others when they find themselves feeling down or in a position where they feel helpless.

Speaker #2 – Detective Antonio Hall spoke about the dangers of Human Trafficking. He warned students to only attend parties with a friend and to leave with that same friend. He told them not to talk to strangers and not to listen to any man who offers to give them money for expensive purses or to have their hair done, etc. He warned that sometimes students recruit other students and sometimes girls are snatched from the street. Teens should avoid walking alone.

The ASCEND Fellows asked pertinent questions and shared experiences regarding issues that they have had pertaining to stress, depression and overall emotional well being.