Writer Biography

Katie White was raised in Fontana, California and moved to Duchesne, Utah during high school. She is studying Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast. She hopes to take these skills into the field of documentary film. Her goal is to cover important topics that often go unheard. White is passionate about storytelling, and she wants to help people to tell their own inspiring stories. Outside of school, White is a full-time manager at a craft store and enjoys exploring painting, woodworking, and paper crafting. She is also passionate about mental wellness. White is trained and certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Talk Saves Lives.

This essay was first published in the 2018 edition of Voices and uses MLA documentation.

SEPTEMBER 2013. MY ARM HURTS. The pain is worse when I look at it, so I stare ahead at the carpet.

“Katie, is this okay? Not too tight?” The high school counselor is wrapping gauze around the diagonal cut directly in the middle of my left forearm. I shake my head; it’s not too tight. Tie principal has been standing in the doorway then finally realizes he ought to shut the door.

He sets the tone for our meeting, “That’ll have to be stitched. I called your mom, and she’s on her way here. “ The counselor gently asks me questions as the principal, a man in his 60s, continues to stare at me as if I’m in here for unruly behavior.

The counselor asks his last question, “Why are you doing this?” He motions to the other pink scars resulting from what my therapist calls non-suicidal self-injury. I don’t know exactly why. I just know how I feel. I don’t believe these men will understand. They don’t know how a panic attack feels like being knocked down by a wave when you’re out playing in the ocean. It slams into you like a concrete mattress that conforms to your body. Tie oxygen in your lungs is expelled all at once to make room for the water flooding in through your nose. Tour body rolls, involuntarily, like a wave, head tucking, shoulders following. Crunching into your front-flip, your abdomen is tight, and your knees pull in toward your chest. Tour mind is a flurry of adrenaline, as you are sure you are going to drown. Just in time, the ocean spits you onto the shore, and you cough up salty-fish water. You’re unsure if you can move, let alone walk. Tour body is a sandbag of weight. Everything hurts like you haven’t known you could hurt.

The principal, the counselor, they don’t understand how, when I cut, the pain, the guilt, the anger, thy all stop at least for a little hit, I wasn’t always this way. Here, in Duchesne, they don’t understand that either. They didn’t know me before the depression and cutting.

Waiting for an answer, both men stare at me. “7 don’t know. I was just mad. I did something stupid last night, and I was mad at myself, I guess. “

I moved to Duchesne, Utah in October 2012, just a few months before my 17th birthday. Even though I felt isolated in an unfamiliar town, I was not alone in my struggles. When I got tired of wearing cardigans and long-sleeved shirts every day, my peers began to ask about my scars. I told them the truth. The truth broke down the stigma, and many divulged that they, too, had felt depressed or anxious at one time. Some, like me, had used self-injury as a method of coping or had experienced suicidal thoughts. Within 18 months of each other, two beautiful girls in our school district completed suicide, devastating the community.

The youth mental health crisis reaches beyond the rural fields of Duchesne. In the U.S, one in five youth suffer from a mental health disorder, including social, emotional, and behavioral conditions (Malti and Noam 14). Nationally, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth, ages ten to 14, and the second leading cause of death for youth, ages 15 to 24. “Half of all mental illness begins by age 14 Despite effective treatment, there are long delays sometimes decades between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help” (“Mental Health”). It’s estimated that nearly 80% of children who need mental health services will not receive them (Anderson and Cardoza). “Mental health an essential part of children’s overall health has a complex interactive relationship with their physical health and their ability to succeed in school” (“Children’s Mental Health”). Without support and treatment, youth are at greater risk for school failure (Malti and Noam 14). Some have estimated that half of the students with a mental illness will drop out of high school because of the anxiety they suffer as well as their social challenges and difficulty focusing (Gold). Even those enrolled in special education drop out at a rate of 37%, “the highest dropout rate of any disability group” (“Mental Health”).

How do we respond to the youth mental health crisis? Students often spend more time at school than they do at home. By changing the school climate, we can better support and improve student health. This can be accomplished in several ways: by increasing the amount of mental health services offered at schools; by teaching students skills that will help them to develop resilience; by creating strong networks of social supports that include peers, teachers, parents, and community members; and by restructuring curricula to emphasize academic engagement over standardized testing, including the use of pull-in services rather than pull-out services to destigmatize special education and improve the students’ quality of education.

Students benefit from learning skills that will help them become more resilient adults. “Resilience” is “the ability of an individual to develop and succeed despite adversity” (Noam and Malti 33). Research shows common protective factors and traits among people who have overcome “higher trauma load or chronic severe adversity” (Horn et al. 120). The most important protective factors reported are consistent parenting and positive bonds with caregivers, strong social supports, and a shared sense of values (Horn et al. 120). Common traits seen in these resilient individuals include self-discipline, emotional regulation capacity, appropriate use of humor, altruism, and the ability to harness social supports (Horn et al. 122). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has also identified key protective factors that make individuals more resilient to behavioral health problems, such as positive self-image, self-control, and social competence (“Prevention of Substance Abuse”). Developing resilience to adversity reduces the risk that students might use “morbid form[s] of self-help,” such as non-suicidal self-injury, aggression toward others (such as bullying), use of alcohol or drugs, and food restriction or self-induced purging to cope with traumas and stressors (Peterson et al. 21).

To foster resiliency in students, schools need to implement more collaboration with programs that place a heavy focus on developing- resiliency in youth. Programs such as RALLY (Responsive Advocacy for Life and Learning in Youth) work with kids by focusing on their various levels of development. RALLY uses early identification to determine each child’s strengths and weaknesses so they can help them develop the resiliency skills they lack. RALLY focuses on “the child’s inherent ability to move forward” rather than viewing them through “the lens of problems” (Noam and Malti 37; Malti and Noam 20). Another model, The Resilient Classroom, uses PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) to encourage the development of resilience. By taking the approach of establishing resiliency at a young age , we prepare children to adapt to their circumstances when they face adversity. Addressing the fundamental human need to connect with others supports the mental health of developing children and increases their academic potential.

Tina Malti explains, “A healthy child is much more likely to be academically successful, and an academically successful child is more likely to be mentally healthy” (16). Feelings of accomplishment and success are vital to mental health. Schools could work with students to ensure that their intellectual needs are being met. Many schools try to meet the special needs of students by using pull-out services or placing them in a special education program (Noam and Malti 42). Pull-out services often compete with instructional time and further the stigma surrounding mental health and special education needs (Atkins et ah; Noam and Malti 43). Some schools now use pull-in services instead. The Resilient Classroom believes that mental health support systems do not need to fall outside of the classroom (Doll et al. 137). They “emphasize natural supports like teachers, friends and families as the principle source of socioemotional support for students” (Doll et al. 137). Social supports are one of the key protective factors that aid in resiliency. For example, after the second Lebanese war, a school intervention invited “children to share and seek support from peers; participating children demonstrated a decrease in PTSD symptoms and greater adaptive functioning” (Horn et al. 124). The SEYLE (Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe) intervention study showed that teaching students about mental health and suicide prevention also cultivated peer understanding and support (Wasserman et al. 1). De-stigmatizing mental health problems and creating peer support helps students feel more comfortable reaching out for help when they are in need (Wasserman et al. 2). RALLY brings a network of services to schools so that students who would usually be pulled-out can “remain in their regular environments and achieve success” (Noam and Malti 43). When students are connected to each other, they are better able to work together and learn from each other.

Pull-in services contribute to the positive environment of academic engagement. Education reform has put intense emphasis on report cards, standardized state testing, and unrealistic goals for academic gains for so long that “students were coached to pass tests rather than taught a rich curriculum to prepare them for life in the 21st century” (Bentsen 2). Instead of focusing- on standardized testing, schools should be focused on engaged learning. The Resilient Classroom model emphasizes academic engagement as an indicator of success in school (Doll et al. 137). This focus in school teaches students the skills needed to be effective learners, thus preparing them to be more successful adults.

With every proposal comes the question of funding however, we must consider what mental health problems are currently costing us. Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide and largely contributes to the overall global burden of disease (“Depression”). Speaking specifically about the United States, 18.5% of adults experience any mental illness in a given year (“Mental Health”). 46% of homeless adults staying in shelters “live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders” (“Mental Health”). A special report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that more than half of all prison and jail inmates have a mental health condition James and Glaze 1); 70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have a mental health disorder (“Mental Health”). Mood disorders are now the third most common cause of hospitalization for people ages 18-44 (“Mental Health”). Altogether, “serious mental illness costs America SI93.2 billion in lost earnings per year” (“Mental Health”). Taking preventive measures by developing a more resilient generation will cut costs and ensure a more hopeful future for our nation.

The government has poured money into education reform for two decades, reform that has seen little progress (Malti and Noam 17). We have the means to fund an integration of mental health and education in public schools; we just haven’t been putting that money toward effective programs and services. On the state level, many policy makers struggle to understand their state’s funding formula, making it “difficult for them to determine what changes are needed to encourage innovation” (Griffith 1). While each state has a different system, they do have many similarities, and once those similarities are understood, it becomes more comprehensible what a state’s formula is capable or incapable of doing (Griffith 2). Still, funding depends on what we prioritize. Once parents, schools, politicians, and other stakeholders care about mental health, change will happen (Wasserman et al. 10).

It wasn’t until I was 21-years-old that I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The trauma I experienced occurred when I was 13-years-old; my teachers were aware that a significant event had occurred, and they noticed changes in my behavior thereafter, changes that resulted in Cs instead of As on tests and a parent-teacher conference regarding defiant behavior in class. I know my teachers cared deeply for me. But, as Principal John Hurley explained in an interview with PBS News Hour, most teachers’ training in mental health is one chapter in a book that they cover in one day (Gold). Mental illness is complicated with all sorts of confounding factors. The one thing research has unequivocally shown is that early intervention can reduce severity of the condition.

Unfortunately, I did not receive early intervention. But I fought hard to overcome my depression and anxiety. In my experience, recovery is not perpetual. It is a constant effort, involving ups and downs and small steps forward that eventually take you the distance. RALLY explains, “[T]he ability to develop and succeed despite adversity…is not stable, but rather continuously changes and develops in interaction with an individual’s social context” (Noam and Malti 34). For the first time, I am receiving treatment for symptoms of post-traumatic stress thanks to Utah State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Though I have had periods of stability and healing in the past, for the first time in five years, I can see a real and attainable future for myself. My family relationships are healing; I am gathering new social supports; I am successful in my full-time job as a manager; and I am loving every moment I spend on campus, learning and engaging.

I can tell you how a good day feels like being in the ocean in the hot summertime with your friends; how the sun warms your whole soul while the water cools your skin; how the water takes the weight from your body and cradles you. You are present here and now. You and your friends all hold hands in a chain, facing the tides as they roll in and time the perfect jump, so you can roll with the wave. You smile until your face hurts from laughing. And if a wave does knock you under, you still have your friend’s hand in yours to pull you up.

As adults, we know pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional (Mager). Addressing mental health problems eases the burden on both individuals and society. Research has shown us how to combat the youth mental health crisis: through increased mental health services in schools, development of resilience, strong systems of social support, and increased focus on academic engagement. These improvements will yield positive change. By implementing them in schools, we have hope for a more resilient generation and a brighter future for our nation.

Works Cited

Anderson, Meg, and Kavitha Cardoza. “Mental Health in Schools: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Millions Of Students.” NPR, NPR, 31 Aug. 2016, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/31/464727159/ mental-health-in-schools-a-hidden-crisis-affecting-millions-of- students.

Atkins, Marc S. , et al. “Toward the Integration of Education and Mental Health in Schools.” Administration and Policy in Mental Health 37.1-2 (2010): 40 47. PMC. Web.

Bentsen, Lloyd. “Four Failed Federal Education Reforms.” National Center for Policy Analysis, National Center for Policy Analysis, 25 Jan. 2016, www.ncpa.org/pub/four-failed-federal-education-reforms.

“Children’s Mental Health.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2017, www.apa.org/pi/families/ children-mental-health. aspx.

Doll, Beth, et al. “Integrating the Resilient Classroom with Existing School Mental Health Services.” Resilient Classrooms, Second Edition: Creating Healthy Environments for Learning, Gilford Publications, 2014, pp. 135 142. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral-proquest-com.dist.lib. usu.edu/lib/usu/reader. action?docID= 1596090.

“Depression.” WHO, World Health Organization, Feb. 2017, www.who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/.

Gold, Jenny. “One out of Five Children Have Mental Illness, and Schools Often Don’t Help.” PBS, NewsHour Productions PEG, 13 Sept. 2016, www.pbs.org/newshour/health/one-five-children-mental- illness-schools-often-dont-help.

Griffith, Michael. “Understanding State School Funding.” The Progress of Education Reform, vol. 13, no. 3, June 2012, pp. 1 6, www.ecs.org/ clearinghouse/01/02/86/10286.pdf.

Horn, Sarah R. , et al. “Understanding Resilience: New Approaches for Preventing and Treating PTSD.” Experimented Neurology, vol. 284, Oct2016 Part B, pp. 119-132. EBSCO/wt, doi: 10.1016/j. expneurol.2016.07.002.

James, DorisJ, and Fauren E. Glaze. “Mental Health Problems of Prison andjail Inmates.” Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Office of justice Programs, 6 Sept. 2006, www.bjs.gov/index. cfm?iid=789&ty=pbdetail.

Mager, Dan. “Pain Is Inevitable; Suffering Is Optional.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 13Jan. 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ some-assembly-required/201401 / pain-is-inevitable-suffering-is- optional.

Malti, Tina, and Gil G. Noam. “The Hidden Crisis in Mental Health and Education: The Gap between Student Needs and Existing Supports.” New Directions for Youth Development, vol. 2008, no. 120, Winter2008, pp. 13-29. EBSCOW

“Mental Health by the Numbers.” N.l.MI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, 2017, www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the- Numbers.

Noam, Gil G, and Tina Malti. “Responding to the Crisis: RALLY’S Developmental and Relational Approach.” New Directions for Youth Development, vol. 2008, no. 120, Winter 2008, pp. 31-55. EBSCO/zot/ dist.lib.usu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=36354349&site=eho st-live.

Peterson, John, et al. “Nonsuicidal Self Injury in Adolescents.” Psychiatry (Edgmont) 5.11 (2008): 20 26. Print.

Wasserman, Camilla, et al. “Suicide Prevention for Youth – a Mental Health Awareness Program: Lessons Learned from the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) Intervention Study.” BMC Public Health, vol. 12, no. 1, Apr. 2012, pp. 1-11. EBSCO/zot/ doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-776.

“Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness.” SAMHSA, SAMHSA, 20 Sept. 2017, www.samhsa.gov/prevention.

Works Consulted

Gionfriddo, Paul. “Let’s Take A More Comprehensive Approach To Mental Health Systems Reform In 2015 Beginning With Children.” Health Affairs Blog, Project HOPE, 6 May 2015, DOI: 10.13 7 7/hblog20150506.045404.

Micali, Nadia, et al. “Adolescent Eating Disorders Predict Psychiatric, High-Risk Behaviors and Weight Outcomes in Young Adulthood.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 54.8 (2015): 652 659.el. PMC. Web. 18 Nov. 2017.

“Research on the Relationship between Mental Health and Academic Achievement.” NASP, National Association of School Psychologists, 2012, www.nasponline.org/research-and-policy/nasp-research- center/research-summaries.

Saxe, Glenn N. , et al. “Innovations in Practice: Preliminary Evidence for Effective Family Engagement in Treatment for Child Traumatic Stress-Trauma Systems Therapy Approach to Preventing- Dropout.” Child & Adolescent Mental Health, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2012, pp. 58-61. EBSCO/zorf, doi: 10.1111 /j. 1475-3588.2011,00626.x.