Youth mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression are common. Nicole German, founder of The Maddie Project, shares her experience and thoughtful advice to parents, family members, coaches, teachers, anyone who interacts with youth.  We need to step-it-up with awareness, empathy, and advocacy. “Anything we can do is goodness.” Doing little things and doing big things will make an impact, potentially saving a life.  Shine bright!
LINK TO PDF of SHOWNOTES: https://talkabouttalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SHOWNOTES-36-Talking-YOUTH-MENTAL-HEALTH-with-Nicole-German-founder-of-The-Maddie-Project.pdf
Contents

* SUMMARY: Talking Youth Mental Health
* References & Links
* Andrea’s Commentary
* Interview Transcript
* Conclusion

SUMMARY: 5 Points About Youth Mental Health

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Youth mental health concerns are common.

One in five kids or 20% of youth will struggle, but only 25% will get access to care for mental health care, and suicide in youth is the second leading cause of death. So as adults, in whatever capacity (parents, extended family, friends, coaches, teachers), we need to step up.

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Three things we can do: Awareness, Empathy, and Advocacy.

We need to watch for signals in our children (like isolation, or an obsession with social media, or dropping grades, or a loss of interest in things that they used to enjoy), – and then step in to help. That help means two things: being empathetic and advocating for the child, be it at school or through the mental health system. Don’t wait.  Just get on it.
 

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The significance of WHY.

Children should be able to voice mental health concerns without knowing why they’re happening.  Make sure that the kids around you know that they can tell you how they’re feeling without explaining WHY. As Nicole says, encourage kids to put their hand up for help.  Separately, we should be monitoring the youth around us and not jumping to conclusions for WHY they’re acting a certain way.  When a kid acts out or misbehaves at school, the WHY is probably not because they’re a bad kid.  The WHY could be stress or anxiety or depression.  So give the kid a break. 
 

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We should talk openly about mental health.

We all have mental health. It’s a spectrum.  We all have good days and we all have bad days.  And as Nicole says, mental health is like nutrition, we should wake up and think about it every day.  She encourages us to have an open dialogue about mental health at the dinner table with our kids and their friends, just making it an open conversation. Normalizing it so people aren’t ashamed of speaking about having an off day – or if they’re considering getting a therapist.  That should be celebrated, not something to be ashamed of.
 

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“Anything we can do is goodness”

Doing little things and doing big things will help and make an impact, potentially saving a life. If you’re interested in learning more about The Maddie Project and potentially making a donation to help in the quest to raise awareness for youth mental health, check out the website here.

REFERENCES & LINKS
Nicole German & The Maddie Project 

* The Maddie Project – http://www.themaddieproject.ca/
* Donation Page – https://my.charitableimpact.com/campaigns/the-maddie-project-0350d836-cf47-4735-...