| Upcoming Events |
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I AM H·E·R·E Coalition Meeting Tuesday, September 15 4:30-6:30 p.m. Remember new location: Center for Community Cooperation 2900 Live Oak St. Dallas, TX 75204 (Google map) Get more info |
| Featured Studies |
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Participants Needed for Pediatric Psychiatry Research Program at UT Southwestern and Children's Medical Center Currently recruiting for the Depressed Adolescents Treated with Exercise (DATE) Study, a collaborative 12-week study with The Cooper Institute to see if exercise is an effective non-medication treatment for depression. Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who are depressed and sedentary, are generally healthy and able to exercise are eligible. Read more or call (214) 648-4681. |
| Member Voices |
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"I think each meeting we continue to grow toward meeting our objectives. The goals and purpose of what we are doing become more significant every day." "I am really learning from each meeting and can't wait for the next meeting." "I have worked in the mental health community for a number of years. I am also presently and a past member of several local boards of directors and community groups. This was the most organized and productive workshop I have attended in the past 10 years." |
| Stay Connected | ||||||
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| Who Should Be H·E·R·E? |
| If you know someone who should be H·E·R·E, let us know, and we'll add them to our coalition mailing list. |
| Contact Us |
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Diana Weaver Executive Director I AM H·E·R·E Coalition DWeaver@GrantHalliburton.org Vanita Halliburton President Grant Halliburton Foundation Vanita@GrantHalliburton.org Amy Halliburton Director of Communications Grant Halliburton Foundation Amy@GrantHalliburton.org Priya Singhvi Resource Development Coordinator Grant Halliburton Foundation Priya@GrantHalliburton.org |
Message from the Executive Director
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| Diana Weaver Executive Director |
Summer has been a busy one for I AM H·E·R·E, and it is hard for all of us to believe that we are getting ready for our fourth meeting already. We continue to develop our Progression to Wellness model, and seeing the cumulative efforts of our teams over the past several meetings is truly inspiring. Our last meeting was an energetic and productive one and we thank all who attended for their great contributions. The online survey results were integrated into the models and discussion focused on underlying causes of why progression from one step to the next does not occur. Everyone was excited at our wrap up, as we could all see that identifying solutions is just around the corner. The groundwork we have laid will be vitally important as we move to the next steps.
I encourage all coalition members to visit our Facebook page for news and updates on activities. We also remind you to feel free to let us know of information or topics you'd like to see in this newsletter. Just e-mail me at DWeaver@GrantHalliburton.org. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day
September 10 will mark World Suicide Prevention Day, held each year on the same date as an initiative of the International Association of Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization to underscore the magnitude of suicide as the leading cause of death worldwide.
Begun in 2003, World Suicide Prevention Day is aimed at improving education about suicide, disseminating information, decreasing the stigmatization and most importantly, raising awareness that suicide is preventable.
This year's theme is "Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures" and provides an opportunity to remind people that suicide is influenced by cultural, religious, historical, philosophical and traditional factors, and these contexts should be taken into account when considering suicide prevention. Suicide needs to be understood in terms of its cultural background, and, to save lives, suicide prevention programs need to be tailored to different cultures.
According to the World Health Organization, every year, approximately one million people die by suicide—one death every two minutes. In addition, suicide deaths account for more than half of all violent deaths in the world—more than all deaths from wars and homicides combined.
See more on World Suicide Prevention Day by clicking here.
Myth vs. Fact—What Do People Really Remember?
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It turns out, according to two recent published reports, that people often confuse the myths with the facts when trying to remember what they read.
This has led to an advisory issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Suicide Prevention Council not to use the "Myth vs. Fact" format in any training, curriculum, materials or public service announcements.
In one study, researchers looked at health education campaigns designed to motivate people to get vaccinated against the flu. They found that after a delay of 30 minutes, participants who read a "Facts and Myths" flyer about the flu vaccine systemically misremembered myths as facts. They also were less likely to take the desired action of getting vaccinated as compared to those who read a "Facts Only" flyer or the control group who read no flyer.
"People show a bias to think that incompletely remembered information is true, turning 'myths' into 'facts,'" conclude the researchers. "Hence public information campaigns should emphasize information that is true. Repeating false information, even as a warning, can create the unintended consequence of belief in the information."
Schwarz et al also wrote about this phenomenon in the book "Advances in Experimental Social Psychology," Volume 39, published in 2007. "Public information campaigns that confront myths with facts, or warn people that a given claim is false, necessarily reiterate the information they want to discredit. This strategy is successful as long as people remember what is true and what is false. Unfortunately, memory for these details fades quickly."
For more information, check out the two studies:
"Metacognitive Experiences and the Intricacies of Setting People Straight: Implications for Debiasing and Public Information Campaigns." Schwarz et al.
"'Myths and Facts' about the flu: Health education campaigns can reduce vaccination intentions." Skurnik et al.
Teens Who Believe They Will Die Young More Likely to Engage in Risky Behavior
Conventional wisdom says teens engage in risky behavior because they feel invulnerable, but a new study released by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School shows that teens who believe they are more likely to die young are more likely to engage in risky behavior because they feel hopeless. |
The researchers analyzed data collected by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, based on a representative sample of more than 20,000 youth in grades 7 through 12 during three separate years. In the first study year, interviews conducted indicated nearly 15 percent of adolescents predicted they had a 50/50 chance of living to age 35. Those who engaged in risky behavior such as illicit drug use, suicide attempts, fighting or unsafe sexual activity in the first study year were more likely in subsequent years to believe they would die at a young age. Those interviewed in the first study year who felt they would die before 35 were also more likely to begin engaging in risky behaviors and have poorer health outcomes in subsequent years.
Researchers underscore that their findings reinforce the importance of instilling a sense of hope and optimism in youth. They also say the study findings support physician screening of adolescents for this perceived risk of early death.
The study was published in the July 2009 issue of Pediatrics.
Most Depressed Teens Don't Get Help They Need
Nearly one in 10 adolescents in the U.S. experienced a bout of major depression in the past year, yet only about 39 percent received treatment, says a government report released earlier this summer.
The report, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found that health insurance coverage was a major deciding factor in whether or not treatment was sought. They found that 42.9 percent of adolescents covered by Medicaid/CHIP sought treatment, and 40.6 percent of those covered by health insurance did, but only 17.2 percent of adolescents without insurance coverage received the treatment they needed.
The report also shows that less than half (46.8 percent) of adolescents who received treatment for depression in the past year used prescription medication for their condition.
"This report contributes to the growing realization that much more must be done to meet the enormous mental health needs of our young people," said SAMHSA's Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick. He cited this report as well as the enactment of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the landmark report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine as signals of the nation's commitment to alleviating the damage and suffering inflicted by untreated mental disorders on children, their families and their communities.
You Can Make A Difference!
It is important for all who are concerned about the well-being of our young people to become advocates. Here is how you can take action to help ensure that funding will be available for mental health services for our teens and young adults:Make Access to Mental Health Services a Key to Health Care Reform
Contact your Senators and Representatives and stress the importance of these factors in health care reform:
- Any new federal program to cover the uninsured must have mental health and substance abuse services as core benefits.
- The new Mental Health Parity Act, which takes effect for most plans in January 2010 and ensures parity for mental health and substance abuse services, must be carried forward. These conditions must not be subject to more restrictive limits than other medical conditions.
- New initiatives must improve communication between primary care and mental health and addiction services.
- Health care plans must increase access to mental illness and substance abuse prevention services, including screenings for children and adolescents and funding for community- and employee-based wellness programs.
| I AM H·E·R·E Participating Organizations | ||
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Brighter Tomorrows C.A.R.E., Park Cities YMCA Casa Shelter, The Salvation Army Central Dallas Ministries Child and Family Guidance Centers Children's Medical Center Communities Foundation of Texas Communities in Schools Dallas Region, Inc. CONTACT Crisis Line Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center Dallas County Juvenile Services Dallas Fire-Rescue Dallas Police Department Dallas Psychoanalytic Center Denton County Friends of the Family Dallas ISD Genesis Women's Shelter Girls Living Life on Purpose, Inc. Grant Halliburton Foundation Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Green Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital |
Hickory Trail Hospital Holmes Street Foundation Jason Foundation Jewish Family Service Kebb Smiles Foundation Kim Humphries & Associates Laurel Ridge Treatment Center Lewisville ISD LifeNet Community Behavioral Healthcare Lifeworks Counseling Mental Health America of Greater Dallas NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Dallas NAMI Dallas Value Options NAMI Texas O.M. Roberts Elementary School, Dallas ISD Our Friends' Place Parkland Hospital Victim Intervention Program and Rape Crisis Center Phoenix House - Feinberg Academy Plano ISD |
Practical Parent Education Providence of Texas Region 10 Education Service Center Renfrew Center Salesmanship Club Youth & Family Centers Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command Seay Behavorial Health Center Serenity High School Suicide and Crisis Center Taylor Hooton Foundation Terrell State Hospital Texas Counseling Association Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano Texas STAR/NORTHSTAR/THSteps The Family Place University Behavioral Health of Denton and Carrollton UT Southwestern Medical Center Value Options NORTHSTAR Vanguard Preparatory School West Counseling |
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800 E. Campbell Rd, Suite 290 · Richardson, Texas 75081 · 972.744.9798 · www.IAmHereCoalition.org I AM H·E·R·E is an initiative of the Grant Halliburton Foundation. |