ACMH Statewide Youth Advisory Committee Stop the Stigma Video & Informational Materials

ACMH is thrilled to share this “Stop the Stigma Video” created by the ACMH Statewide Youth Advisory Council! Push play to view the video today.

Stop the Stigma Flyer

Stop the Stigma Overview

Stop the Stigma Resource Handout

This Toolkit was created by the ACMH Statewide Youth Advisory Committee that started in 2016.  Our committee is a group of youth who have personal experience with mental health challenges.  We work together to raise awareness, fight stigma, educate state leaders and officials about the issues teens face today.  Of these issues, teen suicide is one of the most serious and devastating.  A lack of knowledge, understanding and support for young people who are struggling contributes to this grave problem.

School officials need to understand that students are struggling with issues that they aren’t aware of. Because of the overwhelming amount of stigma around mental health, most students disguise their challenges.  This makes many youth feel alone and helpless.  Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States—starting with children at age 10 all the way up to adults at age 33?  And about 19% of young people contemplate or attempt suicide each year. Four out of five young people that contemplate or attempt suicide exhibit clear warning signs.

These statistics are more than just numbers.  Suicide is happening right now.  The person next to you, or a person that is on the other side of the world could be experiencing suicidal thoughts. In December of 2016, a student in Michigan lost her life to suicide.  As a result of this tragic loss, memorial funds were donated to ACMH in hopes that our organization could help make a difference for teens that are struggling currently.  Our hope is that this Toolkit will be used to help school officials understand what teens may be experiencing. Please: Listen.  Reach out. Act.  You may help save a life.

For more information and resources, please access to our website at www.acmh-mi.org.

 

*stats from https://caps.umich.edu/content/mental-health-facts and lifespan.org