Youth Aware of Mental Health Reaches All High Schools in the County

Published: 2020
By Mary Anne Keyes

"I learned about drugs from my mom. There were some drugs she used that she would be okay with; still my mom. Other drugs made her crazy. She finally just left. That was six years ago. I think you all need to know that about me." -YAM participant to their classmates Park County ranks fourth highest for the rate of suicides within the state when adjusted per capita, according to ChildTrends data from 2007-2016. "There's a culture of stigma surrounding mental health here," said YAM facilitator and MSU Extension agent Mary Anne Keyes. "The YAM program breaks through the stigma. We talk about how physical and mental health are equally important for the whole body to be healthy." Through the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, 128 Park County freshman were able to have candid discussions with classmates about issues they face and to brainstorm solutions. YAM is a five-session program covering the basics of mental health and offering youth the opportunity to role play tough situations. Keyes noted "This class covers uncomfortable topics like drug use, parents fighting, depression, and relationship breakups. Participants think about the hypothetical situations before experiencing them. For example, it helps students to know that everyone feels uncomfortable and yucky when parents or guardians fight. We brainstorm positive things to do to feel better." The class focuses on the importance of self-care for mental health, what you can do to feel better, what depression is, and how to know when a friend needs help. Most importantly, community, state, and national resources are discussed and tried. "Students put the National Crisis Hotline and Text Line numbers into their cell phones," Keyes said. "Then at least one of them tests the numbers immediately. It helps to hear there is a real person at the end of the hotline and a real person on the text line. They know resources are a button away if they or a friend ever needs them."