State targets students’ mental health

Most parents wouldn’t think twice about taking their child to the doctor for a broken arm or a deep cut, but their reaction to signs of a different kind of wound — depression, anxiety or other mental illness — isn’t always as certain.

"Are we as quick to call the doctor and get professional insight on what’s going on?" Kim Rivera, a member of the parent organization Hawaii Families As Allies, said at a press event Friday.

Hawaii’s Health and Education departments are hoping to change that mindset. They’ve formed a partnership to distribute three brochures the Health Department recently had printed titled, "Does My Child Need Help?" "Does My Teen Need Help?" and "Teens Helping Teens Get Help."

The Department of Education will send the brochures home with students this week, and wants to get the word out so parents will look for them in their kids’ backpacks or ask their teens to see them.

The brochures, written by a panel of mental health professionals, have been designed to educate parents about the signs of mental health disorders and how to get professional help. Those involved hope distributing the brochures to parents and community organizations will lead to more early intervention for affected students.

"It’s easier to deal with problems at that level," said Joe Acklin, clinical psychologist for the Central Oahu School District.

Rivera knows what it’s like to have mental illness affect one of her children.

Her son started showing signs that something wasn’t right when he was in elementary school. He began acting out in middle school but wasn’t officially diagnosed with a mental illness until he reached high school.

"Looking back, I did recognize signs and behaviors. However, I didn’t know back then what I know now," she said.

Mental health issues can be a taboo topic for many people, but the Department of Health is hoping to use the brochures to open the line of communication between parents and professionals so the whole community can work together.

"It isn’t just the school that can take care of everything," said Kathleen O’Malley, principal of Aiea Elementary School. "When we can get to that partnership with the parents, it’s so much better for the kids."

Acklin said anxiety and depression are two conditions that often go undetected among young children.

Kids can exhibit a range of symptoms at home and in the classroom, from being quiet and reserved to acting out and behaving poorly. They might also lose interest in activities they normally enjoy, become irritable or isolate themselves.

One of the biggest red flags teachers and other adults working with students look for, O’Malley said, is whether a child has friends or tends to play alone.

Those troublesome behaviors can worsen over time when parents or guardians feel uncomfortable talking about mental health issues or think they can handle them on their own, Acklin said.

Rivera agrees: "Sometimes it’s beyond our scope of helping our own children."