Bill to back bullied kids battling PTSD
Advocates pan commission for mental health progress
Two Merrimack Valley advocates are joining forces to file a bill they say could help those facing mental health and post-traumatic stress disorders — especially kids who have been bullied.
Dracut state Rep. Colleen Garry, a Democrat, plans to file her bill titled, “An Act establishing a Commission on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” on Friday.
John MacDonald, who ran unsuccessfully last year for state Senate, worked with Garry on the bill — which would bring together numerous experts to address mental health and find effective treatments for PTSD, he said.
MacDonald said he wants to help veterans, first responders and children like Anna Aslanian, who at 16 years old took her own life in October after relentless bullying.
After the bullying inside and outside school, MacDonald said he believes Anna suffered through a form of PTSD. She felt worthless by the end and made the decision to take her own life, he added. In a letter Anna left behind, she wrote about bringing awareness to mental health.
MacDonald’s daughter was close friends with Anna.
“Listening to my daughter and what the Aslanian family is going through, you can’t sit back and do nothing,” MacDonald said. “This has got to stop.”
It’s not a school bullying bill, like others have proposed. However, MacDonald said he hopes this legislation could improve the public’s awareness of PTSD so others can recognize when there’s a serious problem.
“We want parents to see the signs within their kids,” he said. “We want them to be able to step in and prevent this from happening.”
Under the proposed bill, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services would establish a PTSD commission. MacDonald said this bill would not cost taxpayers a dime. It would consist of about 20 experts, including from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University PTSD Research Laboratory, Massachusetts Veterans’ Affairs, Department of Children and Families, New England Police Benevolent Association, and Jane Doe Inc.
Itea Aslanian, Anna’s mother, said she’s on board with MacDonald’s efforts and wants to work with him on this moving forward.
She pointed to Anna’s anxiety and how her self-esteem was crushed by the bullies.
“It follows you and affects your self-confidence,” Itea said. “I think it’s so important we address that.”
This commission would also be designed to help refugees. MacDonald pointed to Lowell’s Cambodian population, with many members dealing with PTSD from the Khmer Rouge.