Therapist finds keen attention with student group

They were listening so intently that there was near silence in the assembly the March morning when the Grade 11 students of Royal West Academy gathered for psychotherapist Jennifer Sidel to quiz them about mental health issues and clear up any misconceptions, to listen to two of their peers speak about how mental illness affected their lives and to get the chance to submit questions — anonymously — on the subject and have Sidel respond.

It’s part of the Mindstrong Young Minds initiative, started by the Jewish General Hospital’s foundation and auxiliary to bring mental health issues out of the shadows and highlight the importance of talking about them.

Some of what Sidel told them: 15 to 25 per cent of young people experience at least one mental health problem before age 19. Many suffer in silence.

75 per cent of mental health problems begin in adolescence — but most young people don’t get the help they need.

There is a gap between pediatric and adult services: Pediatric services terminate at 18 and 18 to 25 are difficult ages for people to access services.

Often people don’t know where to go for help and believe, wrongly, that no one can help them.

20 per cent of young people aged

15 to 24 have a problem with alcohol or drug use, including using them as negative coping mechanisms, to mask other problems.

Thoughts of giving up are more common than many people believe. “I dare one of you to tell me you haven’t had a strange or weird thought,” Sidel said. “When they become scary is when you need to get help.”

There’s a difference between stress and anxiety: “Stress is uncomfortable but manageable,” whereas anxiety, “the notion that something major is going to happen,” is a bigger concern. It can be triggered or come out of nowhere.

There is a huge difference between depression and sadness: Sadness goes away after a while; depression does not.

Issues faced by young people may include difficulty at school; self-harm behaviours such as burning or cutting, gender identity issues or perfectionism, in which no matter how well you do, you believe you can always do better.

“And that is a horrible way to feel,” Sidel said.

People don’t talk about these problems for a range of reasons, including embarrassment or a fear of being seen as weak. “I am biased — but if someone talks about what they are struggling with, to me it’s a sign of strength,” she said.