MHSAA in our schools (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Awareness) 
MHSAA is an online community created to influence a greater education and awareness of mental health and substance abuse, and to dissolve the negative stigma surrounding them; concentrated on providing a core collection of notable third-party resources and general information regarding mental health and substance abuse.

This petition's sole purpose to get mandated mental health and substance abuse awareness programs in our schools, and information/resources including but not limited to: counseling, therapy, support groups, treatment, and recovery.

Visit http://MHSAA.me for more information, or you can follow our journey to awareness via social media:

• Facebook.com/MHSAAofficial
• Twitter.com/MHSAAwareness
• Instagram.com/MHSAAwareness

Hashtag our cause, and help us spread the word! #MHSAA #MentalHealth #SubstanceAbuse #Awareness #Education #Petition #BallstonSpa #BallstonSpaSchoolDistrict #BSCSD #SOS #SaveOurStudents

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My name is Lindsey Novakovic. I'm a 25 year old native of Ballston Spa, NY, and I'm starting this campaign with a heavy heart. Another classmate of mine has passed away. Within the last 12 months alone, NOW FIVE of my graduating classmates died from overdose or suicide. F-I-V-E. That isn't a four people in the country, in the state, or in the town. That's FIVE PEOPLE MY AGE ONLY. And that is five too many.

In regards to substance abuse: In elementary school, we had D.A.R.E. In middle school and high school...we had nothing. 

In regards to mental health: we had health class. One single class that barely grazed the topic of mental illness in middle/high school (because there's so many other topics to cover!). 

THAT IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. Let me repeat: IT IS NOT ENOUGH.

We are not an impoverished town. We have a flourishing business community, close-knit relationships with one another, and many, many schools; but what we lack is the education on the struggles and vices that take the lives of so many people...right here at home.

 

Research has concluded that mental health issues typically start in adolescence. If left untreated, mental illnesses can evolve into many detrimental behaviors such as substance abuse, drop outs (school and college), and difficulty maintaining steady jobs and/or relationships. So many kids are left undiagnosed because the resources just aren't there; they don't know where to go, don't have health insurance, their health insurance doesn't cover treatment, they don't want their parents to know out of fear...The U.S. Surgeon General reported in 2014 that 10 percent of children and adolescents suffer from serious emotional and mental disorders that significantly affect their daily lives. 

In a 2014 article, the Huffington Post surmised, "Baltimore and Chicago have robust screening and treatment programs. Teachers in one South Florida school district screen children as young as kindergarten by filling out a short questionnaire, while students in Minnesota answer anonymous surveys about drug use and depression."

A study published by The General Archives of Psychiatry in 2012 looked at a representative sample of 10,123 teens, ages 13 to 18. The survey results were shocking; they revealed that 78 percent of U.S. teens had drank alcohol, and 47 percent of the group said they'd consumed 12 or more drinks in the past year. When it came to drug use, 81 percent of teens said they had the opportunity to use illicit substances, with 42.5 percent actually tried them.

In their study, the researchers said, "because the early onset of substance use is a significant predictor of substance use behavior and disorders in a lifespan, the public health implications of the current findings are far reaching."

The study also found that 15 percent of teens met the criteria for lifetime alcohol abuse, while 16 percent qualified as drug abusers. The age of which dependence started on average? 15. That's disturbing. 

If we can at least screen to assess and discover what kids need, we can provide them with resources of where to go from there for treatment. The Behavioral Health System in Baltimore is a prime example of what Ballston Spa needs--"the organization developed a system that has gained national recognition using a team of school officials and community mental health experts to target students most in need. The program has grown from four schools to more than 100 in the past 25 years. It helps nearly 7,000 children a year at all grade levels through prevention and early intervention treatments.

The team identifies children who may need help based on factors like whether they have a parent in prison or who struggles with substance abuse. Before children enter middle and high school, the team scans data for those struggling academically and behaviorally, including those with high truancy or suspension rates, and then offers individual counseling or family therapy based on the student's need."

 

I know what you're thinking: 1.) we don't have the funding, and 2.) we don't have the resources to treat the kids. 3.) how do we even begin? 

If these are your sad excuses, then please excuse me while I start a Kickstarter* to raise the funding you so need (though I feel our taxpayer dollars should go to something so helpful like this, but I digress!), spend hours of my OWN time collecting all magnitudes of resources for this cause, gather free counseling programs/devise free after school groups, and research/plan ways to screen children/young adults**.  There is NO EXCUSE that we should keep looking the other way any time someone we know and love overdoses or commits suicide, or even struggles with substance abuse or mental health issues. We should NEVER let it get that far.***

 

But it doesn't just stop at schools. You, as parents of these suffering children, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO, to be knowledgable and become aware of the signs of mental illness and substance abuse. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO, to know your child, to show compassion to these issues, and to provide guidance for them. Does depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder run in your family? Does alcoholism or substance abuse run in your family? 

We can't afford to turn a blind eye anymore. Unless you're okay with seeing more young children and adults, YOUR CHILDREN, FRIENDS, AND LOVED ONES, die from one of these issues.

I've made my decision, but now the choice is yours. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------*Kickstarter campaign start date unconfirmed.

**If you or anyone you know can provide a relevant service or resources, please email me at dear@mhsaa.me.

***If you are reading this and currently struggling with mental illness or substance abuse, and want to get help but don't know where to turn or start, visit our website at http://MHSAA.me for more information.

 

MHSAA is an online community created to influence a greater education and awareness of mental health and substance abuse, and to dissolve the negative stigma surrounding them; concentrated on providing a core collection of notable third-party resources and general information regarding mental health and substance abuse. Visit our website at http://MHSAA.me for more information.