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Transcriber: Chloe Liu
Reviewer: Ivana Korom
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When I was a kid,
my mom and I made this deal:
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I was allowed to take three
mental health rest days every semester
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as long as I continued
to do well in school.
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This was because I started
my mental health journey
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when I was only six years old.
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I was always what my grade-school teachers
would call "a worrier,"
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but later on we found out
that I have trauma-induced anxiety
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and clinical depression.
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This made growing up pretty hard.
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I was worried about a lot of things
that other kids weren't,
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and school got really
overwhelming sometimes.
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This resulted in a lot of breakdowns,
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panic attacks --
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sometimes I was super productive,
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and other days
I couldn't get anything done.
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This was all happening during a time
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when mental health
wasn't being talked about
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as much as it is now,
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especially youth mental health.
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Some semesters I used
all of those rest days to the fullest.
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Others, I didn't need any at all.
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But the fact that they
were always an option
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is what kept me a happy,
healthy and successful student.
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Now, I'm using those skills
that I learned as a kid
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to help other students
with mental health challenges.
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I'm here today to offer you some insight
into the world of teenage mental health:
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what's going on, how did we get here,
and what can we do?
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But first, you need to understand
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that while not everyone has
a diagnosed mental illness like I do,
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absolutely everyone --
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all of you have mental health.
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All of us have a brain
that needs to be cared for
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in similar ways that we care
for our physical well-being.
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Our head and our body are connected
by much more than just our neck after all.
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Mental illness even manifests itself
in some physical ways,
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such as nausea, headaches,
fatigue and shortness of breath.
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So since mental health affects all of us,
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shouldn't we be coming up with solutions
that are accessible to all of us?
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That brings me to my second
part of my story.
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When I was in high school,
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I had gotten pretty good
at imagining my mental health.
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I was a successful student,
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I was the president of the Oregon
Association of Students Councils.
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But it was around this time
tat I began to realize
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mental health was a much bigger problem
than just for me personally.
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Unfortunately, my hometown
was touched by multiple suicides
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during my first year in high school.
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I saw those tragedies
shake our entire community,
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and as the president of a statewide group,
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I began hearing more and more stories
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from students where this had
also happened in their town.
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In 2018, at our annual summer camp,
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we held a forum with about
100 high school students
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to discuss teenage mental health.
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What could we do?
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We approached this conversation
with an enormous amount of empathy
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and honesty
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and the results were astounding.
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What struck me the most
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was that every single one
of my peers had a story
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about a mental health
crisis in their school.
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No matter if there were
from a tiny town in eastern Oregon
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or the very heart of Portland.
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This was happening everywhere.
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We even did some research,
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and we found out that suicide
is the second leading cause of death
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for youth ages 10 to 24 in Oregon.
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The second leading cause.
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We knew we had to do something.
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So over the next few months,
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we made a committee called
Students for a Healthy Oregon,
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and we set out to end the stigma
against mental health.
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We also wanted to prioritize
mental health in schools.
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With the help of some lobbyists
and a few mental health professionals,
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we put forth House Bill 2191.
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This bill allows students to take
mental health days off from school
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the same way you would
a physical health day.
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Because oftentimes that day off
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is the difference between
feeling a whole lot better
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and a whole lot worse --
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kind of like those days my mom
gave me when I was younger.
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So over the next few months,
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we lobbied and researched
and campaigned for our bill.
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In June of 2019,
it was finally signed into law.
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(Applause and cheers)
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This was a groundbreaking moment
for Oregon students.
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Here is an example
of how this is playing out now.
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Let's say a student
is having a really hard month.
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They're overwhelmed, overworked,
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they're falling behind in school,
and they know they need help.
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Maybe they've never talked about
mental health with their parents before,
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but now they have a law on their side
to help initiate that conversation.
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The parent still needs to be the one
to call the school to excuse the absence,
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so it's not like
it's a free pass for the kids,
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but most importantly,
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now the school has that absence
recorded as a mental health day,
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so they can keep track
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of just how many students
take how many mental health days.
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If a student takes too many,
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they'll be referred
to the school counselor for a check-in.
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This is important because we can
catch students who are struggling
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before it's too late.
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One of the main things we heard
at that forum in 2018
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is that oftentimes stepping forward
and getting help is the hardest step.
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We're hoping that this law
can help with that.
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This not only will start teaching kids
young how to take care of themselves
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and practice self-care
and stress management,
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but it could also literally save lives.
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Now students from multiple other states
are also trying to pass these laws.
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I'm currently working students in both
California and Colorado to do the same,
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because we believe
that students everywhere
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deserve a chance to feel better.
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Aside from all the practical reasons
and technicalities,
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House Bill 2191 is really special
because of the core concept behind it;
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that physical and mental health are equal
and should be treated as such.
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In fact, they're connected.
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Take health care for example.
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Think about CPR.
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If you were put in a situation
where you had to administer CPR,
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would you know at least
a little bit of what to do?
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Think to yourself --
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Most likely yes,
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because CPR trainings are offered
in most schools, workplaces
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and even online.
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We even have songs that go with it.
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But, how about mental health care?
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I know I was trained in CPR
in my seventh grade health class.
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What if I was trained in seventh grade
how to manage my mental health
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or how to respond
to a mental health crisis?
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I'd love to see a world
where each of us has a toolkit of skills
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to help a friend, coworker,
family member or even a stranger
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going through a mental health crisis.
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And these resources should be
especially available in schools
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because that's where students
are struggling the most.
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The other concept that I sincerely hope
you take with you today
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is that it is always OK to not be OK,
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and it is always OK to take a break.
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It doesn't have to be a whole day;
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sometimes that's not realistic.
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But it can be a few moments here and there
to check in with yourself.
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Think of life like a long-distance race.
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If you sprint in the very beginning,
you're going to get burnt out.
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You may even hurt yourself
from pushing too hard.
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But if you pace yourself,
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if you take it slow,
sometimes intentionally,
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and you push yourself other times,
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you are sure to be way more successful.
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So please, look after each other,
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look after the kids
and teens in your life,
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especially the ones that look
like they have it all together.
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Mental health challenges
are not going away,
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but as a society,
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we can learn to manage
them by looking after one another.
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And look after yourself, too.
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As my mum would say,
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"Once in a while, take a break."
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Thank you.
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(Applause and cheers)
