2008 Woodie Awards
Organization works to prevent teen depression
By: Annie Hafner
Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: LifeStyle
- Page 1 of 1
When Larry and Marian McCord lost their 18-year-old son, Chad, to suicide in 2003, they vowed to change the way people view mental illness.
"Unfortunately, Chad left this world before fulfilling his dream to increase awareness and acceptance of mental illness," said Marian McCord, Chad's mother. "As Chad's parents, we have vowed to be Chad's voice."
Two years after Chad's death, Marian and Larry McCord, who live in south St. Louis County, now work to spread awareness of mental illness as the directors of Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide (CHADS).
The organization's goal is to educate others about the prevalence of teen depression and the effect it has on thousands of teens each year. The group takes an approach based on Chad's goal of one day telling others about his own depression.
After taking six months off school at Oakville Senior High School to focus on his treatment, Chad planned to speak out in the hope of eliminating the stigma attached to mental illness.
"He said, 'If I had cancer, students would rally around me and make posters and give me a hero's welcome when I came back to school,'" Marian McCord said. "'But since I have a mental illness, the students will shy away from me and not want to be around me.'"
To CHADS, the shame attached to a depressed person is one of the biggest problems in treating depression, Marian McCord said. People tend to view depression differently than medical diseases. She said depression is a disease and should be treated as such.
The members of CHADS feel the more awareness they can raise about the issue, the better assistance they can offer to those afflicted with the disease, Marian McCord said. The group feels if they can change perceptions about mental illness, then the disease will be treated with the same dignity as a medical illness.
Marian McCord raises awareness of adolescent suicide through meetings, presentations and forums for students and parents. She gave her first presentation at Oakville Senior High School, just one month after Chad's suicide.
In addition to education about mental illness, the group offers a support network through its Web site for parents, teachers, students and anyone at risk. The group also provides emotional support for families with mental health issues through personal visits and telephone calls.
According to the Do It Now Foundation, a group that provides statistics on depression and suicide, 27 percent of high school students seriously think about suicide. The same study also found that eight percent of teens actually try to kill themselves.
However, the Do It Now Foundation said depression is not limited to high school students. Ten percent of college students have serious suicide thoughts. The disease also impacts Webster University students and is a common ailment on campus, said members of the Peer Education Zeitgeist (PEZ). PEZ is an organization that encourages responsibility when making decisions about drugs, alcohol, sex and personal relationships.
The statistics of depression are higher for people between the ages of 16 to 25 than the rates for older adults for reasons that often go overlooked.
The most common, minor forms of depression are caused by bad eating habits, lack of sleep and lack of exercise, which are common among teens and college students, said Gladys Smith, assistant director for counseling and life development. Add those factors to a history of mental illness, or a predisposition to it, and the effects on the individual can be devastating.
"It affects young people first because it develops early," Smith said, adding some students have a history of depression or mental illness before they come to Webster.
Sophomore Susana Munoz, a bio technology major and PEZ peer educator, said many Webster students are depressed. However, the number of depressed students is difficult to know since many do not seek help and the names of those who do seek help are kept confidential.
"I've met quite a few people with symptoms of depression," Munoz said. "It's everywhere. It doesn't matter what country or school you come from."
While CHADS is a relatively new organization, group members are already making an impact in the St. Louis area. Recently, CHADS held a marathon to raise money for research and awareness programs for depression and suicide.
The CHADS Coalition for Mental Health Walk/Run, which was held Sept. 11 at Jefferson Barracks Park, raised $7,500, Marian McCord said.
An already established local walk/run event normally held in August was on the same day as the CHADS walk/run, which meant fewer people attended the CHADS event, Marian McCord said.
"It was a major hit to our event, but we still had 300 people attend," Marian McCord said. "We felt it was very successful."
Marian McCord said CHADS is going to conduct a study about depression and suicide regionally with the money raised at the walk/run.
"That money will go toward our tentative research study to evaluate suicide prevention plans currently in place," Marian McCord said. "We are looking at our first study to be a study to evaluate the various suicide prevention plans already in place in the Midwest."
The McCords operate CHADS through a Web site from their home. The group currently does not have a membership option, but people can volunteer to help with awareness programs at http://www.chadscoalition.org.
"Unfortunately, Chad left this world before fulfilling his dream to increase awareness and acceptance of mental illness," said Marian McCord, Chad's mother. "As Chad's parents, we have vowed to be Chad's voice."
Two years after Chad's death, Marian and Larry McCord, who live in south St. Louis County, now work to spread awareness of mental illness as the directors of Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide (CHADS).
The organization's goal is to educate others about the prevalence of teen depression and the effect it has on thousands of teens each year. The group takes an approach based on Chad's goal of one day telling others about his own depression.
After taking six months off school at Oakville Senior High School to focus on his treatment, Chad planned to speak out in the hope of eliminating the stigma attached to mental illness.
"He said, 'If I had cancer, students would rally around me and make posters and give me a hero's welcome when I came back to school,'" Marian McCord said. "'But since I have a mental illness, the students will shy away from me and not want to be around me.'"
To CHADS, the shame attached to a depressed person is one of the biggest problems in treating depression, Marian McCord said. People tend to view depression differently than medical diseases. She said depression is a disease and should be treated as such.
The members of CHADS feel the more awareness they can raise about the issue, the better assistance they can offer to those afflicted with the disease, Marian McCord said. The group feels if they can change perceptions about mental illness, then the disease will be treated with the same dignity as a medical illness.
Marian McCord raises awareness of adolescent suicide through meetings, presentations and forums for students and parents. She gave her first presentation at Oakville Senior High School, just one month after Chad's suicide.
In addition to education about mental illness, the group offers a support network through its Web site for parents, teachers, students and anyone at risk. The group also provides emotional support for families with mental health issues through personal visits and telephone calls.
According to the Do It Now Foundation, a group that provides statistics on depression and suicide, 27 percent of high school students seriously think about suicide. The same study also found that eight percent of teens actually try to kill themselves.
However, the Do It Now Foundation said depression is not limited to high school students. Ten percent of college students have serious suicide thoughts. The disease also impacts Webster University students and is a common ailment on campus, said members of the Peer Education Zeitgeist (PEZ). PEZ is an organization that encourages responsibility when making decisions about drugs, alcohol, sex and personal relationships.
The statistics of depression are higher for people between the ages of 16 to 25 than the rates for older adults for reasons that often go overlooked.
The most common, minor forms of depression are caused by bad eating habits, lack of sleep and lack of exercise, which are common among teens and college students, said Gladys Smith, assistant director for counseling and life development. Add those factors to a history of mental illness, or a predisposition to it, and the effects on the individual can be devastating.
"It affects young people first because it develops early," Smith said, adding some students have a history of depression or mental illness before they come to Webster.
Sophomore Susana Munoz, a bio technology major and PEZ peer educator, said many Webster students are depressed. However, the number of depressed students is difficult to know since many do not seek help and the names of those who do seek help are kept confidential.
"I've met quite a few people with symptoms of depression," Munoz said. "It's everywhere. It doesn't matter what country or school you come from."
While CHADS is a relatively new organization, group members are already making an impact in the St. Louis area. Recently, CHADS held a marathon to raise money for research and awareness programs for depression and suicide.
The CHADS Coalition for Mental Health Walk/Run, which was held Sept. 11 at Jefferson Barracks Park, raised $7,500, Marian McCord said.
An already established local walk/run event normally held in August was on the same day as the CHADS walk/run, which meant fewer people attended the CHADS event, Marian McCord said.
"It was a major hit to our event, but we still had 300 people attend," Marian McCord said. "We felt it was very successful."
Marian McCord said CHADS is going to conduct a study about depression and suicide regionally with the money raised at the walk/run.
"That money will go toward our tentative research study to evaluate suicide prevention plans currently in place," Marian McCord said. "We are looking at our first study to be a study to evaluate the various suicide prevention plans already in place in the Midwest."
The McCords operate CHADS through a Web site from their home. The group currently does not have a membership option, but people can volunteer to help with awareness programs at http://www.chadscoalition.org.