Dr. Alec Miller spoke to students on March 26th at Ardsley High School’s 10th Annual Wellness Day and Fair. The theme was “Wellness Around the World” with a specific emphasis on stress reduction and mental health. In recognition of this exciting milestone, Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver for the New York Giants and founder of Project375, delivered the keynote address.
The students spent an hour with Brandon and Michi Marshall hearing their story which included how his undiagnosed mental illness finally led to diagnosis and treatment, how he benefited greatly from DBT and how it helped his marriage, football, and quality of life. The students had a chance to ask questions and share a bit about how this discussion impacted them.
Dr. Miller focused on some of the challenges our youth in the 21st century are facing (e.g., 1/5 have experienced depression 1/5 experience suicidal thoughts, 1/5 have engaged in self-harm behaviors, anxiety about state tests, social stressors and lack of support, less sleep, anxiety about school shootings and terrorism), and some DBT coping strategies that they can use at the moment to help themselves, as well as the do’s and dont’s about talking to friends who are struggling, and how to access help in their own school.
There are more available effective therapies (CBT and DBT) in schools and outpatient centers like CBC, there is less stigma than there used to be, in part due to celebrities being more open, and there is now a NY State law requiring mental health education in schools as of Fall 2018!