Depression:StartingConversations&EncouragingHelp-SeekingAscampuses,communitiesandfamilies,weknowthatthetransitionfromtheteenageyearstoadulthoodcanbeemotionallychallenging.Duringtheseyears,itcanbehardtodistinguishbetweenthetypicalupsanddownsof“growingup”andmoreconcerningconditionslikedepressionandanxietydisorders.Thesituationiscomplicatedbythefactthatsomeyoungpeople,especiallycollegestudents,maybereluctanttoadmitthatthey’restruggling.Thismeansthatallofus,especiallythefriendsandfamilymembersofteensandyoungadults,needtounderstandthewarningsignsofdepressionandtheimportanceofhelp-seeking.Since2006,TheJedFoundationandmtvU’sHalfofUscampaignhasbeenworkingtostartconversationsaroundsensitiveissueslikedepression,andtoencouragestudentstobeproactiveinhelpingthemselvesortheirfriends.Thecampaign’snamecomesfromresearchthatshows,duringanygivensemester,approximatelyhalfofallcollegestudentsaredealingwithstress,anxiety,ordepressionthatinterfereswiththeirabilitytogetthingsdoneormaintainhealthyrelationships.Recently,HalfofUspartneredwithMTVandRainnWilson’sSoulPancaketocreateaprimetimespecial,LifeContinued:DefeatingDepression,thatchroniclesthestoryoftwocollegestudentswhosoughthelptomanageandmovepastdebilitatingdepression.Afterthefilm’sairing,peoplearoundtheworldjoinedina#lifecontinuedsocialmediaactivationtosharethepeopleandinfluenceswhohavehelpedthemthroughemotionalchallenges.Tofurthertheimpactofthefilmandstartmoreconversationsabouttherealitiesofdepressionandtheimportanceofreachingoutforhelp,MTVisallowingcampuses,organizationsandcommunitiestoholdscreeningeventsatnocharge.Thisguidewasdevelopedtohelpyouplanyourscreeningeventandreachthemostpeoplepossibleinanimpactfulway.Youcanlearnmore,registeryoureventandgetaccesstothefilmatcampus.halfofus.com.
ScreeningObjectives:Wehopethisguidewillhelpyouplanscreeningeventsthatcommunicatethefollowingmessagestoattendees:
o Manyofusfeelhelpless,overwhelmed,sadoralone.Itdoesn’tmeanthatweareweakorfailing.Askingforhelpisasignofstrength.
o It’simportanttoknowthewarningsignsofdepressionsowecanhelpourselvesorourfriends.
o Withtherightsupportandtreatment,depressioniscompletelytreatable.Manypeoplewithclinicaldepressionhavesoughthelpandlivefulfilling,happylives.
o Somepeopledealingwithdepressionhavethoughtsofsuicide.Ifyouorafriendarefeelinghopeless,it’simportanttospeakupnow.Therearewaystofeelbetter.
o Wecanpreventdepressionandhelpmanagediagnosedconditionsbytakingcareofourselves(diet,exercise,moderatingalcoholuse)andcreatingstrongsupportnetworks.
o Ifpressureatschoolorworkistoooverwhelmingandmakingusfeeldepressedorhopeless,weneedtotalktosomeoneabouthowwe’refeeling.
o Herearewaysattendeescanseekhelpontheircampusorintheircommunity.Wedon’twanttheexperiencetoendwhenstudentswalkoutthedoor.Ourhopeisthatthisplanningguidewillhelpyoucreateanongoingdiscussionthatleadstoactionoutsideoftheeventvenue.SuicidePrevention:Thefilmdoesaddressfeelingsofhopelessness,thoughtsofsuicideanddiscussionofasuicideattempt.Thiscreatesanopportunitytotalktostudentsabouttheimportanceofspeakingupimmediatelyiftheyareworriedaboutthemselvesorafriend.Feelinghopelessofhavingthoughtsaboutself-harmmightmakestudentsfeelbrokenoralostcause,seeingotherfunctioning,successfulstudentsadmittohavingsimilarthoughtscanmakepeoplemoreopentospeakingupabouttheirstruggles.Wesuggestprovidingapostcardorhandoutliketheoneattheendofthisguidethatoutlinesthewarningsignsofbothdepressionandsuicide.YoucandownloadcustomizablePDFfilesofthiscardatcampus.halfofus.com.Youshouldalsosharearesourceforstudentswhomightbefeelingsuicidalorworriedaboutafriend.Ifyoudonothaveacampusorcommunity-specificresource,wesuggestusingtheCrisisTextLineandNationalSuicidePreventionLifeline:
Needhelpnow?TextSTARTto741-741orcall1-800-273-TALK(8255)24/7foraconfidentialconversationwithatrainedcounselor.
ThingstoThinkAboutWhenPlanningYourScreeningEvent:
• Promotion:Thinkabouthowyouaregoingtopromotetheprogramtomaximizeattendance.Connectwithstudentorganizationstogenerateinterestoutsideofgroupsorresourcesfocusedonhealthandwellness.Ifyouhaveastudentorganizationthatcanhelphosttheevent,itcangiveitamoreorganicandstudent-drivenfeel,whichmayfurtherdriveattendance.FindwaystospotlighttheMTVbrandasyoupromotetheevent,asitcanalsohelpdrivestudentinterestandattendance.
• PersonalStories:Hearingsomeone’sstorythroughafilmispowerful,butseeingandhearingthestoryofapeercanbeevenmoreimpactful.Ifyouhaveanystudentsfromyourcampuswhoareequippedtoeffectivelytelltheirpersonalstoryaboutstrugglingwithandovercomingmentalhealthconditionslikedepression,weencourageyoutoincorporatethemintotheevent.It’simportanttomakesurethestudentadvocateistrainedandcomfortablespeakingabouttheissue,andthatthepublicdisclosurewillnotdamagetheircurrentstatusorfuturereputation.
• CampusResources:It’simportanttousetheeventasanopportunitytoexplainyourcampusresourcesforstudentsstrugglingwithstress,anxiety,bodyimage,self-injuryordepression.Keepthisinmindwhenselectingthepersonfromyourcounselingcenter,healthorAODeducationteamwhowillparticipateorspeakattheevent.Picksomeonewhoconnectswellwithstudentsandcantalkaboutissueslikedepressionin“everydayspeak.”
• AdditionalContent:LifeContinued:DefeatingDepressionisashortfilm(approximately40minutes)thatservesasastrongstandaloneand,withaperiodofdiscussion,canprovidearobustevent.Ifyouareinterested,youalsohavetheopportunitytoincorporateothermediacontentintotheevent.Ifyouhaveaccesstoanystudentfilmsthatdealwithemotionalhealthissues,thatcanbeagreatcomplementtoLifeContinued.WealsohaveanumberofPSA’sandstudentstoriesthataddressrelevantissues(stress,depression,bodyimage/eatingdisorders,self-injury,etc)thatyoucanaccessthroughtheHalfofUscampaignandincorporateintoyoureventorplaywhilestudentsarearriving.Visitcampus.halfofus.comtopreviewanddownloadthesePSAS(availablewithclosed-captions)
• Logistics:Choosingatimeandlocationforyourscreeningeventcanbeimportant.Youprobablyhaveagoodideaofwhatdaysoftheweekandtimesofdayworkbestforyourstudents.
We’veincludedstillsfromthefilm,videoclipsandsomecustomizablepromotionalmaterialsatcampus.halfofus.comtohelpyouplanandpromoteyourevent.
EVENTCOMPONENTS:
Wesuggest4maincomponentsforyourscreeningevent:
• Abriefintroduction/welcome.• Screeningthefilm.• Apaneldiscussionand/orQ&A.• A“calltoaction”thatencouragesstudentstomakeadecisionaboutanactionthey’lltake
tohelpthemselvesortheirfriends.Theactioncouldbereachingouttogethelpforthemselves,helpingafriendorhelpingtoraiseawarenessoftheproblem.We’vealsoincludedasuggestionforagroupactivityyoucanincorporateintoyourevent.
BriefIntroduction/Welcome:Youwanttosetthestageforthefilmandevent,butkeeptheintrobrief.Ifastudentorganizationorstudentadvocate(s)areinvolved,letthemhelpintroducethefilm.Sometalkingpointsyoumaywanttoinclude:
• Filmhasalwaysbeenapowerfulwaytotellstoriesthatdon’tgetenoughattentionorexposure.Emotionalhealthissuesaresomethingmanystudentsandfamiliesdealwith,andwedon’ttalkaboutitenough.We’reholdingthisscreeningeventtohelpstartmoreofthoseconversations.
• Emotionalhealthconditionslikedepressioncanimpactanyone.Theyareillnessesjustlikephysicalconditions.Ifyourarmwashurtingoryouhadaheadachethatwon’tgoaway,you’daskadoctorforhelp.Changesinthewaywefeelemotionallyshouldbehandledinthesameway.
• It’simportantthatwealllearnthewarningsignsofdepressionsowecanlookoutforouremotionalhealthandsupportourfriends.We’lldiscusssomeofthosewarningsignsafterthefilmandprovidealistthatyoucantakewithyouaftertonight’sevent.
• Beingacollegestudentisn’talwayseasy.Andsometimesweareafraidtospeakupandletpeopleknowwearehavingahardtime.ButstoriesliketheonestoldinLifeContinuedshowhowimportantitistogethelpandsupport.It’snotasignofweakness,it’sasignofstrength.
• Wehopeyouenjoythefilmandthenwewillhaveashortconversationaboutittogetherafterthescreening.
FilmScreening:MTVisofferingacomplimentaryscreeningofthefilmforyourcampusviaadigitalstreaminglinkordownload.Afteryouregisteryoureventatcampus.halfofus.comandagreetothetermsofthescreeningagreement,you’llbeprovidedbothastreaminganddownloadlink.Wesuggestyoudoatestscreeningofthefilmpriortoyoureventtomakesureeverythingisfunctioningproperly.Ifstreaming,youcanalsoallowthefilmtobuffer10to15minutespriortoyoureventwhenusingthestreaminglink.Pullupthefilmviathelink,makeitfullscreenandthenpushthepausebutton.Whilethefilmispaused,theremainderofthefilmwillbuffermakingthescreeningsmootherforyourattendees.PanelDiscussionand/orQ&A:
It’simportanttohaveoneormoreprofessionalsfromyourcounselingservicesparticipateintheQ&Aorpaneldiscussion.Ifthereisacounselororhealtheducatorwhohasmoreexperiencetalkingtogroupsoriseffectiveatengagingstudentsinagroupsetting,theycouldopenthediscussionandoutlinetheresourcesavailableatthecounselingcenter.Thegoalistomakeyourprofessionalresourcesandservicesaccessibleandwelcoming.
Youcanalsoinvolvestudentadvocateswhoaretrainedtotalkabouttheirownexperienceswithmentalhealthortheirexperienceswithafriendorfamilymemberwhohasstruggledwithdepression.Studentvoicesarepowerful.Otherstudentsmayhaveapreconceivednotionaboutwhata“depressedperson”lookslikeandnotwanttoplacethemselvesortheirfriendsinthatcategory.Sorealstudentstoriescanhelpredefinewhathelpseekingandtreatmentlookslikeinthemindsofyourattendees.Ifyouhaveastudentwhowillsharetheirstory,youmaywanttoopenyourdiscussionorQ&Awiththatstory.Encouragethemtokeepitbriefandbesurethattheyareequippedandreadytosharetheirstory.
SomeothertipsforyourQ&Aorpaneldiscussion:
• Yourpanelcouldbejusttwopeople--someonefromthecounselingcenterandastudentadvocate.Wewouldn’trecommendmorethanthreeorfourpeopleforthistypeofdiscussion.
• Youcanopenbyintroducingthepanelandthenlettingattendeesaskanyquestionsthatcameupforthemduringthefilm.Butyoushouldalsohavesomequestionsortopicsonhandtopresentordiscussincaseattendeesdonothavequestionstheywanttosharepublicly.
• Thisfilmcoversarangeofsubjectsthatcanbeconnectedwithdepression:stress,collegepressures,sexuality,bodyimage,self-harm,andsuicidalideation.Youmaywanttopreparesomequestionsthatexploretheseissuessoyoucanmovethediscussionforwardifpeoplearen’tspeakinguporthedialoguegetsofftopic.
• Inthefilm,bothSarahandEvanfindthecouragetotalktotheirfriendsabouttheirdepressionandrelatedissues.Ifyouhavestudentadvocatesinvolved,itcanbehelpfulforthemtosharetheirstoriesoftalkingtofriendsandfamily.Reactionsareusuallymoreunderstandingandsupportivethanpeoplefearwhenthinkingabouthavingtheseconversations.
• Whileit’sfineforattendeestodiscusswhattheylikedordidn’tlikeaboutthefilm,it’simportanttotryandfocustheconversationoninformationandtopicsthatwilleducateattendeesaboutsubstanceabuse,encouragehelp-seekingandmakeyourcampusmoresupportiveforthosestudentsinrecovery.
• Trytokeepthediscussionto20-30minutesifstudentsareengaged(iftheonlymediayouuseisPrescriptionforChange,thiswillbea60to75minuteprogram).Wrapthingsupbyremindingstudentsaboutwhattheyshoulddoiftheyareworriedaboutthemselvesorafriend(counselingcenter,AODservicesoncampus,hotlines,walk-insessionsatvariouscampuslocations,etc.)
CalltoActions:Wesuggestprovidingaprintedpieceoranonlineresourcewhereattendeescanlearnmoreaboutthewarningsignsofdepressionandsuicide.Thisshouldincludeacampusorcommunityresourceforgettinghelp.YoucandownloadacustomizablePDFversionofthecardattheendofthisguideatcampus.halfofus.com.YoucanalsoincorporateagroupexperienceintoyourscreeningthatemulatesthesocialmediacampaignHalfofUslaunchedwhenthefilmoriginallyaired.Your“My#LifeContinuedBecause…”activationcancreateavisualreminderthatweallhavepeopleorcopingmechanismsthathelpusdealwithdifficulttimes.Useposterboardoraprintedposter(aPDFdownloadisavailableatcampus.halfofus.com)tocreateasignthatsays“My#LifeContinuedBecause…”andthenprovidestickynotesforstudentstowritedownhowthey’dcompletethatsentenceandattachittothewallaroundtheposter.Youcanstartthemural/activationwithsomesamplestickynotesthatsaythingslike:myfriends,expressingmyselfthroughpainting,myfamily,yoga,reading,icecream.Thesetypesofactivationshavebecomeverypopularrecently.BelowareimagesfromasimilaractivationfromLoveisLouderandtheNYCsubwayactivationthatreceivedsignificantnewscoverage.
DownloadandCustomizethisCardatcampus.halfofus.com: