End the Stigma; Boston NAMI Chapter President Visits CM for Mental Health Forum
CM's National Honor Society hosted Ewa Pytowska, the President of the Greater Boston Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health, for an open mental health forum on campus this past Monday afternoon.
By, Ben Chipman '19
Student Beat Writer
West Roxbury, Mass.-- One in five people between the ages of 13 to 18 years old suffers from a mental illness according to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).
To better inform members of the Catholic Memorial School community on how to stop the stigma behind such a harsh reality, members of CM’s National Honor Society invited NAMI Greater Boston Chapter President Ewa Pytowska to host an open forum in solidarity with National Mental Illness Awareness Week at CM on Monday afternoon.
Led by senior Tim O’Brien, the event allowed Ms. Pytowska to share her own battle with mental health and demystify the symptoms associated with anxiety, depression and other psychiatric disorders. She identified signs of mental illness prevalent in adolescence to teach CM students how to better support one another.
“If there is one group that really needs to know about mental illness, it’s young people,” said Ms. Pytowska.
“In the lives of men, mental illness is experienced differently than the lives of women. Men find it harder to reach out for help. It is just as important for men to reach out for help as it is for women.”
Established in 1990, National Illness Awareness Week recognizes the efforts made by NAMI to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. Clinicians most often diagnose mental illness between the ages of 14 to 24 years old, according to NAMI. Thus, high school students find themselves most vulnerable.
Calling upon the Catholic Memorial brotherhood to “be there” for one another, she addressed the importance of peer support. Ms. Pytowska referred to such peer support as “a lifesaving” quality of her life. She urged students to lend an ear and offer companionship if they identify someone struggling. At the end of her talk, Ms. Pytowska opened the forum for questions.
To continue the conversation, a faculty presentation is being planned. The presentation will educate the entire Catholic Memorial community about mental health. Specific dates and times are to be determined.
“It's amazing to see the support of this initiative from our school,” said Tim O’Brien.
“Mental illness is something that affects so many people, and it's hardly talked about. I hope that this event is something that continues to cure stigma, and help students struggling to find resources.”
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Student Beat Writer
West Roxbury, Mass.-- One in five people between the ages of 13 to 18 years old suffers from a mental illness according to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).
To better inform members of the Catholic Memorial School community on how to stop the stigma behind such a harsh reality, members of CM’s National Honor Society invited NAMI Greater Boston Chapter President Ewa Pytowska to host an open forum in solidarity with National Mental Illness Awareness Week at CM on Monday afternoon.
Led by senior Tim O’Brien, the event allowed Ms. Pytowska to share her own battle with mental health and demystify the symptoms associated with anxiety, depression and other psychiatric disorders. She identified signs of mental illness prevalent in adolescence to teach CM students how to better support one another.
“If there is one group that really needs to know about mental illness, it’s young people,” said Ms. Pytowska.
“In the lives of men, mental illness is experienced differently than the lives of women. Men find it harder to reach out for help. It is just as important for men to reach out for help as it is for women.”
Established in 1990, National Illness Awareness Week recognizes the efforts made by NAMI to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. Clinicians most often diagnose mental illness between the ages of 14 to 24 years old, according to NAMI. Thus, high school students find themselves most vulnerable.
Calling upon the Catholic Memorial brotherhood to “be there” for one another, she addressed the importance of peer support. Ms. Pytowska referred to such peer support as “a lifesaving” quality of her life. She urged students to lend an ear and offer companionship if they identify someone struggling. At the end of her talk, Ms. Pytowska opened the forum for questions.
To continue the conversation, a faculty presentation is being planned. The presentation will educate the entire Catholic Memorial community about mental health. Specific dates and times are to be determined.
“It's amazing to see the support of this initiative from our school,” said Tim O’Brien.
“Mental illness is something that affects so many people, and it's hardly talked about. I hope that this event is something that continues to cure stigma, and help students struggling to find resources.”
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Catholic Memorial, the Christian Brothers School of Boston, prepares boys for college, manhood and a world full of unknown challenges, ambiguity and complex problems and the importance of relationships.
