health, mental illness, suicide. and what we have found is that students listen to students. young people, young adults, listen to young adults. there's a statistic that shows that two-thirds, 67 percent, of college students who feel suicidal tell a friend before they tell anybody else. and there's so much power, and there's so much influence in just a friend group, and in a peer group, however you define that peer. and so again, what active minds does is not clinical, but we just recognize the connection that young adults make with each other surpasses the connection they can have really with anybody. and as much as parents want to have that hand with their student, with their kid, students and young adults are creating their own identity, and oftentimes they want to shed that a little bit from their family, and they create that in their network of friends, as we heard from ben earlier. well, i do want to come back to ben now because, you know, you did say how important it is for young people that are in

recovery, or that are in treatment, to have a place to go. was it important for you, ben? yeah, it was absolutely, it was very, very important for me to have a place to go. now, upon leaving treatment, the last time i was able to get into a closure recovery program, and i think for me, i know that many of the triggers for using were social, and so to have a group of friends who were also in recovery, where we could talk about what we were going through, and we could just have fun in recovery, was very vitally important for me to maintain my recovery. so, there would be an alternative way without drugs or alcohol? yes. to really enjoy oneself? absolutely. very good. vanna, in terms of your program, you know, we have to be realistic. what are some of the challenges in providing these types of support groups for people, for example, that may receive services from a youth service provider?

some of the challenges for young adults compared to adults is young people kind of step to dance to their own tune at their own time, so organizational, organized activities may be a little difficult, not that they're not interested, but kind of getting them there and participating. and they do want them, but it can be a challenge to kind of get that activity going because of, you know, they're off with friends over here, they're off working over here. so, to get them participating can be a little bit of a challenge. jim, the critical part is really to take a look at a cognitive approach to this and to make sure that they do have an alternative of kids that are not engaged, you know, so they don't go back to their original peer group that got them in trouble to begin with, correct?

oh, from a developmental standpoint, you know, everything we know from piaget to erikson, you know, they talk about building those social networks, and they talk about that socialization and that integration and independence, you know, and they start to strive for that independence, and what we've learned as a culture: we're extending adolescence, and so now adolescence is definitely 25, 30 almost. but that being said, the hopeful outcome and the goal of that adolescent period is to establish and build independence. and that inevitably means that they're going to build social networks and peer networks that the family isn't necessarily connected to. and the hope and goal from a recovery standpoint is that you can build an environment, a peer group-an alternative peer group, so to speak-that can have a positive impact and supportive impact on a young adult in need of recovery, whether it be mental illness, whether it be substance

abuse, whatever the issues are. and i think we see a growing trend in regards to this millennial generation in seeking a supportive kind of relationship with each other. i think, you know, the bullying campaigns have done immense work in regards to helping move forward into a supportive kind of relationship with each other, from childhood into young adulthood. that's a very good point. i want to ask you, jim, a followup question related to-you mentioned a number of recovery high schools and campuses that there are around the country. i don't believe that's nearly enough, considering the numbers that we spoke about. how does one go about, if one wanted to get engaged and bring this type of support to their community? well, that's part of our organization's goals is to help support grass-roots campaigns to help start recovery school

movements within communities. and so, getting in touch with our organization, at recoveryschools.org, is a great way to initiate that process. our board has great experience in regards to building recovery schools. one of our board members, dr. andrew finch, wrote a book called starting a recovery school, and so there are resources out there and available. i agree with you wholeheartedly, and part of our mission is to move forward and create opportunities, so that any kid across the country who graduates from a treatment facility under the age of 18 has a recovery school available that they can attend. do you think that we'll ever get to the point of having targeted high school programs, where kids and parents, you know, they talked about that had not necessarily gone into a pathway of developing an alcohol or drug problem, that they could have an

area where kids actually signed up and said, "you know, i want to be in a sober environment, and i don't want to be with kids that absolutely did not engage in that kind of behavior." in other words, having it sort of as a preventive approach? one of the things that when i worked in the treatment industry and at a recovery school, one of the things i used to tell parents-because it was a lot of stigma that i mentioned earlier-but i think as a culture, we've got to get out of the mindset that we're going to be able to outsmart addiction. about 20 percent of our population has need for recovery, whether it be mental health issues, whether it be substance abuse. and so, we haven't figured out how to prevent cancer, so why do we think that we're going to be able to figure out how to

prevent mental illness and substance abuse? so, i think to a certain extent- well, i think samhsa would disagree with you there, but- [laughs] other than that, we've got some very, very good programs, as a matter of fact. there are great programs, and i think those programs are very important. the point that i would make is that we have to maintain a focus in understanding that it's not just about prevention; it's also about recovery. and so, i think there are kids out there and there are young adults out there who would be willing to commit to that abstinence-based kind of environment to support other students, but i think also what we've got to do and we've got to remember is that there are going to be kids, young adults as well, out there that are not going to be able to commit to that until after they've been through the ringer. well, alison, given that he doesn't believe- [laughs] -or doesn't seem to believe that prevention, but talk to us about what does work in prevention, on the mental health side. well, you know, i laugh because i have to agree with both sides because we can't be naïve. quite the diplomat.

well, that's my job. [laughs] we can't be naïve and presume that we'll be able to abolish, you know, any of these serious issues, and at the same time, there's a lot more that we can be doing to help kids, families, parents, young adults really understand what they're going through and recognize what these issues are. and you know, one of the things that we know in mental health is that the earlier you seek treatment, the more likely recovery is possible, and the problem is that there are young adults that are first experiencing depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, you name it, and they've never been told anything about this, and so by the time they have a sense of what they're going through, they have a sense that they can talk to somebody about it, by the time their friends know what to say, so much of their life they've had to struggle and they've had to suffer alone. and so, there's so much opportunity for prevention in the sense of education and awareness, so that-and when you're struggling yourself, it's hard to identify it in yourself, but friends and family can notice.

and so, if we can educate young adults and their families about what to look for and not in an accusatory way, but you know, "you just don't seem like you're acting like yourself. do you want to talk about it? can i help you get into the support that you need?" we can prevent some more severe issues from ever presenting, and i think there's so much opportunity for us to start in education in middle schools and high schools and young adult-based education, so that young adults can hear it from each other, because that's the message they're actually going to listen to. very good. ben, you spoke earlier about some of the new media-or social media-that the millennial generation is engaged with. i suspect many of these messages that we're talking about can actually be transmitted through that social media, correct? correct. that is correct. i know for a fact that on using this social media, and mediums such as facebook, there are plenty of groups that support each other.

young adults go on these messaging boards, and they'll post about something that they're struggling with and they'll get support from the community that's around the country. and you know, there's also twitter and instagram and all these other social media mediums where people can gain support when they're struggling with an issue. well, i want to come back to this because i think social media certainly lends itself for a lot of dialogue to take place and openness about that type of peer-to-peer support that we were talking about. we'll be right back. [music] recovery benefits everyone. substance use and mental disorders can be treated. it all starts on day one. join the voices for recovery. for information and treatment referral for you or someone

you love, call 1-800-662-help. brought to you by the u.s. department of health and human services. [music] the mission of the josh anderson foundation is to provide adolescents with mental health education resources and support, so they never turn to suicide. and we do this by implementing programs in high schools in the community that raise awareness on mental health issues, reduce

the stigma surrounding mental health issues. josh was the youngest of our four kids. he was a fun-loving, you know, happy kid, great athlete: he was all-star football player for his high school. he left us over four years ago. his girlfriend was over the night before. she had no indication he was seeing a counselor. he had no indication that there was significant issues, so obviously it was a huge shock for us and our family. we felt we had to do something to turn our tragedy into something positive. and i mean, the ultimate goal is that no other family goes through what we went through, and that no kid gets to a point where they feel like the only way for them is to take their life, you know. that's something we have to stop. so, we knew we needed to raise awareness on not only on mental

health issues, but the prevalence of it in adolescents and kind of make it more of a mainstream topic, so that people can talk about these issues and feel ok if they themselves or a friend were struggling. planting a seed early that it's not just ok but it's actually really strong to seek support when you need it can really make a powerful impact down the road for young people. the josh anderson foundation has provided a forum and a place and resources to get the message across the community and just beyond my peers or beyond the school. i think working with a partner, like the josh anderson foundation, is a great way to start that connection, you know, that we're all part of this community, and that we need to work together to reduce this stigma associated with mental illness and to help people get treatment. we wouldn't be able to do what we've done in the past year and

a half or so without support from other organizations creating those relationships with coalition groups that work within certain schools. you know, having that relationship kind of helps our programming get into those schools and reach those students. they have introduced us to some programs and initiatives that we might not have known about otherwise. they have really supported us, giving us the boost to make them happen in our school. they've provided funding and ideas. the main events that the josh anderson foundation has done are one, being to fund a mental health speaker to come to high schools and speak about their own struggle with depression, and i think that gives students a voice to feel like they can share their own struggle, and that's kind of the purpose of bringing in a speaker to high schools. our other big event is stress less, laugh more campaign.

we talk to students about ways that they can cope and de-stress and regulate their mood or just to find ways to relax. provide laugh more pins that students, teachers, administrators can wear to kind of, you know, show that it's not all about getting that perfect grade, but it's really about the mental wellness of students. now, i'm getting calls from school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors who are like, "can you bring it to our school? we need it at our school." and i think that shows that there's a huge need, and we're filling a void. we don't want his death to be in vain. even if it saves one life, you know, it will be worth it. ben, let's talk a little bit about sort of peer-driven recovery and approaches to recovery that actually

young people define themselves. is that getting increasingly more popular as we look at a recovery-oriented system of care? absolutely. i think peer-to-peer recovery support groups are becoming increasingly popular among youth and young adults for that same reason we talked about before in that, you know, there has to be that social network that they can build, that they can identify with, that they can be a part of. and also, there are some national organizations that have sprung up, such as young people in recovery, that are, you know, grass-roots advocacy organizations, which have developed chapters in local and different states, so that they can have this voice and mobilize the voice of young people to really advocate for the needs and the services that they have. and in terms of that recovery-oriented system of care, what would be the ideal system for a young person that has a problem to go into? i really think that the recovery-oriented system of care, from my understanding, focuses on a person-centered approach, so that when a young person enters treatment that

they can enter treatment, and after treatment they can have recovery support services that are available to them and that fit their needs, whether they're in college or not in college, whether they're in high school, or they need to go to a recovery school. and i really think that approach can also include the family and the community to really strengthen the-or to increase the-recovery capital for the youth and young adult. and jim, in terms of the association of recovery schools, what component do you have that really tries to engage the young people that are participating in these programs to design their own peer support system? well, actually ars was somewhat significant in regards to ypr's development, and so we are proud of that. i think that to a certain extent, different schools have different protocols, and so each academic environment is going to address their own needs in certain ways. from an organizational perspective, really, we try to

advocate for these kids at the academic level, and so that advocacy then turns into a support system that may look different on the campus of rutgers versus case western reserve or the ohio state university. and so, we want to be able to support these kids at that grass-roots level, and we feel that those academic environments are the best way to do that. and what that then does is allows those individuals' needs, those communities' needs, to be addressed at the community level. do you have young people on your board? we actually do. one of the founding members of ypr is on the board of the association of recovery schools: anne thompson. because what i would think, alison, is that it is important to give the leadership role to young people, correct? i think it's crucial. i remember when i entered to this field-again i entered because i had lost my brother to suicide-started going to conferences, and i was the only person in the room under the age of 50 talking about college student mental health, and i just couldn't understand it.

and what we have seen as active minds has evolved over the past 10 years is that not only is it crucial for young adults to be able to be involved, they want to be. they crave this. and again, active minds has grown as quickly as we have because students have come to us and said, "this is important to me. this has impacted me. i want to do something on my campus. i want to help other people not have to go through what i did." so, they truly want to be involved, as well, so it's just so vitally important. and we've talked about discrimination that some individuals feel when they've come out of treatment or the fear they have to go into treatment because of what may happen. did you ever feel that way, ben, in terms of feeling that the way the society might look at you might override your desire to get better? absolutely. i think there was a lot of stigma for me seeking mental health treatment, and also substance abuse treatment. and i clearly remember i became very good at hiding, you know,

the symptoms of my mental illness and also the symptoms of my using from my parents and adults because i knew that there was stigma attached to it. i knew at an early age that this was not the norm for someone like me, and so i tried to hide it because there was that overriding stigma. and i think, you know, eliminating that stigma and removing the stigma attached to mental illness and substance use disorders is going to, you know, be one of those barriers that, if removed, is going to allow more youth and young adults to receive the services and care that they need. and jim, and how do we begin to do that on a more broader scale? wow, it's a great question. it's a tough question to answer. i think culturally we're starting to come to terms with-i think first and foremost what the work that samhsa does with the recovery month efforts, i think making it more of a household term is one of the best efforts, in regards to taking away some of that stigma. well, i'm going to turn to the panel now, and i'm going to ask

you: if we had a crystal ball, and we're looking at the challenges that we've identified through this panel dialogue that we've had, what is it that you would do that would be your primary recommendation, in terms of what needs to happen, to improve upon what we're already doing for young people? ben, i'm going to start with you. i know i feel really strongly that we need to address why we have the acute care model in treatment for substance use disorders, and maybe moving away from that model to the chronic care model, which will include more recovery support services and more funding for recovery support services. also, i think it's important that behavioral health be included in the primary care services. when you go to see your doctor, maybe there's a screening to see if you have a substance use disorder or mental health condition. and so, integrating behavioral health with primary care, i think, is going to be vitally important to getting people the treatment and the services that they need. well, ben, i think that you're in luck because the affordable

care act, i understand, is going to be doing just that. vanna. i think a theme that we've been talking about this whole time is connection, so any way to get our young people connected to each other, connected to providers, is a very good solution for the future. i also think it's important for treatment providers and young people to get connected to providers who understand young people, as well. and, i think young people need flexibility. you know, their needs are different from adults', and so kind of meeting them where they're at and being able to be flexible with relapses and open conversations and missed appointments. so, i think that would be really helpful for young adults, as well. and lastly, because young adults aren't quite adults yet, they need someone to provide the structure and be more directive

in working with them and helping them fill out those job applications, taking the small steps with them. very good, jim. you know, i want to complement vanna on her response. i think that transition from young adulthood to adulthood is-from a cultural perspective, we've made that transition longer now. and i don't know that that's a good thing or a bad thing, but i do think that for me, i think there are ways to help everyone establish independence and become productive members of society, and i would hope that we would be able to see that just because a young adult or a high school student struggles with substance abuse or mental health issues, that they not be thrown on the trash heap, so to speak. because i think, you know, a priest who i like mentioned once that if you're not in recovery, you're probably in denial.

and so, all of us have our own personal issues, and so i think acknowledging and understanding the need for recovery supportive services both at the adolescent and young adult stages is important, and so- i'm going to do a followup question for you. ok. if i was an administrator of a university or a high school principal, what would you tell me as to why it is important for those systems to consider having a recovery school within their catchment area? sure. i think the importance is to be able to best meet the psycho-social needs of their student body. i think this is, you know, academic environments are not just there to educate and to teach. i think academic environments are to help us all build and become the best human beings we can, and so to ignore those

spiritual and psychological needs would just be missing the boat, in my mind. alright. alison. i think i have two answers. i think first and foremost, just because mental health and substance abuse issues typically present at the young adult and adolescent age, doesn't mean that's when we should start talking about them. there are so many skills and conversations that we can have before then, that i just think it's so crucial that we don't wait until it hits and it becomes severe that we actually start talking and doing something about it. and especially for young adults themselves, they have to understand and be prepared for what they may be experiencing. and then i think the other-to piggyback on both what vanna and jim has said-is just the issue of empowerment: we have to meet students, young people where they are. and we have to recognize that they are valid, contributing members of society, even while they are a young adult, not just in preparation for becoming an adult. and how much empowerment can do for somebody who is in recovery,

who has had a family member or a friend who has struggled, or who may just be interested in this as a profession but is developing their own identity. the more we can empower young adults to be part of this whole process and this whole kind of recovery model, as well as their own development as an individual, can just move mountains and really mean the world to them in their personal growth. i think you've hit upon a very good subject because i think empowering them to even think that they can go into this profession and they can actually help others is a tremendous, tremendous opportunity that we need to get out there because obviously our work force for both mental health and addiction treatment is getting some challenges in terms of the people that are going to be retiring and the void that there's going to be. so, we need to continue to encourage young people to really to take up the mantle and follow in all of your great footsteps

in your work in the field. and i want to remind our audience that national recovery month happens every september, and we've mentioned recovery month here, and it's a significant contribution to reducing the discriminatory behaviors that happen in communities that affect negatively individuals in recovery from mental and substance use disorders, so i want to encourage you to visit our website at recoverymonth.gov. look at the materials and get engaged, get in involved in your community because it is increasingly more important that you get involved and participate. thank you for being here. it was a great show. for a copy of this program or other programs in the road to recovery series, call samhsa at 1-800-662-help, or

order online at recoverymonth.gov and click on the video, radio, web tab. [music] every september, national recovery month provides an opportunity for communities like yours to raise awareness of substance use and mental health problems, to highlight the effectiveness of treatment, and that people can and do recover. in order to help you plan events and activities in commemoration of this year's recovery month observance, the free online recovery month kit offers ideas, materials, and tools for planning, organizing, and realizing an event or outreach campaign that matches your goals and resources. to obtain an electronic copy of this year's recovery month kit and gain access to other free publications and materials related to recovery issues, visit the recovery month website

at www.recoverymonth.gov, or call 1-800-662-help.