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"Rise Above" informs parents, educators about mental health, substance-abuse issues

Clinton Herald - 12/20/2016

Dec. 20--CLINTON -- Parents and educators met Monday night at Clinton High School to become better informed when it comes to issues that could be plaguing Gateway-area children and teens.

The "Rise Above Training Camp" brought together area experts in the fields of mental health, substance abuse and internet safety -- all hot button topics with elementary and secondary-level students.

Eric Gettes, current Clinton School Board member and a school psychologist for 36 years, led the evening's discussion on mental health, prompted by the recent suicide of a CHS student. Monday night, Gettes gave audience members tips on how to better identify if a child has become depressed or suicidal. Drastic personality changes, changes in eating habits (whether it be overeating or undereating), sleep pattern changes, and lack of interest in former passions are all red flags, Gettes said.

"It's very important to look for signs and symptoms of depression among our children right now," Gettes said. "It's very common for kids to become depressed. If you're a parent, you've probably seen your child become depressed at one point or another in their lives. The hard part is determining when that becomes serious enough that you need to do something about it."

For many, mental health and substance abuse go hand in hand, Gettes says.

Clinton County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Cundiff and Gateway ImpACT Coalition Executive Director Kristin Huisenga were on hand to shed light on substance abuse by area youths.

"Some kids feel like using drugs like marijuana, with all the publicity, that marijuana is a medical drug," Cundiff said. "So if a child has anxiety or depression or anything like that, they may think that alcohol or marijuana can solve their problems. We all know that's not solving a problem. It's creating a bigger problem."

Lastly, Clinton County Sheriff's Deputy Jessup Schroeder led a discussion on internet safety. Schroeder is an internet crimes expert for the department.

With an ever-increasing number of social media sites and applications, staying on top of a child's internet activity is tricky, Schroeder says. But to do it successfully, parents need to become just as informed about technology as their children.

"A lot of the recent cases that have come in to us, the inappropriate chats are occurring in the direct and private messenger parts of those apps," Schroeder said Monday. "That's where you're going to find out what's really going on."

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