Sarah Nove ‘20
After the suicides of two MCPS students in late November and early December, condolences flooded social media and many Montgomery County residents voiced their concerns on the ‘epidemic’ of teen suicide. Though many of these concerns faded after a few days, some sprouted into movements.

Jonathan Mortman and Rachel Herman, students at Richard Montgomery, are two of the individuals whose concerns grew into something bigger, namely, the Teen Depression Awareness Campaign (TDAC). TDAC strives to “stop being reactive, and start being proactive” when dealing with teen suicide, as stated on its website. The campaign is dedicated to advocating for teens with depression and connecting these teens with the resources that they require to get better.

TDAC also seeks to educate people on depression through working with programs such as umttr (pronounced “you matter”) and Johns Hopkins University’s Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAA). According to a CDC study conducted in 2015, suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15 and 34 in the United States, yet many schools teach little to nothing about depression. According to a publication by the National Center for Children in Poverty from 2011, “almost three-quarters of states require that drug and alcohol prevention education is included in the health curriculum, but only one state explicitly establishes social and emotional learning standards for schools.” In the MCPS health curriculum, mental health is discussed for one to two weeks, with a few days dedicated to discussing Depression, out of 19 weeks total of the course, according to health teacher Mathew Parsons.

Through their work with other foundations, the members of TDAC hope to not only broaden mental health education, but to normalize discussions about mental health. Experts say many teens with depression do not seek help or receive treatment — a fact that can be attributed, at least in part, to the stigmas surrounding mental illness.

According to World Psychology, “the public seems to disapprove persons with psychiatric disabilities significantly more than persons with related conditions such as physical illness … Unlike physical disabilities, persons with mental illness are perceived by the public to be in control of their disabilities and responsible for causing them.” This causes the alienation, sometimes self-inflicted, of those struggling with mental health, according to World Psychology, which worsens their conditions. TDAC hopes to eliminate this stigma.More information about TDAC and ways to get involved can be found at sites.google.com/view/t-dac/home or on Instagram @t.d.a.campaign.