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: