To: Ms. Kangas, Ms.

Graham, and the Mapleton Board of Education

From: Kaylee Bruening
Date: 8 January 2015
Subject: A proposal to make metal health issues more acceptable in our society.
PURPOSE
This memorandum is being written to propose that the Untied States and the school districts
within it, make an improvement in the understanding of, and the management of teen depression.
This proposal is necessary not only for people who suffer from depression, but also for the
people surrounding them in their everyday lives. People with depression often feel trapped and
stereotyped because people without the disorder do not know much about depression. The best
place to educate young people about the topic is in school. A school is a great place to educate
people and also to provide support for students who attend. The members of the community that
surround a person with depression may research about disorder, but they never truly know what
it is like to live with it. By bringing the topic into the school system, we can give young adults a
way to comprehend what depression is, while also giving students who know, live with, or suffer
from the disorder a support system.

PROBLEM
This lack of knowledge is a global issue with "estimated 350 million people suffering from depression
worldwide" (World Health Organization) and still more unreported cases. Cases may go unreported
because people do not know the symptoms, they can not afford to get treatment, or because there is shame
and stereotypes surrounding depression. Some stereotypes about depression are that the people who have
it just needed attention, happy people dont get depressed, or that it is a sign of weakness. In cases where
people are untreated, it can worsen to the point of becoming life-threatening. "In adolescents suicide is the
third leading cause of death." (Mental Health America)
All of this affects the people close to the depressed person. If we all keep ignoring the problem, then it is
going to get worse. There will be an increase in untreated cases and suicide rates. People will also have an
even harder time accepting the issue. The solution to bring the topic into schools will teach young adults

to accept and be aware of the disorder. It will also give people who are dealing with issues a safe place to
talk and let out their feelings instead of holding it in like we as Americans so often do.

SOLUTION
The goal in the end is to bring awareness to students that mental health is an important and
relevant issue, provide a calm and safe environment for talking, and to educate people about
mental health. To get students to empathize those who have a mental health problem they need to
see and hear what it is like first hand. The proposal is to start an in school support group for
students with depression themselves, or who is close to someone with it. Also start an in school
class with a curriculum created by a mental health expert to educate people about metal health.
The support group will be held by a school counselor in an empty classroom or even outside. The
class will teach anyone who wants to join about the different types of mental health disorders,
the symptoms, the treatment, and how they can help if they know anyone who has a mental
health issue. To bring awareness to the class and support group, posters or another way of
advertising are highly encouraged. All of this needs to stick to a strict plan.

The first step is to convince the Department of Education to approve of the class and
support group, which needs to be done by the end of April.

After the class and group is approved send letters to every high school's school board to
persuade them to add the class and support groups to their schools. All of these letters
need to be sent by 20th of May 2016.

If the high schools' school board agree to add the group and class, they need to bring it to
attention to the teachers before the school year ends or the 15th of June.

As soon as schools get back from break or around 25th of August 2016 the students need
to be aware of the class and group through the posters and announcements.

Then on 15th of September a speaker who has been treated for depression and a speaker
who has lived with someone with depression come to the schools. They share their
experiences with the students to show that depression is serious and harmful. This
hopefully will open students' minds and will encourage them to join the class.

The class and support group should begin by the 20th of September.

The approval, organization, and establishment of the class and group is the responsibility of the
school board and administrators. The running of the class is the responsibility of staff members.
While the running of the groups is done by a counselor. By doing all of the above steps we can
improve lives of people. The people with and without a mental health issue are helped by this
solution. People get to let out their feelings and know that they are not alone, and people also get
to learn about mental health, that is an issue some people are not aware of. This is important
because mental health is a problem and we need to spread awareness and do something about it.

CONCLUSION
This proposal to make metal health problems be more acceptable and have a better understanding
of it is important and requires action. Depression is serious, and is killing people. By putting
work into the school system, we can make talking about depression and other mental health
issues more acceptable. While also bring awareness, we provide a place to talk with other people
who understand what it is like to live with a mental health issue. If we keep ignoring depression
like we do with our emotions nothing will be done to improve it. It is time to take action now and
notice a problem that many people deal with.
Works Cited
("Depression.") World Health Organization. World Health Organization, Oct. 2015. Web. 07
Jan. 2016.
("Depression In Teens.") Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2016.
("WHO Calls for Stronger Focus on Adolescent Health.") WHO. N.p., 14 May 2014. Web. 07
Jan. 2016.