WEBVTT - Getting Open with Adam Thielen 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:10.960 Hey, everybody, this is Lindsay Young. I'm a staff writer 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:14.160 and assistant editor here with the Minnesota Vikings. Thank you 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:17.280 so much for tuning into another segment of our Getting 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:21.040 Open series, which focuses on all things mental health. Over 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:23.479 these past several weeks, we've talked to a number of 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:27.080 players about their personal experiences with mental health and what 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:29.960 those journeys have looked like. We've also talked to Chief 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:33.840 Operating Officer Andrew Miller and General Manager Rick Spielman about 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:36.680 not only their personal experiences, but also an emphasis that 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:40.920 they place on mental health within the Vikings organization. Last 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:44.080 week we talked to kay fans Chris Hockey, who really 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:47.479 continued to open up about his mental health journey. He 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:51.599 has overcome OCD and he continues to navigate depression and 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:54.640 uses a number of techniques to navigate that on a 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:58.320 day to day basis, and so really appreciate hearing from him. 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:00.880 And today I'm really excited to sit down with Adam 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:04.400 and Caitlin Feeling. They're going to talk about the work 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:08.200 that the Feeling Foundation does around mental health and specifically 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:12.000 youth mental health, which tends to be an overlooked area 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:15.000 of need. We'll be talking to the Feelings and also 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:20.000 to doctor Jessica Ceci, who is a child psychiatrist within 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:27.880 the m Health Fairview Network. Thank you guys so much 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:30.679 for joining us. I guess the first question would be 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.679 directed to really either or both of you, why do 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:37.440 you think that mental health is an important topic to cover? Yeah, 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:39.679 I think I think just to it's kind of the 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:42.680 reason why we end up choosing, uh, you know, youth 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:44.920 mental health to start our foundation is the first thing 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:49.400 that we kind of partnered with at the Masonic Chilln's 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:53.040 Hospital because it just gets overlooked and there was a 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:58.000 need there for help, for resources, really just time and 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:01.040 energy from from you know people to show that they 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.200 care and that it is UM, it is normal. I mean, 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.360 there's a lot of people that are going through what 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:10.919 these kids are going through, UM, and so I think 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:13.360 that was the big reason why we started in that direction. 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:16.320 And then since then it's just UM had just a 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.840 ton of things UM that have kind of correlated in 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:23.320 our personal lives and have made us even stronger UM 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.639 to want to UM give back in that area, but 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.600 UM just to just to normalize it to people, make 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.240 people understand that that there's other people that are going 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:34.760 through the same thing you're going through, um, and that 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:36.880 you're not you know, different, and that you can open 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:40.400 up and talk about it and and be okay with that, 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.280 you know, Adam. We've talked to several of your teammates 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:47.359 at this point, Eric Kendricks, Tyler Conklin, Jalen Holmes kind 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:48.920 of kicked off the whole series, and all of them 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:51.520 have talked about their personal experiences and like some of 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:53.680 them have been more childhood, some of them have been 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:55.520 you know, over their whole life, Like everybody has had 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:57.720 a different story. But I guess, just for you, what 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:00.240 do you appreciate about seeing your teammates being well to 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:02.839 share these stories that are pretty personal things but they're 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.560 wanting to share to make an impact. Yeah. I mean 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:08.840 it's been pretty cool to hear their stories, to see 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.240 that that they're open with that, and I think the 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.040 impact that that will make will be just uh, it'll 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.079 be bigger than that they'll ever can imagine or we 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:22.360 can imagine, just because I think if one, two, three 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:25.600 kids see that and say, wow, like that's exactly what 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:28.800 I'm going through, and it just it just creates a 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:31.840 more comfortable setting for them to be open and honest. 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:34.880 Maybe it's with their family or with friends to be 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:37.920 able to get help, or just to sometimes just to 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:40.240 be able to talk about it. Um is enough help 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.080 and and really to get them in the right directions. 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:46.080 So UM, it's really been cool to see these guys 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:49.720 do that and will be a huge help to a 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:51.600 lot of people. One of the things that we've talked 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:55.560 about throughout this series is the stigma around mental health 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.480 just in society in general, but um, maybe even at 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.120 a deeper level with an athletic and obviously you guys 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:05.320 are both athletes. M keitlan, I'm wondering just your perspective too, 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:08.520 just within athletics, why you think that might be a 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:12.160 little bit more of a stigma. Um. I just think that, 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.360 you know, being an athlete, maybe you have that mental 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.240 toughness that you don't want to, you know, open up 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:23.320 and be vulnerable with people, your teammates, your parents, coaches, whatnot. 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:26.919 So I think, like Adam said, with these players speaking 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.080 up about their experiences, I think that that just goes 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.760 to show that anyone can deal with certain types of 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:35.960 mental or behavioral health and that it's okay to be 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.320 open about it. It's okay. You don't have to feel 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:41.960 like you're less than even if you are an athlete, 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:45.160 a professional athlete. It's you know, these professional athletes are 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:48.560 talking about it. So I just think that it's such 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:53.240 a good conversation that they opened up about. Adam. How 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:58.520 have you guys seen the stigma starting to change within 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:01.480 the NFL or national sports And we've talked a little 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:03.960 bit about like UM, Kevin Love and the NBA sharing 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:07.240 history and a few players in the NFL. I guess 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:08.960 just how have you from your perspective, how have you 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:12.039 seen that that stigma breaking down a little bit? Yeah, 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:16.320 I think I think just the resources now, the amount 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.480 of resources that teams are putting into it, UM shows 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.560 that it's a it's a big deal and it is 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:25.120 a game changer. Four teams to have those resources and 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.279 have UM the opportunity for guys to be open and 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.160 to be you know, to say that hey, I have 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:33.360 I have an issue with this and and can you 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.320 help me? And when when that happens, it just creates 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:38.919 a better culture in the locker room. It creates a 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.679 more open atmosphere and guys realize that they're not alone, 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:46.960 that that maybe there's five six guys feeling the exact 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.080 same way that you are, So when you open up 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:51.200 about it, well now they want to open up about 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.560 it and they want to get help. So um, you know, 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:56.200 I think it's been it's been really cool to see 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:58.560 that go through our locker room and just see guys 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:04.160 um transforming and really just changing not only their lives 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:07.120 but other people's as well. Adam, you mentioned about how 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:10.960 mental health, especially the area of youth mental health, has 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.240 been overlooked. Is that an area that you guys were 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.080 sort of aware that that was an area of need? 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:18.800 Was it something where you started digging into possible areas 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:20.840 of need with your foundation and that came to light? 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.560 Just sort of wondering how that came about that that 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:26.480 you're focusing on that area. Well, we were kind of 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:30.360 in search of, you know, different areas that maybe overlooked, 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.520 and then when Masonic you know, came to us kind 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:36.040 of with the Behavioral Mental Health Unit, we were like, 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.200 that's a no brainer. I felt like God was calling 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:42.440 us to kind of spotlight that, especially with the platform 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:47.200 Adam has and how many youth and adults struggle with it. 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.039 We were like it was just a no brainer for 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:54.880 us to try and use our platform and whatever resources 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:57.760 we can to help help this hospital, help these kids, 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:02.039 and just help make mental health behavioral health just broadcasts 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:06.120 to more people. Especially you know, we have really close family, 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:11.000 family members and friends who deal with significant mental behavioral health, 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.760 and so it really hits home to us to be 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:17.560 more open about it and to you know, just make 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.800 it more aware and make it more like Adam said, normalized. Yeah. 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:22.720 I think I think kind of a crazy thing for 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:24.720 us is when, like Healen said, we were trying to 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:26.960 figure out ways that we could help in this community, 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.920 and I think what really kind of opened our eyes 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:32.560 to it, and then, like like Healen said, since then, 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:34.480 we've had so many connections to it, and I'm so 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:39.520 glad that we started working within mental health and behavioral health. 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.840 But when we first toured the Masonic Jones Hospital in 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:48.080 the mental health department, the it was unbelievable to hear 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:52.400 these doctors and nurses and the people within in that 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.440 group just how shocked number one, that we were there 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.080 and wanted to help, and then number two, just how 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.240 excited they were that we were going to provide resources 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:06.280 and how badly they needed it and how badly they 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:10.320 needed just people that care about these kids, and again 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:13.040 just how many kids like this happens to our adults, 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:16.600 and that that you know, people just don't know about 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.880 it and don't realize that how prevalent it is and 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:22.440 how important it is to talk about. So um that 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:25.080 really opened our eyes and since then has just um, 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.800 you know, really changed our mindset on it and how 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:29.920 we could we could help and get back. As I 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.520 listened to you say that it just resonates with so 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:34.960 much that we've been talking about so far, where you know, 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:38.240 even whether it's professional football player or whether it's kids, 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:42.360 you know, if someone has um like cancer or they 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:44.720 break a bone or something like that. And of course 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.360 not to make light of those situations, but those seem 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:50.840 to be so much more accepted and talked about, and 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:53.640 even for hospital visits and things like that, it's not 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:57.480 as spotlighted when there's those mental health issues. So I 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.120 think it's awesome that you guys are working specifically around 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.000 that issue. Has there been anything that you guys have 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:08.640 learned through this process that's either you know, helped you 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:10.760 in your personal lives or with your family members, or 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:13.480 just anything that's kind of like opened your eyes to 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.320 this issue beyond the fact that you know, it's obviously 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.800 a much bigger one than people realize. Yeah, I would 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.840 say just that, you know, it's a sickness like you've 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:28.440 talked about cancer. Um. You know, sometimes there's obviously varying 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:33.160 degrees of mental health. Some people really it's a sickness. 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:35.880 They can't control what's going on in their minds. They can't. 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.640 They try to and they can't, you know. So that's 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.920 really opened my eyes with a close family member, just 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:45.000 trying to understand ways that I can help and not 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:53.080 trigger like the mental health more, you know. So that's 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.040 been one area. And even just sitting and talking with 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.000 these kids we try and have visits with these kids 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:02.120 at the hospital and just hearing, you know, all stories 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:05.560 from the nurses and just understanding kind of what they've 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:09.280 been through, whether you know, whether there's issues at home 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:12.080 and that's what's caused the issues or whatnot. So there's 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:14.439 a lot of different areas that I feel like I've 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:18.559 personally learned and trying to get better at m just 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:22.280 talking with other people. Yeah, I think just just learning, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.360 like Keel and said, um, learning about it, understanding it, 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.280 more because a lot of times it doesn't really like 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:34.200 make sense to me because maybe my issue is different 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.400 than someone else's, so sometimes it doesn't make sense. But 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:38.360 when you start to learn and be around it more 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:43.040 and try to understand it, it really helps. Especially when 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:46.960 you have friends or family, it really helps them because 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:49.160 you can understand it more, so you kind of know 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:51.800 what to do, what not to do, what to say, 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:55.400 what not to say to really help them, you know, 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:57.640 with what they're going through. And then personally, I mean, 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:00.320 we all have ups and downs a lot life and 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:04.360 trying to navigate that and really being able to apply 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:08.720 those things your personal life has been huge for me personally. 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:10.920 And obviously you guys our parents to yourself, you have 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.680 Asher and Hudson, and I guess for either of you, 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:17.360 but I'll ask Caitlin, maybe first just being a mom, 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.240 has it given you an even more personal connection to 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:22.679 these youth that are going through you know, different types 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:27.640 of trials. Yeah, yeah, it definitely has um. You know, 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:30.360 just as they grow, I feel like I just want 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:33.520 to be open with them as a mom and them 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.200 open with me. And Adam and I've talked about this, 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:38.000 you know, as they grow, we want to have a 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:40.319 good connection with our kids. We hope we can, and 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:43.200 we want them to feel comfortable with us if they're 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.719 ever going through anything or feeling different thoughts, we want 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.840 them to know that we're here or that you know 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:53.960 that it's not not not bad to feel that way, 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.080 you know. We want those emotions to be okay in 0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:57.760 this house and them to be open with it. And 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:01.079 also I think just teaching them to be My main 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:04.040 thing is teaching them to be kind to everyone, because 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.360 you never know what a little boy who might bug 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:09.680 you at school is going through at home, you know 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.120 what I mean. There's just so many things that that 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.920 could be happening in other people's lives, and even us 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:17.480 as adults. I try, I'm trying harder to be like 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.320 that because someone's in a grassy moment, you never know 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:22.640 what they're dealing with. So I think that's a big 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:24.280 thing that I want to teach my kids, you know, 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:26.200 every day they go to school, I say, you know, 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:31.079 spread God's love. Then, Adam just kind of generally speaking, obviously, 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:33.320 the Vikings have had a long standing relationship with you 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.080 of m Masonic, like you know, going back to Sully 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:39.320 and Chad, and I know Kyle did a lot of 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.200 stuff there. The Wilf's also just what have you appreciated 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.120 more on a larger scale, just about that relationship with 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:50.560 that hospital and the organization. Yeah, just you know how 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:56.320 willing they are to kind of accommodate to really again 0:12:56.400 --> 0:13:00.120 show you what their needs are, what these kids needs are, 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.440 and then try to help you figure out the best 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:07.680 way to to provide the best resources opportunities for these kids. So, um, yeah, 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:10.880 it's been a it's been a great relationship. And which 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.120 has been good is is you know, you say that 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.000 a lot of people have worked with them, and that 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:17.600 was kind of a big thing for us when we 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.679 started talking to them, is Okay, where hasn't there been 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:24.040 help and where can we help and make a difference 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:27.320 where there hasn't been a much attention Because those guys 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:29.480 that you mentioned have done such great work and so 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:33.720 many areas of that hospital and impacted so many lives 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:35.920 and we've been, you know, blessed to be able to 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:37.880 be a part of a lot of that just being 0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:40.480 around those guys, and so it's been pretty cool to 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:42.880 just be to be able to help an area that 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.440 hasn't been helped yet. So that that's kind of why 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:47.920 things got to where they were. How, if at all, 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:50.720 has the topic of mental health affected you personally? You 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.680 guys have already mentioned some close family members and things 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:55.840 like that. Was there anything else that you wanted to 0:13:55.880 --> 0:14:02.080 say on that topic? Just awareness, understand standing, you know. 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:04.640 I think until you have stuff in your life or 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.160 you are connected with something, you just don't understand it. 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:10.960 So I think that's been huge for both of us, 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:14.920 just understanding it for not only for like you said, 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:18.720 family members or friends, but our personal lives as well. 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:22.160 Like I said, there's varying degrees of mental health obviously, 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.720 but I feel like Adam touching it, but we've struggled 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:29.320 with different things, you know, not as maybe bad severe 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.400 as some, but like I've definitely struggled with like anxiety 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:35.240 being a mom and trying to do everything, and even 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:39.080 I remember, you know, in playing sports and soccer, and 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:41.360 you know, there's just a lot of things that you 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:44.160 look back on and you're like, oh was that you know, 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.920 like you maybe didn't even know, but like, oh was 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.240 I a little depressed then, you know, going through that 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:53.320 tough tough year at college or whatnot. And I think lastly, 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:56.800 just kind of to wrap up, Adam, I'll ask you 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.480 this for people who are you know, maybe listening to 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.920 this interview, you are reading your Guys's feature, you know, 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.560 on the Vikings platforms, what would you just hope that 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.320 people would I guess take out of your story or 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:11.640 this content series in general. Yeah, I think the biggest 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.640 thing is just if if you're struggling at all, if 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:18.480 there's things that um, you know, obviously ups and downs. 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:21.000 Like I said, in life, there's you know, down times, 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.240 and know that you're not alone. There's a ton of 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:28.760 people UM ourselves included, friends, family members of ours who 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.120 are going through similar things. And I think when when 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.520 you keep those in you kind of you feel like 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.720 you're alone. But when you're able to kind of communicate 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:39.680 that maybe it's too a close friend, or maybe it's 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.480 to a close family member, or maybe it's too a 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:44.240 councilor UM. When you're able to communicate those things, you 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.960 realize that you realize very quickly that you're not alone, 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:51.360 and there's there's resources, there's things UM out there to 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:54.200 help you. And I know that's been a big thing 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:57.240 with our foundation as well, is is we have links 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:00.440 and resources on our on our web page to those 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:04.120 if they don't know where to start. So there's always 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.360 that and I know there's a lot of different places 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:10.520 and foundations that do the same, so again just being 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:13.120 being okay with communicating that and you never know where 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.320 they will take it. Well, thank you guys. I think 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:17.120 that's all I have for you. And yeah, I mean 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:20.400 definitely encourage people to check out faland foundation website and 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:22.720 resources there because they know it's really helpful. So thank 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:28.880 you so much. Thank you so much to Adam and 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:31.960 Caitlin for being willing to share their heart and their 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.840 passion around this very important topic. And now we're going 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:37.680 to hear from doctor Jessica Ceci, who was a child 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:41.800 psychiatrist and she's also the medical director of Child Psychology 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:45.600 at m Health Fairview. Doctor Ceci is going to dive 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.960 into a number of topics, including why youth mental health 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:52.400 does tend to be an overlooked area of need, specific 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.720 mental health challenges that are seen in youth, and also 0:16:55.840 --> 0:17:04.280 notable statistics around mental illness in children. Well, thank you 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.959 so much for joining us today. We met with Adam 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:12.040 and Caitlin earlier and they were talking about how they've 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:16.160 learned that mental health specifically, youth mental health is an 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:20.320 area that tends to be kind of overlooked, an overlooked 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:24.400 area of need. Why is that the case. I think 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:27.119 there are a couple of reasons for that, one being 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.800 that I think there's a lack of recognition about one 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:33.560 mental health looks like in children and adolescence. So you know, 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.200 an adult may be able to say I'm feeling anxious, 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:38.480 whereas a child may say, you know, I have a 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:40.320 tummy ache or my head hurts, and you may not 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:44.679 immediately recognize that as a mental health condition. And I 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.640 think the other piece, too, is kind of this enduring 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:50.639 stigma that we see with mental health. So for a 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:54.520 long time, you know, mental health has been viewed somewhat negatively, 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.919 and I think that resources have not been devoted to 0:17:59.320 --> 0:18:04.440 youth mental health, and instead we see less funding promoting 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:07.359 mental health research and promoting mental health treatment. And so 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:09.639 I think for both of those reasons, we see that 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.560 youth mental health is overlooked. Would you say that there 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:16.959 are specific types of mental illnesses or emotional challenges that 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:21.439 are seen in youth specifically, I think we see a 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:25.359 lot of behavioral problems in younger kids, and we also 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:29.800 see a lot of ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:32.199 and then as kids get a little bit older, we 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:34.800 tend to see a bit more anxiety and depression in 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:38.200 children and adolescence. And I know this next question is 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.360 something that probably fluctuates. I know there has been an 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.040 increase over the years, but in your experience, what age 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:49.640 range of children experience mental illness and potentially even suicidal 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:53.400 thoughts or actions. Yeah, so mental health can impact people 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:56.480 at any age, and in fact, we can start to 0:18:56.680 --> 0:19:01.320 diagnose mental health concerns as early as aged two, But 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:03.480 I would say it's most common that we begin to 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:06.960 see behavioral problems somewhere between the ages of six and eleven, 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.320 and then as kids get a bit older, we see 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:13.320 more anxiety and depression, and you're correct, we do sometimes 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:18.000 see suicide thoughts and behaviors associated with some of those conditions. 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:20.880 One question I had You had mentioned this stigma earlier, 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:25.159 and of course there's such a societal stigma, and that 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:28.320 makes sense with not as many resources and as much funding. 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:33.520 Is this something that also occurs like with parents? I mean, 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:36.280 would parents maybe not recognize or not pick up on 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:40.800 maybe their child's emotional or mental difficulties kind of because 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:45.120 of the stigma or is it more of an outside problem. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:47.800 I think that there's a lot of shame that's associated 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:51.880 with mental health diagnosis, and I think sometimes the symptoms 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:56.359 are not only hard to recognize, you know, so, like 0:19:56.400 --> 0:19:59.120 I mentioned, sometimes it's more physical symptoms that are presenting 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.320 and so may not recognize it. But I also think that, 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:05.359 you know, sometimes the symptoms can cause you know, us 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:08.000 to act in ways that may feel uncomfortable to those 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:11.719 around us, and so I think sometimes that does prevent people, 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:15.479 including parents, from seeking out help when when kids need it. 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:17.760 Part of what we've been talking about throughout this whole 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:22.680 series is just the past twelve thirteen months of the 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:26.679 COVID nineteen pandemic, even things like some of the racial 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:30.400 injustices and tensions that have been kind of heightened throughout 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:33.520 this past year as well. In your expertise and in 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:37.560 your experience, how have you seen those types of things 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.720 affect youth mental health over this past year. Yeah, this 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:46.040 year has been challenging for so many reasons, and you know, 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:50.439 you named it. We are going through this pandemic and 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:53.840 then we have had this public health crisis of racism 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:59.080 that is impacting many on a day to day basis, 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:02.800 and I think in regard to the pandemic, we have 0:21:03.040 --> 0:21:07.159 had to follow infection prevention protocols to really stop the 0:21:07.200 --> 0:21:10.360 spread of the steadly virus, and it's changed the way 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:12.600 that we interact with one another, and I think there 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.200 have been some unintended benefits we've all had to slow 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:18.040 down the pace of life of it, but it has 0:21:18.119 --> 0:21:22.160 led to loneliness and isolation in some and beyond that, 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:25.440 I think that it's really put a lot of stress 0:21:25.680 --> 0:21:28.679 on parents and families just to have to juggle so 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:35.520 many responsibilities with parenting, childcare, work, school, and all the 0:21:35.560 --> 0:21:39.280 while trying to care for themselves. And I think it 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:43.000 has led to a lot of fatigue, compassion fatigue, truly, 0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:45.560 and I think that this is a form of trauma 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:49.080 that we've all sort of collectively experienced, and we're going 0:21:49.119 --> 0:21:52.679 to need to receive emotional support in the months and 0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:54.800 years to come as a result of what we've all 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:58.320 endured in the last year. Would you have advice for parents, 0:21:58.800 --> 0:22:01.560 especially of young children or in you know, outside of 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:04.399