The Kim Foundation®, in collaboration with individuals, organizations, and healthcare providers throughout Nebraska, is pleased to bring you a monthly e-newsletter addressing mental health care.

If you have comments, questions, or information you would like to share through the e-newsletter, please email us at info@thekimfoundation.org.

For more information on mental health issues in Nebraska, please visit www.thekimfoundation.org.

Diana's Viewpoint
Diana Waggoner | Executive Director

Youth Mental Health Statistics Troubling,
Parents Can Help

Reviewing a recent newsletter from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), I found an article regarding mental health statistics on youth a little distressing.

The 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health findings provide information on youth age 12-17. In 2009, SAMHSA estimated there were 2 million youth (8.1% of the population age 12 to 17) who experienced major depressive episodes for that year. Among those 2 million young people experiencing major depressive episodes, 35.7% also used illicit drugs, 3.6% were daily cigarette users, and the report also indicated that 4.2% of the youth experiencing major depressive episodes were more likely to be heavy alcohol users.

Click here to read more.

Nebraska Statewide Behavioral Health Conference: Success, Hopes & Dreams for the Future

Lincoln will be hosting Nebraska’s first statewide Behavioral Health Recovery Conference May 25 and 26, 2011. This will be the first time that consumers, family members, stakeholders, policy makers, and providers will convene for one conference with a shared focus on mental health, substance abuse, and problem gambling.

Administrator for the Office of Consumer Affairs, Division of Behavioral Health for the Department of Health and Human Services Carol Coussons de Reyes, Certified Peer Specialist, MS shares her thoughts on why this innovative conference is one not to be missed in a special letter for The Kim Foundation newsletter.

Click here to read Carol’s letter.

Mrs. Nebraska International Shares Her Experience Dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, excessive worry and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it. More than 6.8 million American adults, including twice as many women as men, suffer from GAD.

People with GAD often realize their anxiety is more intense that the situation warrants, but can’t seem to get rid of their concerns. In addition to not being able to relax or concentrate and having trouble sleeping, people with GAD often suffer from fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, irritability, and a variety of other physical symptoms. Other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse often accompany GAD, which rarely occurs alone.

For more than a decade, 23 year-old beauty queen Briana Simonson-Rubenstein dealt with all of this as a result of generalized anxiety disorder, which she was diagnosed with in high school. Years later, after learning to better control her illness, as the reigning 2011 Mrs. Nebraska International, Briana uses her celebrity to bring awareness and create understanding of GAD so that those who suffer from the disorder know they are not alone and that they can still accomplish all they set out to achieve.

The Kim Foundation recently spoke with the Omaha native and newlywed about her illness and about how she plans to reach those in need as Mrs. Nebraska International 2011.

Click here for our interview

Vol 3 | March | View Archive

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