On Our Sleeves: Helping young people cope with the uncertainty of the pandemic with Nationwide Children’s Hospital & NBC4

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For this Mental Health Awareness Month, NBC4 is proud to again partner with Nationwide Children’s Hospital for the “On Our Sleeves” campaign — which fights the stigma of mental illness.

Every Monday in May, their experts are talking live on NBC4i.com and the NBC4 News app at 6 p.m. — answering your questions about how to help your kids improve their mental health. If you have a question, email it to us now at wcmhmentalhealth@wcmh.com.

This week, Darlene Hill be speaking live with Dr. John Ackerman, Ph.D. Dr. Ackerman currently serves as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He directs community, school, and hospital efforts to educate others about the risks and warning signs of pediatric suicide. The CSPR promotes evidence-based strategies to support individuals at risk for depression and suicide. Dr. Ackerman and his team are passionate about reducing the devastating impact of suicide on the community.

Here are are few of the topics Dr. Ackerman will discuss:

How the current pandemic has been the source of uncertainty for children and adolescents
- Has anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation increased among children and adolescents during the pandemic?
- What are signs parents/caregivers should be watching if they think their child is experiencing anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts?
- Who or what population is at the highest risk during the current pandemic?
How to help children cope
- What parents/caregivers can do
- How healthcare providers can meet the needs of patients
Silver Linings
- How NCH’s “Growing Our Gratitude” initiative can help children and adolescence with mental health as part of the On Our Sleeves movement

Resources:

If someone you care about is in an emergency, life-threatening situation, call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency department. For crisis situations that are not life-threatening, please call your county’s psychiatric crisis line number. In Franklin County, call (614) 722-1800 for youth and adolescents 17 and under. Ages 18 and older should call (614) 276-2273. If someone you care about is having thoughts of suicide or needs to talk, encourage them to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you prefer to text, you can text “START” to 741-741 where a live, trained specialist will respond back to you.