Matthew Milligan Capstone

For my capstone, I wanted to do something for student mental health. I feel very passionate about mental health amongst students because I struggle with my own mental health and some mental illnesses. I was lucky to be able to get help, but I knew that not every kid had the same access to the help that I received. This upset me, but also led me to envision a resource in the form of a website for struggling kids who felt that they had nowhere else to turn to. I wanted to be able to provide information and advice about the things these kids were facing and point them to where they can get further help with their problems. To do this I completed extensive research on mental health and some of the most common mental illnesses that kids face. I also gathered some outside resources that people can use to find further help. My final product is a polished website that I am extremely proud of. While it is no substitute for professional assistance, I feel that my website could provide some basic information and comfort to any kids (or parents, guardians, and teachers) that need help. Throughout the process I learned a lot more about how mental illnesses can affect people. I also think I learned how to better treat myself and others who are struggling with poor mental health or a mental illness. Additionally, I improved my time management as this project spanned several months.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.psychiatry.org/

This source is the official website of the American Psychiatric Association. It is a great resource to find information about various types of mental illnesses and mental health in general. Specifically, I used this source when writing the about mental health section of my website to distinguish the difference between mental health and mental illnesses. I also used the source to gather some more information on depression. As the source comes from the American Psychiatric Association, the largest psychiatric organization in the world, it is safe to say that it seems credible.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://adaa.org/

This source is the official website of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. It provides people information about depression and anxiety, and it also directs them to where they can get help. I used this resource when I was working on the anxiety section of my website. It was able to give me information about the symptoms of anxiety as well as how it can be treated. As the source comes from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a nonprofit organization, it seems pretty credible.p

Anxiety vs. Anxiety Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/439-anxiety-vs-anxiety-disorders

This source is an article from a website about college mental health. The article talks about the differences between normal feelings of anxiety and the feelings a person has from an anxiety disorder. I used this source when working on the anxiety section of my website to explain the key differences between anxiety as an emotion and anxiety as a mental illness. The website ends in .org and contains no ads, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

Borges, A. (2016, July 02). 10 Tips For Talking To Your Parents About Your Mental Health. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.buzzfeed.com/annaborges/how-do-i-tell-my-parents-i-need-mental-health-help

This article uses advice from professionals in the field of psychology to answer questions kids may have about informing their parents of their mental health. An issue that is common for youth struggling with mental illness or their mental health is that their parents are unresponsive to their claims. This website addresses that issue by giving advice on preparing the conversation, holding the conversation, and what to do afterwards. In addition, I liked how this source presented the information in a way that was easily digestible to younger readers. As I want my website to do the same, this will serve as a good model for how to relay the information I gather to my target audience.

Coping Mechanisms. (2018, September 26). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/coping-mechanisms

This article presents information about the coping mechanisms people use when struggling with mental illness and mental health. The source is a website that people use to to learn more about therapy and to potentially find therapists. It sights all of its references so the source seems credible. The article describes what a coping mechanism is and why people use them. In addition, it differentiates between negative and positive coping mechanisms, which is an imperative distinction to make. Knowing this information will allow me to help my target audience identify negative behaviors they use to cope and to guide people towards better alternatives.

Default - Stanford Children's Health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=teen-suicide-90-P02584

This article presents information on teenage suicide. The website the article is on is ran by a hospital affiliated with Stanford University, so it seems like a credible source. The article goes in depth on multiple aspects of suicide. Besides defining suicidal behavior in teens, the article also talks about why teens commit suicide, warning signs of suicide, risk factors of suicide, treatments of suicide, and suicide prevention. Particularly, I appreciated the different sections dedicated to parents and teens for helping teens at risk. This information will help me to address suicide, which is an issue prominent amongst teens struggling with their mental well being.

Interested in becoming a mental-health friendly classroom? (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://classroommentalhealth.org/

This website presents information to help teachers make their classrooms more mental health friendly. The program comes from the University of Michigan Depression Center, so it seems like a credible source. The website gives information for building a classroomate climate that focuses on wellness, communication, stress reduction, and the removal of stigma. In addition, the website offers ways for teachers to identify a struggling student and to get them help. It even has a section dedicated to communicating with parents and families of the affected child. The information gathered from this website will help me later when constructing the part of my website dedicated to teachers helping and understanding students in need.

Lyness, D. (Ed.). (2014, March). Anxiety Disorders (for Teens). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/anxiety.html

This source is a website that gives a bunch of information on anxiety disorders. I used it when working on the anxiety section of my website. The source talks about normal anxiety, what anxiety disorders are, how anxiety disorders affect people, why people have anxiety, how anxiety can be treated, and things one can do to help themselves or others with anxiety. The website comes from a nonprofit organization, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

Mental Health America. (1970, March 01). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

This website is the homepage for Mental Health America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those in need with their mental health and to promoting the overall mental health of all Americans. As the source comes from a nationwide nonprofit organization, it seems safe to say that the source is credible. The website offers various programs and advice on ways to help yourself or to get others help. In addition, the website answers frequently asked mental health questions along with offering multiple articles dedicated to specific mental illnesses. Besides gathering useful information for my own website pertaining to anxiety and ADHD, I will use this source as a model influencing the design of my final product (though I will make mine more specific to adolescents).

Mental Illness vs. Mental Health: The Difference and Why it Matters in the Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://capitaleap.org/blog/2016/08/12/mental-illness-vs-mental-health-the-difference-and-why-it-matters-in-the-workplace/

This source is a website that explains the difference between mental health and mental illnesses. I think this source does a great job of explaining the differences between the two, and I wanted to include that distinction in the about mental health section of my website. The source defines what mental health and mental illnesses are and even explains how they overlap. Plus, it stresses the importance of mental health just as much as physical health. The website comes from an official counseling program, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

Nichols, M. P. (2013). Family therapy: Concepts and methods. Boston, MA: Pearson.

This source is a textbook used to study Family Therapy. As it is a professional and college level textbook, it seems safe to say that the source is credible. Particularly from this text I plan on using chapters 3 and 10 to gather information. This text presents unique information on psychology in relation to things like gender, family dynamics, family violence, multiculturalism, race, poverty/social class, and LGBTQ+ rights. Knowing the different ways those aspects affect mental health will be key to helping my target audience. In addition, I wanted to use this source in order to ensure that I was gathering information from a diverse set of resources.

Rooney, M. (n.d.). ADHD in Teenagers. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://childmind.org/article/adhd-in-teenagers/

This source is a website that explains the difference between mental health and mental illnesses. I think this source does a great job of explaining the differences between the two, and I wanted to include that distinction in the about mental health section of my website. The source defines what mental health and mental illnesses are and even explains how they overlap. Plus, it stresses the importance of mental health just as much as physical health. The website comes from an official counseling program, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). (2018, May 17). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825

This source is an article that explains SSRIs, a commonly prescribed group of antidepressants. I used this source when working on the depression section of my website. The article explains what SSRIs are, how they work, the different types of them, the side effects of them, and any safety concerns that usage of them entails. The website ends in .org and has no ads, so it seems safe to say that it is credible as a source.

Teen Depression. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teen-depression/index.shtml

This source is an article that explains teenage depression. I used it when working on the depression section of my website. The article gives a great general overview of how depression affects teenagers. I specifically liked that it included questions one could ask themselves to see if they are depressed in addition to giving advice on steps a person can take to help themselves or others. The website comes from the National Institute of Mental Health, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

Understanding Self-Injury/ Self-Harm. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://teenmentalhealth.org/understanding-self-injury-self-harm/

This source is an article that explains self-harm amongst teenagers. I used it when working on the suicide and self-harm section of my website. The article does a good job of explaining what self-harm is and why people do it. I also really liked how it gave advice to both people who may be harming themselves and to the people who may know someone who is. The website ends in .org and has no ads, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.

What’s the difference between mental health and mental illness? (2015). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/ask-us/whats-the-difference-between-mental-health-and-mental-illness

This source is an article that explains the difference between mental health and mental illnesses while also debunking the misconceptions about them. I used it when working on the about mental health section of my website. Specifically, I liked how this source explained that people with mental illnesses can still have good mental health. The website comes from the BC Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, so it seems safe to say that it is credible.