The Outpatient Project

“I participated in this run because I like to do runs, I like to do 5k’s in the area, but this one particularly because I teach high school. And I do have a number of students who have struggled with a lot anxiety issues and mental health issues and stress issues. And they don’t always know how to handle it. So this seemed like a really cool organization to put my money towards. To help, to support, and to speak for all of my kids.”

“I am Solomé Tibebu’s mom. She is the founder of Anxiety in Teens. I saw her struggling with anxiety and I was a part of her recovery for over 5 years. And I want to support the cause because I know what the kids and what the parents are going through. I believe in supporting others and spreading news about the cause to let kids and parents know that they are not alone. They do not have to suffer. There are outside sources there. They can ask for help. And that’s why I support, I walk, and I organize.”

“I saw the volunteer opportunity at work and I wanted to do it because I know how stressful it is to be a teenager. Anxiety is becoming very common in teenagers, so that’s why I am here to support.”

“I just found myself on the street here and….No, I’m just kidding. My daughter is the organizer of this run. And she’s been involved with this from day one, trying to get this run going. And I was very interested in her trying to do something like this, so I wanted to support it. I also got interested after I talked with people and found out about the various things that the organization Anxiety in Teens does. I thought it was a good cause and a good thing to volunteer for.”

“It’s difficult dealing with anxiety and I would like to learn more about it. I like to contribute time wise and I like to contribute funds to studies to help people, because anxiety definitely leads to many other behaviors that maybe are not so positive. So anything more I can learn about anxiety I think would be a good thing. I just wanted to come meet and see some people so that I can contribute to some fun and so that I can learn.”

“Anxiety is something that a lot of people go through. And I don’t think people have enough awareness that it is an actual thing. It is something we need to strive on getting better. We need to strive on giving people options to help with their anxiety. That is the reason that I most wanted to come to this event today: to do the walk. I feel like I have a lot of anxiety. My sister has a lot anxiety, as well as my mom. It kind of runs in the family, because we are high stressed and high paced. And I think sometimes we take advantage of that. We don’t think “Hey, there’s a way out.” There are therapeutic options, like going on walks and runs, and taking time out of your day to just have that peace time, to decompress.”

“Well I don’t really have any experience with anxiety, but Christy Redmond is the organizer of this event and she’s an honors student of mine at the University. So Christy finished her degree in physiology and for part of the honors program she has to write a paper on anything within physiology. She researched and did an excellent paper on anxiety, the different hormones that are released with it, and ways to alleviate it through music or exercise. And as part of that, we tried to have them do some outreach program for the community so it’s not just a nice paper that’s written up and stuck in the library. It’s more proactive if they can get out and actually do something for the community. So we’ve had people in the past do things, organize teens and walks and things. And she decided to put on an entire run. She organized the whole run and raised money for the Anxiety In Teens project. So, yeah, very impressive, it’s one of the better honors theses that I know of.”

“I have had a lot of people in my life who have had anxiety, and I think it is highly under-treated. People suffer in silence a lot of the time, which is unfortunate. People don’t take anxiety as seriously as it is. So it is really important to have awareness about it. My friend actually is the one who hosted this walk, and she picked this organization because she thought it was a good cause. So I was totally excited to come out here and support it.”

“So I worked in mental health, actually, for fourteen years before coming here and working at the university. I have a daughter who has a lot of anxiety issues, and she is going to be here today. That is why I am here. To support it. I am also an Iraq veteran. There are people who have been diagnosed with PTSD that are family and friends. The correlation that I have seen with anxiety and PTSD are very similar, and I think anything to help and support people who have that is awesome.”

“I heard about this event from members of The Outpatient Project and I thought it was a really important opportunity to fundraise for. I have definitely known people diagnosed with anxiety. I’ve also known people who weren’t diagnosed with it but showed the symptoms. I think that there is a really difficult route to being diagnosed and seeking out professional help. So that’s one of the biggest reasons I’m here. And I am kind of a fan of running. I have never actually done or organized a 5k so… it’s an exciting time.”

“I dealt with anxiety a lot growing up. I did not know it was anxiety. The first time I actually had a panic attack, I did not know what it was. I completely freaked out and I did not know what to do. I did not know where to go. And I got expelled because they were like, “You cannot do that at school.” and I was just like, “Well… I am sorry.” I was going through a lot. Let’s just put it like that. So going through that, I told myself, “You are a powerful person. You cannot let other people beat you down. And you are you. This is your life. You make it how you want to make it.” I have been telling myself that, and I pretty much grew up. Now I have my own apartment and I am doing my own thing. I got a job and stuff! I decided to volunteer here today because there are a lot of people that are going through those situations who do not have that strength to be like, “Yes. It is me.” People still think that it is no one else in the world, and it is just them. No, you gotta believe that there are people there for you, and you gotta be there for yourself!”

“I think that most people who run do it because they have some kind of release that they’re looking for, because there is usually some kind of stress in their lives. Exercise helps people who have anxiety and depression, because it provides an outlet and it provides a way of empowering yourself. There’s a lot of studies about how it impacts your dopamine levels, and all that kind of cool stuff in your brain, so that’s a positive. So I think it’s great to see all of you guys trying to help people find that release. I’m here to support my students. Mental illness is definitely close to my heart because I’ve seen it affect people. And my family has a whole litany of mental illness in it, to be honest. Especially my dad’s side of the family has a lot of history of bipolar disorder and depression. I also struggle with a little bit of anxiety, some panic attacks. Those are not the best. ”

Woman: “We represent Sonora Behavioral Health. We’re the community liaisons and we go out to the community and do education and destigmatization of mental health services for Sonora.”

Man: “I actually run the mobile assessment team for Sonora. I’ve been involved with the mental health community in Pima County for 30 something years. It’s kind of a passion. I am here because there’s a huge stigma around mental illness. A lot of misperception. I’m here to provide some real information and maybe eliminate some misperceptions about what mental illness is and isn’t. I got a degree at the University of Arizona in psychology, only because I had all of these different degrees on a dart board, and I threw a dart and it hit psychology. I said, ‘Let me do that!’ But I got involved, I graduated, found some interest, one thing led to another, and I’ve been a provider in this community for a long time. I live here. I like it. As I’ve been involved, there have been more and more needs for people to get out and talk about it and to try to normalize it. In my particular work, in crisis work (I work primarily in emergency rooms), I see people who are presenting with mental health issues and substance abuse issues. In crisis, there needs to be somebody who has got some sensitivities to mental illness, who is willing to listen. That’s a big piece of this, is listening. I try to normalize it, listen, and provide people with resources that ultimately keep them safe and improve their quality of life.”

“We are here to support our granddaughter.” Translated from: “మా మనవరాలు మద్దతుగా ఇక్కడ ఉన్నాం”

“Initially, I was looking into it because I was doing a project for my honors thesis where I was trying to see how music could lower stress and anxiety levels to improve athletic performance. And so I was trying to put together a pep band to play at a 5k for anxiety. And this is the only one I found. But I realized that they weren’t having it unless someone was willing to host it in another area other than Minneapolis. So I reached out to them and I decided that I felt really passionate about the cause and it was going to be an exciting event, so I decided to host it. I think anxiety is something we all can relate to, whether we have experienced it or someone we know has. And I think it’s also very misunderstood and I think that it needs to be brought into light more because a lot of people struggle with it. It’s really important that we spend more time helping the people suffering with it, because we don’t know what’s going on with them. I have a close friend who had a lot of trouble with anxiety. He ended up needing to go on medical leave from college because it was so bad, so that was my personal experience with it. It was hard for me to watch that happen to him. So, it’s something I feel passionate about, because it was so detrimental for him at that time. I think that people assume a lot of times that anxiety is not as overwhelming as it is. And they think maybe you could just work through it, so I think people try to suppress it more often. We need to try and understand it better, realize that it really is crippling to people, and we need to spend more time helping people feel comfortable with it.”

“Generally speaking, out West is a little bit more rural than the Eastern Seaboard, which is a bit more urban. Generally speaking. I think there’s more awareness of mental illness on the East Coast. There may be more resources. We tend to be more rural out here, so we’re going to find less help available in the rural areas.”

“I wanted to support my friends in The Outpatient Project and I like to run, so it’s perfect!”

“Anxiety in Teens is the first online mental health magazine exclusively for young adults. I started it in 2006 after being an anxious teen myself without any resources online, or anything. I was like, “You know, what is up with that? There should be something there.” I guess that’s when I decided I would be the person to do it. And so I took out my notebook and said let’s make this resource where we could find information about anxiety. And so it’s right there at my fingertips, exactly what I’m looking for and experience. But also, and more importantly, the understanding that I was not alone. I think it was really critical to see there were other stories of young people who were going through what I was going through. Because it’s very common with things like anxiety to think, “I’m so unique in what I’m experiencing!” And obviously, that’s not true. So that’s when I creatively named it AnxietyinTeens.com and that was the beginning of Anxiety in Teens. And then eventually it was just nationwide from there. We have had over two-hundred or so contributors for this site. But it is really interesting because the students who actually have some kind of anxiety or depression or any kind of mood disorder, obviously, their content was very meaningful, more so than any student. So we have made it just exclusively for people with those kinds of experiences. It is for teens, college students and then parents just became such a huge audience that it is literally like half of the site now. And so Anxiety in Teens is one of the only places you can go and read an adult’s perspective on help, their anxiety, what they do to help. And so there is an entire section just for parents, to get that insight. It has definitely evolved and everywhere I do the 5k I say, ‘Never again. I am sure.’ How we picked Tucson is Christy actually. We had one in San Francisco, we had other past interns who wanted to take up leadership roles. Christy is in a music program at University of Arizona. She had a big capstone project and wanted to show the impact on physical activity and music on anxiety. So, she reached out, and had no idea what she was getting herself into when she became the race director for Anxiety in Teens of Tucson. We could not have done it without her, so it was good. Yeah, we got more people than we expected. Man, the bibs, the forms… it is mind-blowing. And everyone gets a shirt! Yay! Oh I need to get one of those. Every year I lose my shirt. It’s classic and I am like I need to get my one shirt, so I know I have to do that.”

“I do think that we’re talking more about mental health, but absolutely not enough. And I see that in just the type of emails that I get, whether they’re parents or young people saying, “I’m not comfortable talking to anyone about this yet.” I think that needs to change because 1 in 4 people struggle with a mental health issue. They’re extremely treatable, and so it’s important that young people get to talk to a trusted adult, or a counselor, or anyone that can get them help because when they do, their anxiety can be reduced.”

“Everybody suffers from anxiety. It’s just a matter of how you deal with it, and how you cope with it, you know? We all have different levels of coping. Some people deal with stress. Some people, they roll with it, incorporate the experience, and move on. Other people maybe have to stop and deal with the specific event that prompted the anxiety. And they might not be able to move on until they resolve those issues. So dealing with anxiety is not a black and white deal. Mental illness is not a black and white deal either. We all experience some level of psychiatric crisis in our lifetime. Well over half of us. For something that’s so common, we sure do treat it with not the expected requirements.”

“I served my country in the United States Navy, and I have PTSD. I was diagnosed at the VA and sought treatment and things like that. I found, for me, that going to the VA was a huge trigger because of a lot of different reasons that I do not really want to get into. And they were very like, ‘You need to tell us what is going on.’ I told them that I did not want to go back, and they said, ‘Thanks for calling. Usually women do not call us back.’ I found that women in mental health at the VA were like these islands. They just disappear like like a wave. My struggle with PTSD was almost like a 3D computer screen. The memories came, and so did the trauma. It was very physical. I physically felt the fear, the intense heartbeat on more than one occasion. I had to figure out what my triggers were. I had to work through those with my own awareness. I struggled with suicidal thoughts for years. It is a serious thing. I have talked to my VA counselor who has helped me immensely and he says, ‘Oh they are just thoughts’ and this and that. So I have made friends with my suicidal thoughts in a way. They are just thoughts. You know? But the way that he described it to me, and it is something that I cling to, is that those were something that my brain came up with as an answer. As a solution to the problem. Oh, okay kill yourself. And that sounded like a good idea at the time, but then you look at that, and you have people around you who love you, which is very important (to have your support: family, friends, whatever it is). And I got help. The organ that is the brain has these thoughts that come up with these solutions. I had to have the awareness that it is an organ, which is my brain. To me, that was like getting into your body, operating from your heart, and realizing that this will pass. And then it does. Then you are filled with gratitude, “Holy cow! That is over. I no longer feel that way. I am on the other side.” And it has been a powerful experience. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have helped me greatly. Alternative therapies. I was really scared, and against taking western medicine for my anxiety and depression. But after struggling with the suicidal thoughts and crippling depression, I chose to get on the western medication… and it helps. I am able to function in this world. It is kind of like I came from the other end of the spectrum: I was not over-medicated, I was under-medicated… so that is one thing. I have a history of addiction in my family and I think that plays a big role. And a big part of my story too I think is my cousin. He unfortunately became addicted to painkillers and he ended up passing away at the age of twenty-four, in 2012. That was a really pivotal experience for me and it forced me to look at my own addictions with various different things. So I have to live a very certain lifestyle. I do not drink any alcohol. I take my western medications. Sometimes I will use medical marijuana if I need to, but that has to be used with the most reverence and self-awareness. And it is kind of like, to stay sober and to stay functional, I have to be happy. I have to force my mind to focus on those gratitude thoughts. It is like everyday, my anxiety, depression, and addictions are like my little pets that I just have to take care of. And it is self-love. It is self-love constantly. I am really lucky that I found a partner who is able to understand and support me in that. They know that I have to take care of myself. I have had partners in the past who have said that I was selfish, and distant, and aloof, and sort of whatever. And it is sort of like, ‘No. You do not understand, like I have to do this or else I will not be me.’ So that is a huge, long summary of why I am here. Why I am here too is to help people and realize that there are solutions out there. Also to raise awareness that yeah, suicidal thoughts are thoughts. It is a permanent solution for a temporary feeling. Get help if you need it.”

“I would say my parents are probably on more of the anxious side too. I probably was a big part in that. I think they were surprised. They definitely were on their own journey with my own anxiety. When it was developing, they didn’t know what to do, and they weren’t very familiar with anxiety. My parents are both from different backgrounds, different cultures, and they didn’t even have a word for OCD at the time. So that was definitely a learning curve for them in understanding first what I was dealing with and next how they could help me. Definitely a process.”

“Mental health and mental health stigma, it’s a complex issue and obviously if it was easy, then organizations like us wouldn’t have to do the amount of work that we do. One of the things that I think has been really critical to evolving that conversation has been adapting technology. And so whether we’re talking about access geography-wise or just comfort level, what younger people are more comfortable using is digital tools. I think that the proliferation of all of these digital tools is something that could absolutely change mental health care. I’m personally excited about stuff like that. We like to cover different new and exciting things, evidence based treatments via mobile or whatever, through our website all of the time. So, yeah, I’m pretty excited about things like that. I mean with Anxiety in Teens and our social media platforms, we are right in there, seeing that, and being a part of those conversations. I think that’s really important because there are definitely some dark circles amongst the internet. The more that positive influences can be a part of that conversation, than that’s one thing that we can start to do. Certainly with Anxiety in Teens, we write about social media and how people need to be careful that we are just showcasing our best selves on there. And that really if we’re be more mindful about that, than we’re in a better place to use these platforms more responsibly, the way that we should. For people who know me, I’m an avid instagrammer. I love these tools, filters, I’m all about it. But it really is just about why are you doing what you’re doing, and what are you looking for. Social media can be a great thing, we dispense resources and advice on where people can get help. So I’m not saying that the platforms are bad, it’s just knowing how to use them properly.”

“My daughter Christy discovered that she had a little bit of anxiety last year. And when she had a thesis to write, she tied it in to music helping people with anxiety because she’s also in the band. She organized this race. I’m not sure how she came up with the idea, but it turned out really well. And yes, I’m very proud of her and the way it turned out. Unfortunately, I think anxiety tends to be passed down in certain families. And in my family we have a lot of anxiety. I had a father who was an alcoholic, and his dad was, and my mother’s father was. My mother has high anxiety. Which, of course, I know that my brother and I picked up on that. And unfortunately I know I passed some down to Christy. But she seems to be dealing with it very well. I’m working on it. I think as I’ve gotten older and my hormones have changed, my anxiety has gotten worse. So I’m looking for some alternatives, maybe exercise. I’m about to start learning yoga. I actually didn’t know what was wrong with me for most of my life until recently. I had what I thought was ADHD issues. I went to a counselor and talked to a few people and they said that it’s actually anxiety. So, I’ve been learning a lot myself.”

“I am volunteering to help with the logistics of the event because I think it’s a good cause. A lot of teens have anxiety and I think it keeps a lot of them from going onto college and other education in the future. I don’t have anxiety myself, but when I was in school, I noticed a lot of things that looked like anxiety. And it was really hard for people who I thought might have it to get their workload done.”

We’re at the OutRun Anxiety 5k here in Tucson here today. Very excited about the event because for me personally, I just want to say how much running has actually made a difference in my anxiety growing up. It’s so funny because I remember in 7th grade, my mother signed me up for cross country running after school. And I was just dragging my feet, I thought it was so uncool, I hated it. But I stuck with it and it ended up helping my anxiety so much that I did it throughout high school, and then signed up again in college, and then ran marathons after that. If there is one thing outside of just spreading awareness about mental health and Anxiety in Teens today, it is giving the opportunity for young people to train for something and take better care of themselves physically. I mean it’s all part of the same thing. So I’m just so excited that we could advance that and that we could do this today.”