HELENA — Approximately 60 young people from across the Treasure State descended on the Montana State Capitol to bring awareness to and discuss Youth Mental Health.
Terrence Lozeau, who lives on the Flathead reservation in northern Montana, was among the youth who visited the state capital, spoke with lawmakers, and sat on Monday's sessions and hearings.
“It means way more to me than most people would think, I come from a family where I lost people to suicide; I lost my sister to suicide, and I've lost friends to suicide,” Lozeau said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Montana has the highest suicide rate per capita in the nation. It’s even higher on Indian reservations — this Lozeau has experienced first-hand.
“I've definitely struggled with suicide. I've had those thoughts at a very young age until I found stuff like what we're here for,” said Lozeau.
Wilson McLaughlin of Missoula has also experienced mental health challenges. McLaughlin identifies as queer. She started a gay-straight alliance at her school to create safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ individuals to speak openly about their mental health.
“It just kind of gave me a passion for advocacy in the realm of LGBTQIA+ rights because I was shot down by people my age and by adults and by school and members just for being who I was.”
According to the Montana Office of Public Instruction, 14% of Montana students reported that they were the victim of teasing and or name-calling because someone thought they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or other.
“I think it’s really important to advocate for myself on a higher level because I didn’t get what I needed on the lower level.”
(Watch the video to hear more from an organizer about the visit's importance)
Several young people from Helena were also part of the group that visited the capital and spoke with lawmakers and youth like Milo Merrill. Merrill is diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Having those kinds of obstacles gets a little challenging, and I think it's very helpful when I can talk to a lawmaker or someone in power about how I feel and my experiences, and they can help me and others with these similar experiences,” said Merrill.
