The American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association Alliances are proud to bring to communities a grassroots collaborative project that promotes opportunities to target the following areas:

a) Youth violence prevention: to use as a primary prevention strategy
b) Mental health literacy: to increase the ability to read, understand and act on health care information
c) Stigma: to demystify mental illness, its treatment and prevention

The APA Alliance initiated “When Not to Keep a Secret” in 1998, co-sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association and funded for the first seven years by the American Psychiatric Foundation. The collaboration with both alliances began in 2008 and the change of the name of the project was voted upon at the annual meeting of the APA Alliance in the same year.

The topic sentence continues to be relevant. “Secrets” challenges an adolescents’ sense of immortality and gives permission to break a confidence, when the confidence is life threatening. In order to write on the topic, students have to confront the harsh truths and explore a higher level of ethical behavior.

“Secrets” is a tool educators and parents can use to model appropriate disclosure skills. Adults work hand-in-hand with adolescents through this process, at the same time enhancing a community culture to promote acceptance, moral/civil obligations, and to empower youth to support their peers.

Adolescents are encouraged to seek assistance from a trusted adult. Asking them to identify a trusted adult gives them the opportunity to proactively think about sources of support when they hear threats of violence or destructive behavior.

Collaborations with local resources, mental health associations, suicide prevention and advocacy groups, local medical associations and their alliances, hospital alliances and law enforcement are a few important components in the overall strategy for mental health education.

“Secrets” has been incorporated in curricula including English, Social Studies, Civics, and
Health/Life Skills. Reading the essays gives adults a view of the topics of concern to students and has the opportunity to talk on the subject or invite a speaker to address those concerns.

“When Not to Keep a Secret” (former name of this project) was reaffirmed in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: 48:5 February 2005. The article by Douglas Fisher, “The Literacy Educator’s Role in Suicide Prevention” states that this program offers educators another venue for violence prevention and mental health education.

Entries submitted discuss depression, teen suicide, eating disorders, physical fighting, relationship violence, self esteem, bullying, substance abuse, sexual gender issues and weapon carrying.

Community leaders (media, legislators, county officials, medical personnel) are asked to participate as judges. The involvement of community leaders is critical because they may be able to improve mental health funding and influence allocation of resources. “Secrets” has given psychiatrists and other mental health professionals an opportunity to meet with 7th-10th grade students in an informal environment in which the mental health professional can replace myth with the facts regarding people with mental illness. The APA and AMA Alliances want young people to know that there is hope, there is treatment, and a confidence shared with a trusted adult can save lives.

Local organizations that want to initiate “Secrets” must sign a Letter of Understanding in order for those essays to be accepted for national judging.