YMCA To Host Thursday Event on Teen Depression

The Wyckoff Family YMCA is hosting a special event Thursday night addressing the issue of depression among teens. The event "A Mother's Story - Reflections on Losing Jimmy" by Ann Galey and "A Youth's Story - Depression, Recovery and Hope" by Jordan Burnham, will be held from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. in the YMCA Community Room.

Burnham, 21, will recount his incredible ordeal of near-death and survival as he shares his story of overcoming crippling depression.

"I was depressed but had no idea what that really meant. I would just be crying for no reason or wake up and not feeling like myself," Burnham told Patch. "I wasn't really sure what those symptoms meant or how to ask for help because I didn't know what depression was."

Burnham's depression grew to be so overwhelming it led him to leap out a 9-story bedroom window when he was 18-years-old following an argument with his parents. Lucky to be alive, he suffered major physical injuries as a result of the fall and is still recovering, walking with a slight limp. Today he continues to battle his depression through therapy and anti-depressants as he tours the country sharing his story.

"I want to plant a seed in people's mind that it's ok to talk about the things they go through and are feeling. I'm hoping someone will hear me and think it's ok to seek treatment," Burnham said. "I just want to make someone comfortable starting that conversation about how they’re doing."

Grace Carricarte, the director of the Ganley Foundation, will be the guest presenter tomorrow night. Carricarte said the epidemic of teen depression is something that everyone needs to aware of.

"If you look in the average classroom of 30 students, six will express forms of diagnosable depression before they graduate high school. When it comes to it becoming a growing epidemic I feel there's a vulnerability among our teens today, so as a community we have to try to step up and support them whether it be a teacher, a coach, a parent or a friend," Carricarte said. "It might just mean showing an act of kindness for someone who's having a hard day."

For ticket reservations contact Kathy Scarpelli at 201-891-1820. The event is being co-sponsored by the Wyckoff Municipal Alliance, the Wyckoff Board of Health and the Wyckoff Family YMCA.