NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mental Health Awareness Month was designed to nationally decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage open conversation to prevent suicides, violence, depression, and other problems associated with mental health. However, many adolescents, young adults – and their parents – are still in crisis.
Drug use among adolescents is up and the CDC says overdose deaths have increased 500% since 1999 among 15-24-year-olds. Suicide is now the 2nd leading cause of death among people ages 10-34 there has been a 31% increase in mental health ER visits among 12-17-year-olds according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH.)
The implications of not addressing this crisis are catastrophic. But one organization is helping parents in similar situations lean on each other’s virtual shoulders.
Other Parents Like Me (OPLM) is a membership-based virtual community and resource hub created by parents of children struggling with substance use and mental health issues – for other parents walking the same road. Since its launch earlier this year, OPLM has increased its user base by 96% - reinforcing the need for an organization that lets parents know they are not alone.
Creators Liz Reitman and Casie Fariello recognized the void of support resources for parents going through this crisis, when both their kids attended a therapeutic boarding school during COVID-19.
“We needed connection and there was nothing like this at all,” said Reitman. “We were all going through the same thing, and we were really the only other people who understood how we were feeling.”
OPLM provides a safe space with the access and support parents need to move from crisis to healing. The platform offers daily peer-led Zoom support groups, expert panels, a directory of professionals and a hub of podcasts, articles, apps, books, and organizations all things recovery and wellness. Group sharing has become a potent way for members to find community, connection, and meaningful support.
“Parents trying to help a child leave an addiction or get mental health help often eventually just feel hopeless,” said Fariello. “The parents are trying to deal with their own trauma from the situation but there’s a lot of public stigma or even shame the parent feels. But when a parent starts to work on healing themselves, they assist their child in the process. It might seem counterintuitive to prioritize your own mental health, but in this situation, it’s essential.”
About Other Parents Like Me, LLC (OPLM)
Other Parents Like Me, LLC (OPLM) is an online membership-based platform for parents and caregivers of teens struggling with substance use and mental health issues. OPLM’s virtual community is designed to create a safe space with the access and support parents need as they move from crisis to healing. For more information, visit www.oplm.com.
