Having a friend suffer from depression, anxiety or any other mental illness isn’t easy to deal with. We often are stuck between telling an adult or keeping it a secret because we may think our friend will be mad. “See Something? Say Something.” is a campaign that will help your friend, classmate or family member get help the right way.

If you have a concern about someone’s mental health, many signs are hung up around school with a QR code that you can scan. Just hold your phone up to scan it, and it will take you to a sheet you can fill out anonymously. St. Dominic’s wellness counselor Ms. Kat Lammering plays a big role on the receiving end. She receives the concerns and takes care of them without anybody, including her, knowing who addressed her of the situation.

“I think the most important reason to use this campaign is to report concerning behaviors in other Crusaders. For example, if you have a friend you’re really concerned about: maybe they mentioned they’ve been thinking about suicide or self harming. For the student being told this information, that’s some heavy stuff. You want to get your friend help, but don’t want them to know it was you because they trust you and you don’t want to lose that,” Ms. Lammering said.

St. Dominic is all about being a community, and the “See Something? Say Something.” campaign will help all students be aware of the people around them and hopefully have each other’s backs. Even if you don’t know a student who is struggling personally, you should report the situation.

“It’s [the campaign] another way for students to feel that we care and your voice is valid. It also instills that sense of looking out for others and taking care of one another. Students will know that someone has their back, even if they don’t personally know them,” Ms. Lammering said.

Mr. Nathan Tock, Dean of Students at St. Dominic, has also played a big part in this campaign. Though this campaign, his goal is to help as many students as possible and be able to spread awareness about how seriousness mental health really is.

“Concern for our students is the main cause for this [the campaign]. We [Ms. Lammering and him] are more aware of situations than the average student or faculty, mainly because we are a part of the admin team, so we thought that there was a need for it. If it’s possible to help just one kid, then putting all our effort into it will be worthwhile,” Mr. Tock said.

Asking for help can be a scary thing. Even if your friend doesn’t think they need or want help, get help. In the long run, they will absolutely appreciate your concern.