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Created by dedicated parentsCreada con dedicación por madres y padres February/February – March/Marzo 2017

The other victims of firearms violenceBy Veronica Corona

It was about 10 a.m. on June 1, 2016 when an alarm went off at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Lizbeth was inside a classroom and heard another student saying that a man had fired some shots, leaving two people dead and two wounded.

“To make matters worse, we were having finals and we didn’t even know what to do, whether to stop taking the tests or run to find some place to hide”.

Lizbeth is 20 years old; she is from Los Angeles and wants to be a doctor. Since the shooting, she is undergoing psychiatric treatment with a group of psychologists from UCLA.

Those professionals have been helping her to endure the situation so she can try to lead a normal life, as she stated seating in the backyard of her house where she lives with her family.

Lizbeth continues to relate the events of June 1, “Right then, the professor yelled everybody to the ground. Shortly after, we heard ambulances and police cars that were coming to provide assistance, and cordon off the area and shut down the university”.

Lizbeth’s parents took her to a private doctor because she wanted medicine to help with her depression, a result of the shooting but said he couldn’t give her anything. Instead he recommended exercising a lot, because that would help her manage and redirect her depression.

Shootings at schools have increased in frequency during the past four years since the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school. On December 14, 2012, 26 boys and girls and six adults were killed.

Since January of 2013, there have been 142 shootings at schools and universities in the country, according to the Everytown online registry. In October of 2015, at the University of Oregon, there was a shooting that resulted in 15 dead and 26 wounded.

“I wish that it was all just a nightmare,” Lizbeth says of the UCLA shooting. She also saw when some of her school peers isolated a student of Moroccan descent. She says that they pushed him aside only because he shared the nationality of one of the men accused

Las Otras Víctimas de la Violencia Por Armas de Fuego Por Veronica Corona

Eran las 10 de la mañana del 1 de Junio de 2016, Lizbeth se encontraba en un salón de la Universidad de California Los Ángeles cuando empezó a sonar una alarma. Escuchó a otro alumno decir que un hombre había disparado un arma de fuego dejando 2 personas muertas y 2 heridas.

“Para colmo estábamos en exámenes y no sabíamos ni qué hacer, si parar de hacer el examen o correr y buscar un lugar para escondernos”.

Lizbeth tiene 20 años de edad, es originaria de Los Ángeles, quiere ser doctora y estudia medicina. Desde que el incidente ocurrió está bajo el tratamiento de un grupo de psicólogos de la Universidad, UCLA por sus siglas en inglés, quienes le están ayudando a sobrellevar la situación y así tratar de llevar una vida normal, según comenta desde el patio trasero de su casa, en donde vive con su familia.

Lizbeth continúa contando los eventos del 1 de junio, “en eso el maestro gritó, ‘todos al piso’. Al poco tiempo se escucharon sonar las ambulancias y patrullas que llegaban a dar sus servicios, acordonando el área y cerrando la Universidad.”

Los padres de Lizbeth la llevaron a un médico particular porque ella quería alguna medicina que le ayudara con la depresión resultado del tiroteo, pero el médico le dijo que no le podía dar nada. En cambio, le recomendó que hiciera mucho ejercicio ya que eso le ayudaría a manejar y canalizar la depresión.

Los tiroteos en escuelas han aumentado en frecuencia en los últimos cuatro años desde la masacre en la escuela primaria Sandy Hook. En ese 14 de Diciembre de 2012, 26 niños y niñas, y 6 adultos perdieron la vida.

A continuación se presentan más datos históricos: desde Enero de 2013 se han registrado 142 tiroteos

en las escuelas y Universidades del país de acuerdo al registro en línea de Everytown. En Octubre de 2015 en la Universidad de Oregon hubo un tiroteo que resultó en 15 muertos y 26 heridos.

Sobre lo sucedido en UCLA, Lizbeth dice que “quisiera que todo hubiera sido una pesadilla.” Comenta que le ha perturbado ver cómo sus compañeros estudiantes apartaban y aislaban a otro

of carrying out the terrorist shooting in Paris in November of 2015. “This is not fair,” she says.

Lizbeth adds, “I am not the only one suffering from depression.” She says that several of her student friends are going through the same. According to Sargent Misael Ramos from the Public Safety Department of the University of Southern California, there is help available from professional counseling and psychologists when students need it.

According to data from Mass Shooting Tracker, www.shootingtracker.com, 1,312 people were killed and another 3,700 wounded by firearms between 2012 and 2015.

“As a student of the university myself, when I talk about this subject, it makes me feel sad and lucky,” Lizbeth reflects. She says that she feels sad for the families of the students that were killed due to shootings at schools, “Because they will never again be together.” And she adds, “I feel lucky because I am with my family and now I value that even more.”

She lives in the city of San Bernardino and every day her father drives her to and from the university. “When I hear my father turning on the car engine to go to school, I get goose bumps,” she says.

Since the day of the shooting and every day when she leaves her house, she says goodbye to her family as if it was the last time. She is always frightened when she gets to the university, she says. Lizbeth hopes to be able to graduate one day and get her medical degree.

estudiante de origen Marroquí. Ella dice que lo aislaron sólo por ser de la misma nacionalidad que el hombre acusado de un atentado terrorista en Paris en Noviembre de 2015. “Esto no es justo”, asegura Lizbeth.

“No soy solo yo quien está en depresión,” cuenta Lizbeth. Dice que varias de sus compañeras están en la misma situación. Hay ayuda de consejeros y psicólogos profesionales en las escuelas cuando los estudiantes los necesiten, según el Sargento Misael Ramos del Departamento de Seguridad Publica de la Universidad del Sur de California, USC por sus siglas en inglés.

Del 2012 al 2015 murieron 1,312 personas y otras 3,700 han resultado heridas por arma de fuego, según datos de Mass Shooting Tracker, www.shootingtracker.com.

“Yo como estudiante de la Universidad y al hablar de este tema me hace sentir triste y afortunada,” dice Lizbeth. Ella expresa que se siente triste por las familias de los estudiantes que han perdido la vida a causa de los tiroteos en las escuelas. “Porque nunca más estarán juntos de nuevo,” comenta Lizbeth.

“Me siento afortunada porque estoy con mi familia y ahora la valoro más,” asegura. Lizbeth vive en la ciudad de San Bernardino y todos los días su papá maneja ida y vuelta a la Universidad para que ella continúe sus estudios. “Cuando escucho que mi papá enciende el carro para irnos a la escuela se me eriza la piel,” afirma.

Desde entonces y cada día al salir de su casa, ella se despide de su familia como si fuera la última vez y dice que siempre llega con temor a la Universidad. Lizbeth espera un día graduarse y recibir su título en medicina.

See VICTIMS, Page 4For more information visit / Para saber más visite ww w.First5LA.org/MetroLA y Facebook.com/BestStartMetroLA See Víctimas, Page 4

Department of Health and Human Services https://espanol.mentalhealth.gov

National Suicide Prevention Line 1 800 273 TALK (8255)

NAMI Urban Los Angeles (323) 294-7814; Nami.org 4305 Degnan Blvd Suite 104 Los Angeles, CA 90008-4949

Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic (323) 766-2345; Lacgc.org Walk-in clinic Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 3787 S. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007

Children’s Bureau Mental Health (213) 342-0100; All4kids.org 1910 Magnolia Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007

RESOURCES RECURSOS

Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos https://espanol.mentalhealth.gov

Línea Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio 1 800 273 TALK (8255)

NAMI Urban Los Angeles (323) 294-7814; Nami.org 4305 Degnan Blvd Suite 104 Los Angeles, CA 90008-4949

Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic (323) 766-2345; Lacgc.org Clínica sin Cita Lunes a Viernes, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 3787 S. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007

Children’s Bureau Mental Health (213) 342-0100; All4kids.org 1910 Magnolia Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007

Communications Task Force / Comité de Communications Task ForceAraceli Sanchez • Esbeidi Cardenas • Harssen Mejicanos • Ilda Acateco • Laura De La Cruz • Leticia Ortiz • Luz Hernandez • Maria De Lourdes Gonzalez

Maria I Flores • Maribel Cepeda • Monica De Los Santos • Rosalba Naranjo • Rosa Limeta • Veronica Corona

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Maria opened the door of her house and did not hear a sound. She walked across the garage, back inside the house, checked the nearest bathroom, and did not find anyone. She then hurriedly went through the rest of the house and finally to the kitchen. On top of the table she found a knife and noticed that the tablecloth was ripped.

Maria looked once again in Karla’s small bedroom and that is when she saw her eldest daughter, her right arm on the floor with some blood dripping down. Karla had cut herself with the knife 30 times.

In Los Angeles County, 20 percent of minors, that is one of every five children, have at least one mental illness or disorder including bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression or schizophrenia.

With a frightened and astonished voice Maria asked, “But what have you done my daughter?” Karla, in a very low voice and weakened by the blood loss, answered, “All I want is to feel good.”

Karla was diagnosed with three mental disorders: affective schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. However, it was not easy to reach this diagnosis because Karla did not talk about her symptoms at first, such as the hallucinations, which were very real because as she states, they have smell, sound and visuals.

“Karla, when she was 8 or 9 years old, started to show many changes in her personality that her father and I mistook as rebellion, or things related to her age,” Maria remembers. “Before that afternoon in March of 2011 when she had her first crisis,” Maria says.

An investigation published in August of 2014 by the Center for Research of Health Policies of the University of California, Los Angeles, specifies that 300,000 minors between the ages of 4 and 11 need mental health care. However, only one in four of those minors receive treatment.

Karla’s two younger sisters, Martha and Andrea, have also been affected by the family situation. In their quest to help Karla, Maria and Raul unintentionally neglected the mental health of the little ones.

Martha, the younger sister remembers, “that afternoon when Karla cut her arms, I saw blood in my body. I was very scared but I could not tell my mother because she was busy with the paramedics and the police. And my younger sister Andrea was so little. I couldn’t tell her anything because she might get even more scared.”

María abrió la puerta de su casa y no escuchó un solo ruido. Cruzó el garaje, entró de nuevo a la casa y revisó el baño más cercano pero no encontró a nadie. Con pasos apresurados recorrió el resto de la casa y finalmente la cocina. Sobre la mesa encontró un cuchillo y el mantel rasgado por el mismo.

María buscó una vez más en la pequeña habitación de Karla y fue cuando vio el brazo derecho de su hija escurrién-dole sangre. Karla se había cortado el brazo 30 veces con un cuchillo.

En el Condado de Los Ángeles, veinte por ciento de los menores de edad, es decir 1 de cada 5 niñas y niños, tienen una o más enfermedades y trastornos mentales incluyendo bipolar, ansiedad, depresión o trastorno esquizoafectivo.

Con una voz de miedo y asombro María le preguntó, “¿Pero qué has hecho hija?” Karla, en un tono muy bajo y debilitada por la sangre perdida, le respondió, “yo solo quiero sentirme bien.”

A Karla le diagnosticaron tres trastornos mentales: esquizoafectivo, obsesivo-compulsivo y bipolar. Pero llegar a este diagnóstico fue difícil, pues Karla no hablaba de sus síntomas como las alucinaciones, que son muy reales pues según dice son con olor, sonido y visuales.

“Karla, mi hija mayor, entre los 8 o 9 años de edad, empezó a tener muchos cambios de carácter que confundimos con rebeldía o cosas de la edad,” recuerda María. “Hasta esa tarde de marzo del 2011 que le sucedió su primera crisis.”

Un estudio publicado en Agosto de 2014 por el Centro para la Investigación de Políticas de Salud de la Universidad de California, Los Ángeles, indica que 300,000 menores entre los 4 y 11 años de edad necesitan cuidados de salud mental. Sin embargo, únicamente 1 de cada 4 de esos menores tienen un tratamiento.

Las dos hermanas menores de Karla, Martha y Andrea, también se han visto afectadas por la situación familiar. Y es que en la desesperación de María y Raúl por ayudar a Karla, descuidaron sin querer la salud mental de las pequeñas.

Martha, la hermana menor comenta que en “la tarde cuando Karla se acababa de cortar en los brazos yo vi sangre en mi cuerpo. Me asusté mucho pero no le pude contar a mi mamá pues ella estaba ocupada con los paramédicos y policías. Y mi hermana Andrea era muy pequeña. No le pude decir, pues podía asustarse más.”

Recuerda que dos meses después, “me di cuenta de que esa sangre era mi primer periodo”. Martha realiza una pausa antes de continuar su relato, “es un resentimiento que aún me duele”, asegura. Martha a la fecha de hoy ha tenido dos intentos de suicidio y usa el alcohol y las drogas como refugio.

Andrea, la menor, tiene 10 años e imita las actitudes de Karla. “Es triste vivir así pues en ocasiones todos estamos bien y felices, pero de pronto una de mis hermanas se pone mal y se enoja. Y toda la familia se enoja,” reflexiona Andrea.

She remembers that two months later, “I realized that the blood I saw was from my first period.” Martha makes a pause and then continues her story, “that is a resentment that still hurts me.” Martha has attempted suicide twice since then.

Andrea is the youngest and at 10 years old she says, “It is sad to live like this because sometimes everyone is okay and happy, but all of a sudden one of my sisters gets sick and gets mad. And then the entire family becomes angry.”

Diana Rivas, who works for NAMI Urban Los Angeles as a Bilingual Family Link, mentions, “Nationally, one in every five teenagers is being diagnosed with some form of mental health needs. Half of them start developing some condition at 14 years of age. The rest will develop a condition around 24 years of age.”

All across Los Angeles County there are many agencies offering mental health services for all families. NAMI offers different educational programs for the community; they help the whole family. They offer classes to professionals to help their patients and give referrals to support groups for families and patients.

During the past five years, Karla has been admitted to psychiatric centers 10 or 12 times. At the beginning of this

journey and without the exact diagnosis, she was frequently intervened, according to Maria. She also states that with the help of the National Alliance for Mental Health, NAMI, the family has learned to better understand this illness and help Karla, as well as her two younger sisters.

NAMI organizes support groups for families who have members with mental health illnesses. Bertha Lozano, a support mother in NAMI Urban Los Angeles states, “As a support mother, we work as a team with specialists and parents to teach them how to deal and help a child with mental health issues. And wow to obtain available resources.”

Karla is now 21 years old; she is a quiet girl and does not smile too much. She does not go out of her house a lot because of her condition; she does not socialize. She says she feels bad in crowded places. “It is difficult to live like this for the rest of my life,” she states.

She knows of two friends that have died in cases related to the mental disorders they suffered, the same ones that she has and that makes her afraid.

Each day is a challenge for which the entire family continues to prepare, according to Raul, Karla’s dad. He says, “It is important to look for help as soon as possible, when you notice the first symptoms.”

Diana Rivas, quien trabaja en NAMI Urban Los Angeles como Enlace Familiar Bilingüe comenta que “a nivel nacional 1 en 5 adolescentes está diagnosticado con alguna enfermedad mental. La mitad empiezan a desarrollar una condición a los 14 años de edad. El resto desarrollará la condición alrededor de los 24 años de edad.”

NAMI ofrece diferentes programas educativos en la comunidad, ayudan a la familia tanto como al enfermo. También dan clases a profesionales para ayudar al paciente y refieren a la familia y paciente con grupos de apoyo.

En los últimos cinco años Karla ha sido internada en 10 o 12 ocasiones en centros psiquiátricos. Ya que al inicio de este recorrido y sin un diagnóstico exacto, las internaciones eran frecuentes, según comenta María. También dice que con la ayuda de NAMI la familia ha aprendido a entender esta condición y a ayudar a Karla, al igual que a sus hermanas.

La Alianza Nacional por la Salud Mental, NAMI por sus siglas en inglés, organiza grupos de apoyo en salud mental para las familias. Bertha Lozano, mamá de apoyo en NAMI Los Ángeles Urban dice, “como mamá de apoyo trabajamos en equipo con especialistas y padres para enseñarles cómo tratar y ayudar a un hijo con su salud mental. Y sobre cómo obtener los recursos disponibles.”

Karla hoy tiene 21 años, es una muchacha callada que no sonríe mucho. Sale poco de casa por su condición, no socializa mucho. Se siente mal en ambientes con mucha gente. “Es difícil vivir así el resto de mi vida”, dice.

Sabe de dos amistades que han fallecido a consecuencia del trastorno mental que padecían, los mismos que ella tiene. Y eso le asusta.

Cada día es un reto para el cual toda la familia continúa preparándose según Raúl, el esposo de María. “Es importante buscar ayuda a tiempo, cuando se notan los primeros síntomas,” dice Raúl.

Mental Health Facts CHILDREN & TEENS

Fact: 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 have, or will have a serious mental illness.1

Impact

Warning Signs

Suicide

20% 11% 10% 8%20% of youth ages

13-18 live a with mental health condition1

11% of youth have a mood disorder

110% of youth

have a behavior or conduct disorder

1

8% of youth have an anxiety disorder

1

50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24.150%

The average delay between onset of symptoms and intervention is 8-10 years.110 yrs

37% of students with a mental health condition age 14 and older drop out of school—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.1

37%

70%70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have a mental illness.1

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10 - 24.1

3rd

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!

Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than 2 weeks (e.g., crying regularly, feeling fatigued, feeling unmotivated).

Trying to harm or kill oneself or making plans to do so.

Out-of-control, risk-taking behaviors that can cause harm to self or others.

Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or fast breathing.

Not eating, throwing up or using laxatives to lose weight; significant weight loss or gain.

Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.

Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.

Drastic changes in behavior, personality or sleeping habits (e.g., waking up early and acting agitated).

Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that can lead to failure in school.

Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities like hanging out with friends or going to classes.

!!

!

!

!

4 Things Parents Can Do

Talk with your pediatrician

Get a referral to amental health specialist

Work with the school

Connect withother families

90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.1

90%

www.nami.org

1 This document cites statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. www.nimh.nih.gov

Follow Us!

facebook.com/officialNAMI

twitter.com/NAMIcommunicate

Mental Health Facts CHILDREN & TEENS

Fact: 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 have, or will have a serious mental illness.1

Impact

Warning Signs

Suicide

20% 11% 10% 8%20% of youth ages

13-18 live a with mental health condition1

11% of youth have a mood disorder

110% of youth

have a behavior or conduct disorder

1

8% of youth have an anxiety disorder

1

50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24.150%

The average delay between onset of symptoms and intervention is 8-10 years.110 yrs

37% of students with a mental health condition age 14 and older drop out of school—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.1

37%

70%70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have a mental illness.1

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10 - 24.1

3rd

!

!

!

!

!

Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than 2 weeks (e.g., crying regularly, feeling fatigued, feeling unmotivated).

Trying to harm or kill oneself or making plans to do so.

Out-of-control, risk-taking behaviors that can cause harm to self or others.

Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or fast breathing.

Not eating, throwing up or using laxatives to lose weight; significant weight loss or gain.

Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.

Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.

Drastic changes in behavior, personality or sleeping habits (e.g., waking up early and acting agitated).

Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that can lead to failure in school.

Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities like hanging out with friends or going to classes.

!!

!

!

!

4 Things Parents Can Do

Talk with your pediatrician

Get a referral to amental health specialist

Work with the school

Connect withother families

90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.1

90%

www.nami.org

1 This document cites statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. www.nimh.nih.gov

Follow Us!

facebook.com/officialNAMI

twitter.com/NAMIcommunicate

Family Mental HealthBy Maritza Flores

Salud Mental Familiar Por Maritza Flores