SWAMPSCOTT — The town is working hard to change the narrative of youth substance use in order to break down the stigma preventing kids and parents from opening up about their struggles and concerns.
The program, “Community Conversations on Youth Substance Use,” has begun hosting sessions at the town’s Senior Center to explore local perspectives and gather input from Swampscott residents to address people’s concerns about youth experimentation with substances and their mental health.
Run by Wendy Kent, a consultant for the Lynn Health Department and a prevention specialist, and Michelle Simons, the opioid settlement funds program contractor for the Swampscott Health Department, the two have utilized grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to make progress in exploring the struggles of mental health, social media and drug-use.
“There have been some challenges,” Kent said. “People have competing responsibilities (and) commitments, but the people overall have been very engaging, responsive, and interested in talking about their concerns.”
Simons added to that, saying, “There’s been various members of the community with different perspectives, so we have parents’ perspectives, community members that are in recovery themselves, and everybody has a different take.”
The issue that came up most frequently and most consistently has been the community’s concerns about mental health, Kent noted. “It’s difficult because, in the short run, sometimes people feel like substances help you feel better, so I think people are still seeing the ramifications of that, and they’re very concerned about the stigma that goes along with these topics.”
Kent continued, “It’s not being talked about as openly as people would like to see it… Either because people really don’t know what to do, or how to support youth. In addition to that, they’re concerned about what people think.”
Simons reiterated that, across the board, one of the most frequent topics touched upon by participants was the aspect of mental health. On top of that, concerns were raised about the limited treatment resources available to support the needs of youth. “The topic of substance use, combined with mental health concerns, continues to carry a lot of stigma,” Simons explained, “which makes it more difficult for parents and youth to be able to talk more openly about their concerns and address them.”
Kent said there are a lot of concerns among those who participated in the focus group regarding social media and its influence on youth, added with the stress of peer-pressure and the need to feel like kids belong. “That’s why an important part of the work that we’re doing is trying to change the narrative, and looking at what things are working, not focusing on what’s broken, because that just takes us in circles and burns us out,” Kent said.
“Stigma has been around forever, and we haven’t made as much progress as we’d like to see — so what we’re trying to do is normalize the conversation,” Kent said. “It’s not a crime or an area of weakness. We’re trying to get people to talk more and not be afraid… There’s no shame in it, substance-abuse disorders are just that — disorders that are treatable.”
Simons said that the overall goal is to create strategies that are “strength-based, rather than focus on the gaps.” Offering more support and guidance are important steps in creating a more open environment for people to discuss their concerns.
