Today we’d like to introduce you to Riana Alexander.
Hi Riana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story starts with a frustration. When I was in high school, I suffered through some intense mental health struggles. I was depressed and suicidal for most of high school. When I really started to suffer, in my junior year, I felt that there were not adequate resources or help readily available for me. I felt that schools, teachers, and parents turned a blind eye when teenagers were suffering. Of course, this is not a one – fits all situation. I know many people who are dedicated to aiding struggling teens and have an unmatchable compassion. However, I was feeling that there were many students just like me who were struggling, teen suicide numbers were at a high, Arizona ranking very low in mental health statistics – and despite all of these alarms; there didn’t seem to be much action. I started Arizona Students for Mental Health because I didn’t want kids to go through what I had to. I believe that anyone who is struggling deserves easy access to the help they need.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Personally, I have faced many challenges while struggling with my mental health. I have had multiple depressive episodes that I have had to climb out of. I am thankful to have a supportive family and access to therapy that can help me. There have been many obstacles and challenges as our group works to tackle the broken behavioral health system. In our early moments, we struggled to get our school district members on board with advancing the care available. After around 8 months, we were able to implement great things and there is even a suicide treatment center located on one of the high school campus. Another large barrier to our work has been insurance and the price of treatment. Mental health care can be very costly, and often uncovered by insurance. We have found that many families under coverage by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) are unable to receive treatment due to the financial burden. To combat this, we have started a fundraising program where we are able to relieve that financial burden for families and take on the cost of treatment. The current stigma around mental health is a giant obstacle to tackle, and once we get past that we still have the issues surrounding accessible healthcare for all.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
A big lesson I have learned is perseverance. The issues that we have wanted to improve, have often seemed way to big for us to make a difference. However, our drive and willingness to change systems to better assist everyone is strong and has kept us going. Showing up is a big part of the battle, and what I have learned is that when you show up day after day – small changes are able to be made. I have felt a lot of discouragement while doing non profit work, but the knowledge that we have helped people – even if it is just one, is the reason for it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://azstudentsformenta.wixsite.com/azsfmh
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azstudentsformentalhealth/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riana-alexander-579076308
