Our Mission
While there is a lot of good work being done in many different fields to combat mental health issues, our research has shown that there just isn’t enough societal pressure to force people to adopt programs or generate funding that uses this research to directly help students. It’s time to open disciplinary boundaries, generate communication between those working on this issue, and throw support behind mental health programs created by a coalition of our greatest minds.
Only by implementing our research directly into our social environments can we truly make a difference.
Our goal here at the Icarus Research Group is to develop a set of foundational principles for research that can be brought into any community and used to quickly and efficiently craft effective mental health programs, ready to implement.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
Medical
Mental illness involves so much more than just being a little sad or anxious. Mental health conditions range from everything from depressive and anxiety disorders, to BPD and BP, to autism and ADHD, and many more. People don’t know what they’re at risk for, what symptoms to watch out for, or what options for treatment and recovery are potentially available to them. When dealing with conditions that can manipulate a person’s internal and external perceptions, we cannot wait and hope they will find this information for themselves. This information needs to be widespread and available, with opportunities to learn of personal risks and treatment options.
Educational
For the many years that students spend going through primary and secondary education, mental health conditions are brushed over briefly, if at all. If a student is lucky, they’ll get a brief overview of the main conditions in a college psych class, but even by then it’s often too late to catch things early. The overwhelming risks posed by the mental health crisis to both the individual and society as a whole warrant programs that incorporate these conditions into our health and science curriculums as well as our school’s support networks in general. But it doesn’t stop there. There also needs to be information spread outside of the schools, so that parents, family friends, and those in alternative schools can learn of the legitimacy of these conditions, how to spot them, and who to turn to for help.
Cultural/Societal
The stigma against mental health conditions is real, no matter how verbally progressive our society seems to be. People often believe that they are “freaks” for their symptoms or will be perceived as such for pursuing help. Students’ symptoms are downplayed in the home and at school as they are told to “toughen up” and “not let others know your weaknesses”. Furthermore, our triage attitude toward program funding leaves students feeling they are only worth support if they are in crisis or a danger to themselves and others. These societal and cultural biases that discourage mental health recognition and treatment need to be attacked directly and changed if we are going to see any effective program.
Legal
Students and young adults suffering from mental health conditions often are not aware of their legal rights. Those with mental health conditions should be protected by acts such as the ADA, but these accommodations are often downplayed, left unspoken, or hidden behind egregiously long and difficult application processes. Support needs to be gathered for both current and future legislation involving better mental health programs, recognition, and funding in schools, and those making these legislations need to have easy contact with our top researchers and educators so that they know what will truly be beneficial. While this will eventually save society millions in lost revenue down the road, this is not a short-term money making venture, so it is only by loud and overwhelming pressure and support will these issues be addressed.
Our work is not to overshadow or downplay the work done by anyone else so far. Our goal is to be an organization that helps to bring all of our best minds and resources together, forging a direct path toward getting students the help they need. Students, families, and schools are often left feeling abandoned, and programs based upon our core principles would bring the best help available right to them. But how do we get it done?
We have to work with:
Schools and School Departments
To both help carry out research and reach students, teachers, and faculty directly through the programs we implement.
Nonprofits
To find people who are passionate about and willing to work for the good of the cause, as students’ lives are more important than any profit.
Research and Medical Labs
To help further our understanding both of the medical problems we face and the ways we can overcome them.
Community Centers, Churches, and Places of Gathering
To help spread our information, programs, and treatment opportunities throughout different communities.
Lawyers, Firms, and Legal Advisors
To help determine both what people’s legal rights are as well as what they should be, and to figure out how to enforce them.
Translators and International Groups
To help ultimately spread our work not just across the US but worldwide; mental health is a human issue, not an American one.
Politicians and Government
To push for the legislations we need to see change, and to ensure that enough support is put behind them to see them get acted upon.
Psychiatrists and Therapists
To learn what treatments are effective in the field, and how to change the ones that aren’t.
AND YOU!
Nobody is too small to help us a make a difference.
Every person that joins our cause is one more new perspective, one more set of talents and resources, and one more voice pushing for change.
So Why Icarus?
