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Kiley (Behavioral Medicine)
Eighteen-year-old Kiley of has a message for young people who are facing depression - there is hope.

After a serious bout that began several years ago, Kiley has successfully come through a dark period and is eagerly looking to a bright future ahead, including college. After receiving care at Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center, she is bravely telling her story to others in the hopes that she can help those who may be experiencing the same issues.

"I did a really good job of keeping a smile on my face and ignoring the problem for the first two or three years. I isolated myself from everybody when I had feelings of hopelessness." She admittedly resorted to alcohol, a poor way of self medicating. "Once you get past the point of being sad, just the normal blues, you keep going down and down and down, and your state of mind completely changes," she says. She eventually attempted an overdosed. "And I would say it wasn't with the intention of hoping to wake up the next morning," she says now.

"From age 10 to 18, depression and suicide are in the top 10 killers in our society," states Wally Sackett, vice president, KMC Clinical Services. "And the problem is increasing, it's not going away. We offer our communities a supportive program families can turn to when children are struggling for a safe environment. Muchneeded bridges and connections can be built appropriately and family members who need to be part of the therapeutic environment can actively participate in the care plan."

Luanne Kurtz, a family therapist at the center, was one of many staff members who worked with Kiley during her stay. "I view many of our kids as like onions," she states."You have to keep peeling the layers. It often takes a long time for kids to let some of those guards down. They've built walls and it takes a very long time to trust."

"I think Luanne is a really good therapist and counselor, and someone who was easy to talk to," Kiley says. "Sometimes you just connect with certain people." Kiley says she felt comfortable talking with everybody at the center, but Luanne always had good advice and was able to guide her to think positively.

Today, Kiley tells others that she learned to find her coping skills from the therapy she received at Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center. "I figured out that listening to music wasn't enough and I needed to learn how to talk to people and communicate. Seeing a psychologist helped, but I needed to reach out to my family to involve them and my friends as well."

Kiley graduated from high school this spring and is preparing for college. Her easy smile shows she's coping and doing well. "I'm back into my life. I think the depression was taking a step back and taking a step away from the person I used to be. Now, I have the life back in me and I'm getting ready for college next year. I'm ready to keep moving forward."