In a heartfelt presentation by Hakeem Rahim, a representative from the National Alliance on Mental Illness who has spoken to over 4,000 students in the last year alone, Garden City High School tenth-graders learned of the warning signs of mental illness and how to help those suffering from the disease. Rahim’s powerful presentation was part of Garden City’s health education program. He shared a wealth of information with the students about the different forms mental illness can take—depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, OCD, eating disorders— and shared statistics: one out of five adolescents and one out of four adults experience mental illness, including well-known celebrities such as Ben Stiller and J.K. Rowling. Rahim also shared his own story about developing panic attacks while pursuing his degree at Harvard.
– Submitted by Garden City Public Schools
