At 'Kids in Crisis' screening, college students get real about mental health struggles and how to help each other through them

Editor's note: If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

OSHKOSH - Even when you're at your lowest, there's so much that makes life worth living.

Dozens of college students came to hear that message and more Tuesday night at Reeve Memorial Union on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus, which hosted a screening and panel discussion around the 2019 documentary "Kids in Crisis: You're Not Alone" about youth mental health. 

Two young people who appeared in the documentary, UW-Oshkosh student TJ Esser and Brookfield East high school graduate Barrett Poetker, spoke Tuesday. They were joined by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Rory Linnane, who spearheaded the 'Kids in Crisis' coverage, and Hanna Maechtle, outreach and training specialist at Rogers Behavioral Health. 

They discussed on-campus resources, how to get yourself through a bad day, supporting peers who are in crisis and making mental health support — particularly for LGBTQ people — a priority in schools and communities. 

Poetker, who's now finishing her undergraduate degree at Luther College in Iowa, said that when the film debuted, it was scary to have her mental health struggles out in the open. 

"But I feel like at the end of the day, being able to share my story and help somebody else is kind of what I'm meant to do," she said. 

The event was especially meaningful for host Sara Allen, president of the student group Active Minds and Esser's girlfriend, because it had been initially set to happen in March 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Allen said she lives with depression and anxiety, some obsessive-compulsive tendencies and panic disorder, and she wants to use what she's been through to help others navigate similar challenges. 

Today, it's even more critical to share campus resources for mental health, Allen said, because COVID-19 changed what college looked like and students might not be as aware of them. 

"If you don't know where to look online, if you don't hear by word of mouth ... you just feel like there's nothing here for you," Allen said. "The timing ended up working well so we can bring all these resources to light."

Each of them shared how they make it through tough days. Allen meditates and journals; Esser recommended doing something small, such as making your bed or getting dressed.

Maechtle added that you should adjust your expectations and give yourself grace. 

Poetker echoed giving yourself credit for achieving the little things. 

"Keeping yourself happy and keeping yourself alive is the most important thing. School is obviously very important, but that should come second to your own well-being," she said. 

"Kids in Crisis: You're Not Alone" was produced by Milwaukee PBS, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin papers, drawing on four years of reporting about the struggles Wisconsin youth face in getting access to treatment for mental illness and confronting stigma. 

Since the documentary was released, it's led to the passage of a state law providing grants for peer-led suicide prevention programs and another requiring student ID cards to list contact information for suicide prevention hotlines. 

A tool kit with information on how to recognize and respond to mental health issues in youth and free copies of "Kids in Crisis: You're Not Alone" are available at jsonline.com/yourenotalone.

Contact reporter Madeline Heim at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @madeline_heim.