Mother and Son Join Forces to Battle Teen Depression from Tieast Leverett on Vimeo.
In a crowded Panera in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a bedroom community of Philadelphia, Tracy “Tre” Scott checks the time on his phone frequently…even though he always makes time to talk about his passion; he is also on a mission.
As the founder of Kick Teen Depression, an organization dedicated to using music and the arts to address depression in youth, teen and young adults, Scott draws heavily upon his own experience with mental illness as the motivation behind his organization.
According to the National Institutes of Mental Heath, (NIMH) about 11 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. In the African American community, depression and other mental health issues are so stigmatized that they are often hidden, which leads to large portions of the community left with untreated conditions.
When depression is not addressed, it can ultimately lead to suicide, an act that is slowly trending upward in the African American community.
Scott has partnered with his mother, Dana Scott-Twine to build an organization focused on ending teen depression once and for all. Scott-Twine, a mental-health parent coach, and the founder of Kick Teen Depression’s sister organization Parents Win, has also battled depression, and believes if parents are knowledgeable about what to look for, they can initiate much needed intervention before it is too late.