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In an awards ceremony last October at Holliswood Hospital in Queens, staff and educators were honored for their outreach work with mentally ill children. The event was organized by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). Holliswood is also the meeting place for a NAMI group for parents whose children are newly diagnosed with mental illness. They learn to detect its signs and where to turn for help.

Holliswood's private facility treats ten- to eighteen-year-olds who are very depressed, homicidal or acting out. The hospital has a school run by Linda Rosenow, Coordinator of Education Services for District 75 and Aftercare in the community.

Amy Maximov is the outreach coordinator for the curriculum "Breaking the Silence," lesson plans through which kids learn biological causes for mental illnesses, its warning signs, treatment and how to fight stigma. The curriculum is written by members of NAMI Queens/Nassau for upper elementary, middle school and high school students.

The curriculum meets the state legislators' standards for stressing moral decisions, kindness and tolerance. According to Ms. Maximov, it's so popular that she's trying to train teachers to teach it throughout the country.

Ms. Maximov honored educators Helene Schaumberger and Louise Kapner with a School Recognition Award from NAMI, for teaching the "Breaking the Silence" curriculum.

Then, Janine Budah, Holliswood's Community Relations Representative, asked the educators in the room how their students' emotional problems were handled. One educator made the father of a suicidal child take him to Elmhurst Hospital. The educator was surprised that the suicidal child was in school the next day. Ms. Budah said that Holliswood trains social workers and guidance counselors to see when children need hospitalization.

At Holliswood, many research programs are available for teens with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. According to CEO and Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, the community wants the hospital to do more clinical research, so patients have cutting edge medicine. To help this process along, Holliswood works closely with managed care companies.

Next, Linda Rosenow presented ways to help children with emotional problems deal with overwhelming fear brought on by September 11th. She advises educators to look for changes in the child's behavior. Pre-schoolers may seek security by sleeping in bed with their parents and middle schoolers may abuse drugs. Others act out by scratching themselves or withdrawing. Linda tells teachers to observe their children closely, so they know when to refer them to mental health professionals.

In the class, children need to be safe. They can express their feelings in journals, to peers and write thank-you notes to firemen and police. Children should have a regular schedule. They should be told they are appreciated, so there is a positive attitude. Relaxation exercises bring calm. Finally, teachers can emphasize that America is great and will persevere.