Teens lead charge to improve mental health support in Johnson County

Zero Reasons Why has supported teens in Johnson County advocating for their mental health since 2018.

The group's work helped the community see a 33% decrease in teen suicide from 2019-2020, according to Johnson County Mental Health Center Director Tim DeWeese.

Trisha Rastogi, teen council member, explained to KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree that Zero Reasons Why is all about teens helping teens.

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“I'm able to provide a teen perspective of mental health,” Rastogi said.

When Johnson County initiated a dive deep into teen mental health, officials found there was a voice missing from the conversation — teens.

“It's a little bit of like a sense of relatability knowing that somebody that you're asking for support likely has gone through some of the similar things,” Rastogi said.

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With the start of the school year on the horizon, DeWeese said the organization is looking for its next class of council members.

“We’ve gone seven years now. That means that there’s been a graduating class that leaves, and despite the leadership leaving, there still begins to be leadership that’s carrying on,” he said.

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Cripa Gauba, teen council member, said her experience with Zero Reasons Why began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared her mental
health journey on the organization's Instagram.

“I definitely would put so much pressure on myself needing academic validation and perfect grades and everything. And if I wasn't able to achieve that, then I would feel bad about myself," Gauba said. "And so, I think really just shifting that focus from it's not about those results, it really is about how you grow as a person.

"I think that was so, so important for me to learn. And I think that people that I've met through Zero Reasons Why have definitely also helped me to expand on that."

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Gauba said after she found a community with Zero Reasons Why, she became a member.

“This culture of support, I just think it's so powerful,” she said.

Zero Reasons Why is hosting a leadership orientation for the next class of teen council members on Wednesday, July 31.

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