BALTIMORE — October 10 marks World Mental Health Day, and the Enoch Pratt Free Library partnered with A Life for A Life Foundation to host a day of dialogue and education focused on helping students make better mental health decisions.
Baltimore author Kevin Shird spoke with students during the event, drawing from his personal experiences as a former drug dealer and his time in prison to connect with young people.
WATCH: Baltimore library partners with foundation for mental health education
Shird emphasized that poor choices and unresolved trauma are significant issues affecting America, and believes that one crucial step toward addressing these problems is helping people understand the terminology surrounding mental health.
"Right now for a lot of people it's just word salad. Trauma, PTSD, unresolved trauma they're just words, right? How do we break down those words and explain them so people can utilize that information in their daily lives, not just today but throughout the rest of their life," Shird said.
As part of the event, Shird also distributed copies of his book to students attending the program.
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