The Capstone Proposal

Olivia Lavoie

How Anxiety Affects Teenagers

ahs.beyounique@gmail.com

Project Description:

• This presentation will be a website explaining the difference between anxiety and depression, how they are defined, the symptoms, and treatment options. I would like to make this a school wide assembly because I feel as though this message can be shared, taken, and used in everyone’s day to day life to improve their awareness of mental illness.

• I chose this project because it is something very important to me. I feel as everyone needs to be aware of people’s differences. That you can have an opinion, but you also have to be aware of other people’s feelings and reactions because you don’t know what may be going on that has affected their life.

• What I intend to learn from this project is the true definitions of anxiety and depression, and how it forms within a human. I would also like to figure out what are some of the best treatments, and what are some up and coming studies for people who suffer from these mental illnesses.

• I feel as though the long term benefit from this is that if I do present this to the school that it can be something everyone can relate to in one way or another. It gives people the value of understanding someone else’s perspective on the way life can be lived. It gives people the realization that it is okay to be different, and that you need to express that. I also think that it will educate both me and everyone else on the signs of anxiety and depression so we can help others.

• This project will challenge me in a few ways. For starters this task is making me reach far past the general knowledge I have previously gained over the last twelve years in school, and step into the world of the brain and psychology. I will need to take the time with my research, and make sure I am gaining accurate information from reliable sources. Another challenge is that I will face is that I struggle to ask for help. I am a very independent person so asking for assistance with something I’m doing can be challenging. Also public speaking. Even though public speaking is not a challenge for me in itself I think that getting a valuable message across to my peers without being a preacher is a challenge.

Mentor:

• Mr. Peckham

  • Anatomy Teacher

  • They are a good choice because they have experience with the human body, and the functions of the brain.

  • I have contacted them on being a mentor, and they have agreed to help me through this.

• Lt. Colonel Cheetham and MSgt Gibson

  • Aerospace space science teacher who has worked with people and intelligence.

  • Helping with my experiments of human emotion in games during pt.

  • Yes I have contacted them, and they have agreed to help me, and guide me through this process.

• Carrie Chiasson, Psy. D.

  • psychotherapy counselor

  • She has more of the medical terms for what happens in the brain with anxiety and depression.

  • I have asked her to help me, and he has agreed to help me through the process to help me gain the data I need.

Materials:

• Webpage

• Data

• Tests

• Books and the internet

• Teachers and mentors

Tentative Timeline:

• Start off with basic research about the topic through books, and studies within classes.

• Gradually start building a website about genetic and emotional differences.

• Keep a weekly blog on my website about information I have found, along with updates on my research.

• Add to the website to let people know more about my mission and the success so far.

• Presentations will be around the mid December to early January timeline.

Sources:

• The Brain with David Eagleman

  • Describes the human development of the brain compared to animals, and how we mature and develop overtime.

• National Institute of Mental Health Website

  • Description of anxiety disorders, and what symptoms, treatments, and different medications are.

    • “Anxiety Disorders.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml.

• Harvard Medical Website

  • Describes the development of the brain from before birth. How life, and events affect our lives.

    • Reuell, Peter. “How the Brain Develops.” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 16 Aug. 2016, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/08/how-the-brain-develops/.

Presentation:

• Open up a period for teachers to bring their classes to a presentation during the school day.

• Allow for interaction between the students and me.

• Have a powerpoint and real life experiences available for the audience to hear.

Anticipated Presentation Date:

• Planned Presentation to students: Week of December 18th

• Planned Portfolio presentation: Week of January 8th