Not okay is okay. This is the message Hannah and Charlie Lucas want everyone to know. As a sophomore diagnosed with POTS (when a person stands up after lying down for awhile it can cause them to faint. It most commonly affects women between the ages of 15 and 50.) Hannah felt nervous to go anywhere by herself, so she went to her mom with an idea for an app she could easily reach anyone quickly. Her younger brother heard about the app and wanted to make it a reality. He got to work on a prototype and then got with developers and worked with them to create their new app “notOK”.
“NotOK comes with a $2.99 monthly fee, allows users to press a button that sends a text message to up to five preselected contacts. The text, along with a link to the user's current GPS location, shows up on the contacts' phones with the message, “Hey, I'm not OK. Please call me, text me, or come find me.” ABC News.
The teenage suicide rate has raised greatly in the last few years. It's now the second biggest killer. Hannah and Charlie’s new app could help give teens an easier way to reach out without feeling like it’s too much effort. At the simple press of a button friends, and family, can be there for them. This could really help students struggling with anxiety or depression, learn to reach out.
According to Promises Behavioral Health 25% of all teens and 30% of all teen girls have anxiety. In fact, many experts are seeing a rise in the level of anxiety disorders in teenagers. So there is definitely students right here in KCHS that have anxiety, the NotOK app can help them and their family. Maybe students will learn that not being ok is okay.
If you need help there are options:
Speak to a counselor at your school.
Call: 1-800-273-8255
Text CONNECT to 741741 for 24/7 support.
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