Thursday, October 10, marked World Mental Health Day, which raises awareness of mental health issues and their treatment worldwide.
Mental health is considered the wellness of one’s emotional and social well-being. With the stresses surrounding teenagers’ lives, mental health and the deprivation of one’s happiness or social life tend to come up in the conversation. However, today’s discussion is not enough, nor is how these discussions depict these topics.
Although the movement surrounding these issues, like depression and anxiety, are helping to break the stigma around mental health, there is still so much more needed to assist those in difficult situations.
According to The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), in 2023, the United States’ official public health organization gathered that a staggering 22% of high school students have considered suicide and that 10% have attempted to take their own lives. These numbers are notably most concerning among LGBTQ+ teens, with a terrifying 45% considering suicide and 22% attempting to end their lives. Other statistics from the CDC show that close to one-fifth of all deaths of teenagers between the ages of 14-18 are due to suicide. These demographics show an alarming truth about the mental health dynamic among high schoolers and that there is much needed to combat this problem.
A significant stigma surrounding mental health is the way it is treated—often, mental health is not acknowledged as an actual health issue. The stigmas surrounding mental health not being a medical condition or that it is a failure of the one in the situation are creating harmful ideals when it comes to one’s emotional hardships, forcing the blame onto the person instead of helping the person getting the necessary help needed.
With the ongoing growth of mental illnesses among teens, it’s time as a community to discuss the truths surrounding depression, anxiety, and its consequences if left untreated. The negative stigma surrounding mental health has led to social alienation and further difficulties among those in emotional distress. To combat this, our community and school need to provide more resources that are beneficial to accommodate the necessities of its social and emotional environment. The advocacy for mental health awareness is an issue that needs to be prioritized because we are fully capable as a community of altering the trajectory of teenagers’ lives for the better.
If you want to make a difference around this issue at Hershey High School, contact either the school board at the community feedback form, or contact the school’s Instructional Coach, Jaime Bean, at her email [email protected]. If you want to make a difference outside our school, contact your local government’s Department of Health.
