According to the CDC, one in seven teenagers experiences mental health disorders. Thirty percent of teenagers suffer from anxiety-related disorders, while 15% of teenagers suffer from depression related disorders. Multiple factors cause mental health disorders, including environmental, social (peer pressure, bullying, friend issues), or biological factors, such as upbringing or past trauma.
October happens to be Mental Health Awareness month, and South joins together to share signs and help those who are struggling to get the help they need.
According to Amy Schierbaum, one of South’s social workers, signs someone is struggling with their mental health include a decline in personal hygiene, withdrawing from activities they are passionate about, and not replacing the activity with something else. She also says there is sometimes a decline in academic performance and also an isolation from friends and family.
Schierbaum mentions there are triangle teams at the school meant to help students who are struggling with their mental health.
“We can give the kids fast passes [that provide] more immediate access to their triangle team. We can build the bridge and be a resource and help communicate home if we need to address that. We can also provide additional resources beyond the scope of what we can do here,” Schierbaum said. She also said they can set up students with outside therapy, psychiatry, or in-house therapy sometimes, too.
“They can actually get therapy during the school day with a trained clinician and professional. If it becomes a problem or a [bigger] concern, we can look for a long-term plan,like a 504 or an IEP to address the need, too,” Schierbaum said.
On Oct. 1o, World Mental Health Day, the school brought therapy dogs to the library for students to come down during their study halls.
“There’s so many students [who came down], but there’s one student in particular who kept coming back on [that] Friday and that wasn’t [the student’s] usual MO. He was just really happy to love the dogs and be loved by them,” said Gwen Kuhns, head media specialist.
Jamie Heikes, counselor, has noticed an increase of mental health concerns among students this school year.
“This year has been pretty heavy. I definitely have seen a lot more mental health concerns coming out,” Heikes said.
Diana Kolimechkova, a sophomore in Cougar Buddies, gave a mental health presentation to South’s administration to spread awareness of mental health struggles in September because she felt like it was an issue not widely talked about and felt there wasn’t enough awareness among the student population.
“It’s a topic that is especially [important] in our society right now; it’s just been increasing. And a lot of people don’t know how to deal with it. There are probably a lot of people who need help, but we don’t really know that,” Kolimechkova said.
Schierbaum recommends students who are struggling to come down [to student services]. She said if students are worried about one of their peers, they can always come down, too, to talk with their triangle team, a trusted adult or friend, or use the hotlines like 988-TEXT to get help.
“The more we bring awareness to something, the better off we will be. The more attention we can bring to anything, the more likely people are to get the support they will need and the help they deserve to have,” Schierbaum said.