JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It’s not just reading, writing and arithmetic that your children are tasked with trying to understand.
As the mental health crisis spreads across our country, many children are also struggling to understand how to manage their feelings and emotions. Now schools are also working to help your children with their mental health.
Brianna Murphy and Josephine Nations are Grade 11 students at Puckett High School, and they say it’s not easy being a teenager in today’s society.
“Even though we have a lot to do, there are still things we struggle with,” Murphy said.
In fact, they say you’d be surprised at the pressure students face and the temptations they face, including something we’re all familiar with – social media.
Josephine Nations: “I would say with social media, your body image or maybe you think you can’t be good as someone else because you see what someone has. “
When the school bell rings for your child, they face even more challenges.
“Not just me personally, but a lot of people worry about being judged at school and not being popular and not having friends,” Nations said.
Puckett High Chase Courtney teacher and coach isn’t shocked. He says he is on the front line of education, he worries about the mental stability of today’s generation.
“We seem lost in society right now in so many ways, and that trickles down to teenagers and our young people are really hurting,” he said.
Mental health is defined as your emotional, psychological and social well-being.
Mental illness refers to conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feelings, mood, or behavior. This includes a range of conditions from anxiety to bipolar disorder to name a few.
“It’s not the same as having a broken leg, it’s not as easy to see as a broken arm, but there’s a part of our body that’s not working properly at that time. “said Sean Brewer, Director of Education. Solutions with Canopy Children’s Solutions.
Canopy is a Mississippi nonprofit that provides behavioral health, education, and social service solutions.
Brewer, who previously worked as a manager in the state, says mental health issues weren’t always brought up.
“A lot of our mental health issues have been pushed below the surface or into the shadows. I’ve heard it’s been described that way by therapists before it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Teachers and health professionals I have spoken with say they are seeing more and more students struggling with mental health issues and are taking their issues from home to the classroom.
In turn, many schools struggle to meet the educational and mental needs of students.
Sean Brewer: “Schools are not mental health care providers, and I don’t think they want to be, but they certainly want to partner with someone who can’t help on that front because that they see these problems in the classroom and the hallways. »
Let’s start with Canopy Solutions.
With a grant from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, they’ve partnered with Madison County Schools to address issues you, as parents, and your children may face every day with a digital solution.
“Yeah, because that’s where kids live on their phones all the time,” said Shea Hutchins, solutions manager at Canopy.
Hutchins says he created an app called Canopy Anywhere.
It allows students to upload and complete mental health surveys throughout the year, so experts can provide resources and help effectively.
“Then we deploy your team from our liaison solution to meet with the family and help meet their needs, while our mental health therapist is at school working with children who are reported or who might need additional attention from a board perspective,” Hutchins said.
This help to address this nationwide mental health crisis is being welcomed by schools in Madison County.
“When you look at mental health a lot, it’s the stigma that comes with it,” said director of student services Stephanie Permenter.
“Obviously the goal is to keep trying to improve children’s mental health in every way possible. If that means having more professionals on hand, I sure hope that brings us closer to a solution,” Madison Schools Counselor Shelby Reynolds said.
Wendy Bailey agrees.
She’s the executive director of the Department of Mental Health here in Mississippi.
“Right now in Mississippi, about 28 percent of children and teens have some kind of social or emotional condition. Nationally, it’s about 21 percent. Mississippi had a little higher than the national Bailey said.
If you think that’s disturbing, here are some more staggering stats:
According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 7 American children between the ages of 2 and 8 have a parent-reported mental, behavioral, and/or developmental disorder. Additionally, 8.4% of children aged 6 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression.
“It saddens me. It absolutely breaks my heart,” Bailey said.
Then there’s Amerigroup Mississippi, which is also raising its hand to be a community partner.
The health insurance and managed health care provider is working with EVERFI to improve the mental health wellbeing and health literacy of nearly 8,000 students at 78 schools across the state.
“It’s about intervening early and making sure our kids and I don’t mean physically well, but mentally well,” said Tara Clark, president of Amerigroup Mississippi.
Here’s how it works: Students receive a special program that focuses on building, maintaining, and promoting positive mental health.
Puckett High participates in the free program.
“Students are tested before they take the course, then they take the course, and they test again to see the impact of the program,” Clark explained.
Clark says the program is paying off across the state.
“What we’ve seen is a 77% increase in students’ abilities to properly handle a mental health crisis with themselves or with someone they know.”
These schools and organizations say that forging meaningful and effective partnerships to meet children where they are is a good start. It’s a possible solution they hope other schools across the country will consider to help tackle the mental health crisis.
“You never want to see suicide. If you can give these kids tools early on, it could be the difference between life and death,” Coach Courtney said.
Experts say that if your teen is suffering from anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issue, don’t be afraid to talk to them, be open, and offer a listening ear as well. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to a counselor or doctor, as they can be trusted sources to help your child through difficult times.
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