World Mental Health Day was on Tuesday, October 10, which is a day dedicated to raising awareness of mental illnesses such as depression. Depression is a mental disorder which is common for teens and young adults and are also more likely for women.
According to a website that promotes awareness for mental illnesses, pinerest.org, mental illnesses are physical illnesses of the brain that cause disturbances in thinking, behavior, energy, or emotions. Nineteen percent of adults, forty-six percent of teens, and thirteen percent of children are affected by mental illnesses. Not treating some mental illnesses can cause many people to perform poorly in school or work, and some can lead to suicide.
Some students were dissatisfied to see that WS did not promote National Mental Health Day to the extent that they had wished.
“I think that it’s [lack of promotion for mental health] kind of stupid, I guess. That [mental health] should be something that they talk about a lot considering that they’re so focused on suicide prevention and mental health –that should be the first step,” said junior Addison Picardi.
During the week of October 10th, there were no posters or announcements of information about mental health. For example, there is a whole spirit week dedicated to anti-bullying, but there aren’t any days dedicated to the awareness of the mental well-being of WS students and teachers. It’s important for schools to raise awareness for mental health because when students who suffer from mental illnesses and aren’t treated for them, it can lead to larger complications later on. Raising awareness can prevent suicide and help students who feel alone.
“I don’t remember hearing anything like that [about Mental Health Day].” said WS Librarian Susan Salpini. “If we had, we probably would’ve done a display or something to help drive attention.”
Due to the lack of information on World Mental Health Day, some students feel there should be a week or even a day at our school to promote the awareness of the importance of mental health and how to get help or even someone to talk to.
“I actually do believe that the school should make the week about suicide prevention into a week of both topics and address them [mental health and suicide prevention] both equally,” said junior Sesely Nicaragua.
Although WS did not promote Mental Health Day on the actual date, the WS Student Services department still believes in the importance of addressing the issue and providing help to those who need it. They promote the importance of mental health throughout the year in a variety of ways. Student Services is open to students who need counseling or mental health resources.
“Everybody has something that’s impacting them and when they find that it’s impacting their ability to really engage in their life, then they need support,” said WS Social Worker Anne Marie Colligan. “Letting people know that the support is available is really crucial.”