Mental health is a very important topic and we need to focus more on it. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14. Many students have some sort of mental illness that is not recognized enough. Just like physical health, mental health is a very important thing. At the middle school, we have a mandatory class devoted to physical health, P.E. They do this because they know that physical health is important. In elementary school, we had a counseling class, where we learned about mental health. In middle school, they stopped doing this, when it was most needed.
Since we don’t have a class to talk to students about mental health and its importance, students often don’t know how to deal with it. In elementary school, the majority of the students aren’t dealing with mental health issues, but in middle school a lot more kids are. Some kids can’t talk to anyone at home and need someone to talk to at school. It’s true that WRMS had counselors, but there are only two, one per grade. That’s a ratio of about 1:500. Even if students are able to talk to the counselor, some students aren’t comfortable talking to someone they don’t know very well. Mrs. Evans, the SFA teacher, said “I think it’s important for students to have a trusted adult to talk to when they are feeling down and feeling like harming themselves, including suicide.”
Many students at WRMS think that mental health issues are something we should be more aware of. Kyle Fowler, 8th grader, agrees, and has this advice for someone who is struggling: “I would tell a friend that is struggling to trust in God and it will be ok and to talk to someone about it and you’re not alone.”
Most people don’t talk about their mental health and we need to start talking about it. Mental health issues can lead to suicidal thoughts, which then can lead to suicide. We want people to know that suicide is never the answer. Mrs. Holmes, the counselor, said, “Support staff works hard to help them recognize that suicide is not the answer and oftentimes the issues that they have or are going through are temporary or situational and will change or get better.” If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions please call 988 for help.
