MENTAL HEALTH IN OUR SCHOOLS

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY

Steadily increasing rates of anxiety and depression in adolescents across the country have prompted local school systems to up their efforts in connecting area students with help.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of adolescents feeling persistently sad or hopeless has increased by 40 percent since 2009. With the pandemic, numbers have continued to steadily rise when it comes to the mental health of adolescents. Teenage girls are especially affected. According to the CDC, hospital admissions data shows the number of teenage girls who have been suicidal has increased by 50 percent since 2019.

Both Alexander City’s and the Tallapoosa County school systems are increasingly active in aiding students in the growing mental health crisis, which ramped up during the pandemic. With an alarming increase in youths experiencing mental health symptoms, local school systems providing resources is one of many avenues in combatting the issues that student in kindergarten through grade 12 face.

Both local school systems in Tallapoosa County maintain ongoing partnerships with the East Alabama Mental Health Center to provide services for students in all local schools. The center works with schools on a caseby-case basis through a referral process. Along with this partnership, schools provide additional resources through counseling services. The Alexander City School System hired Amber Seymour, a mental health coordinator, who serves all of the schools within the city’s system. Seymour assists not only the students but also

Look for these signs of mental health issues families of students in finding mental health resources in the surrounding area. in children “The position was created in the fall of 2020 because they saw such a need,” n Loss of interest Seymour explained. n Excessive moodiness Seymour’s position was n Mood swings created with help from n Self esteem issues the State Department of

Mental health assistance is available Education and a successful for students at little or no cost. grant application on the

Contact a counselor at your local school system’s part. While school or your physician for more Seymour oversees all of the information. schools within the Alexander City School system, numerous counselors are available to students at each school directly. Alexander City Schools uses two primary programs. The first is called Youth Mental Health First Aid, and it helps teachers and other staff in approaching the topic of mental health with students. “I hold an assembly to teach the staff what to say if a kid comes to them in crisis and how to help them until we get someone who can help them,” Seymour explained. The second program is geared toward the students. “We also have a program called Rhythm for the students. It’s a social check in. Students will answer questions each morning, and it goes straight to the teacher. No one else can see their answers, and they can type notes if needed. That way, the teacher knows if they need to check in,” she said. Additional resources also are available throughout the communities. One of Seymour’s top recommendations is the Nan Coley Murphy Counseling Center in Alexander City. The services the center provides cover a majority of health concerns, both mental and behavioral. “If I have to go through the process of talking to a parent about their child, I usually refer them to the Nan Coley Counseling Center. They take Medicaid, and it’s just a great

resource,” Seymour said.

Another option for parents is to take children to their regular pediatrician or physician, who can refer patients to local or regional resources.

In addition, numerous online resources are available for kids of all ages. Online therapy erupted during the pandemic and still serves as a way for those suffering from mental health issues to find help. One of the most popular online therapy platforms, Better Help, offers discounts for students. If a child is uneasy about seeking help within the community, sites like Better Help might provide unique means of meeting that need through videos, phone calls or messaging.

“I think online therapy can still be helpful,” Seymour said. “There’s nothing like getting that face-to-face interaction, but I definitely think online therapy could be helpful and could still solve some of the problems youth are facing.”

Though the stigma around mental health is decreasing, children still might be hesitant to open up and talk about issues. But they could feel better supported as parents and school systems closely working together to improve students’ mental health.

“I’ve seen a huge increase in the support for mental health from parents, the community and school staff. If we continue to move in the direction that we’re moving now, trying to understand mental health, I think things will improve,” Seymour said.

For parents having difficulty connecting with their children on this tough subject, Seymour believes there are a few easy indicators that a problem is present.

“Look out for loss of interest. If you’re a parent and you see your kid losing interest, dig into that and ask questions. I would also say excessive moodiness, mood swings. Just really ask the questions. Another common sign is self esteem issues. They need support, and that can easily be addressed, but parents need to ask,” Seymour explained.

Signs vary from age to age. Students in elementary school will oftentimes not voice their concerns. High school students are able to verbalize and discuss issues they’re facing but might still need a push, along with support from the adults in their lives.

According to Jim Pearson’s counselor, Brittney Kelly, the elementary school in Alexander City focuses on helping students express themselves through lessons, in case verbalizing is difficult for the students.

“At this level, students sometimes have a hard time expressing in words what might be going on with them emotionally. We work on learning how to express our feelings in guidance lessons,” Kelly explained.

Both Kelly and Seymour believe the pandemic did some good in calling attention to the mental health of our youth.

If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, check the appropriate school websites, all of which provide links to local, regional and nationwide resources. If you want to contact someone at your child’s school, check in with the counselor or school nurse. “It’s going to be hard and a lot of work, but worth it in the end,’ Seymour said.

A More Visible Need

School officials said the pandemic brought more attention to an existing problem.