(Feature image is from pikrepo.com)

Mental health. To some, it’s a taboo, something to be ignored or ashamed of. But to others, it dominates their everyday lives, and here at Wylie it’s no different.

Mental Health Disorders and Symptoms

Ms. B, a local expert on the subject, defines a mental health disorder as “When our mental health is keeping us from living life to the fullest.” “Anxiety, depression, things like that keep us from doing things we want to do and being our best selves.” (Note: For confidentiality purposes this source will be referred to as Ms. B.)

“Anxiety is huge, which is really pretty common for this age. It’s not just school, but you’re starting to think about what you’re going to do in the future,” Ms. B says. “And of course we see a lot of depression and social issues. You’re finally coming to this point where you want to be your own person, make friends, and be separate from your parents. And these things can cause a lot of mental health problems as you try to navigate who you are becoming.”

Now, while knowing what a mental health disorder is is certainly important, it is just as important to know the symptoms of these disorders. Like with any common injury or illness, there are usually warning signs that let you know that things may not be okay.

“Procrastination is one,” says Ms. B. “If you are procrastinating a lot and putting off certain things, it might be because you’re really anxious about that thing.” “Isolating yourself from others and withdrawing from your friends and family can be a pretty big sign too,” she says. But sometimes it can be even simpler, “Even our physical health can be a sign. When we let our hygiene go and our physical health go, that could be another sign that something is going on.”

These are just a few of the many symptoms out there. If you think you may need help, don’t hesitate to ask any of the teachers, counselors, or staff. Experiencing these things or having a disorder isn’t anything to be ashamed about, and there are people out there who want to help you.

COVID-19 

“Right now in Covid-19 specifically this is a really hard time for teens. Because teenagers are social creatures, they tend to put a lot of their identity in peers. That’s just typical development, and it is something that hasn’t changed. And now, all that has shifted. For a long time they didn’t have that social interaction and it’s causing a lot of mental health problems not just in teens, but adults too,” Ms. B says.

“COVID-19 in general has affected mental health on a greater aspect of a whole. We’ve seen across the board an increase in depression, anxiety, and suicide among other things,” sophomore student and officer of the Mental Health Committee Brendan Hurt says. “Right now during COVID-19 we’re taking a lot of precautions with students’ physical health like social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing. And just like how Wylie is taking an approach to physical health, we need to take that approach with mental health.”

Resources and Ways to Help

“First of all just basic self care. Treat your body the way it needs to be treated. Make sure to do things you enjoy,” Ms. B says. “Find ways you can be kind to yourself in this time and just give yourself and others grace,” she says, “and also find ways, especially if you’re in quarantine, to have routine in your life.”

Here, I’ve listed some great online websites and apps with the help of Ms. B :

virusanxiety.com

Headspace

Mood path

Sam

“I feel like we have the resources; we just aren’t knowledgeable about them,” Hurt says. “And with the student council what we’re trying to do with my committee is give students the resources we already have.”

Aside from taking care of yourself, and being kind to one another, there’s another very important way all of us can help. By breaking the stigma. “Mental health is deemed as sort of a taboo topic, and a lot of people don’t really like to talk about mental health,” he says. “But you see, if we’re able to talk about students’ physical health, such as breaking a bone, or eating properly, we should be able to talk about their mental health as well.”

“It is important to remember that greatest resource we have is each other,” says Ms. B. “So put that phone down, make those meaningful connections, and if we do that we’ll come out of this stronger.”

I’d like to thank both of my sources for doing an excellent job during our interviews and for agreeing to help me out with this article. This wouldn’t have been possible without them!