A united attempt to ensure mental wellness in Indiana

Some may think “life is easy for kids these days.” That statement couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, issues youth faced were complex and vast: the influences of social media; intense academic pressures; and keeping up with activities deemed necessary for future marketability and success.

The pandemic has intensified those stressors; youth now must navigate elearning and have had to learn time management skills even experienced adults can’t master. They’ve faced isolation, anxiety and been forced into responsibilities they should not have to carry at such a young age.

Student mental health issues resulting from or made worse by the pandemic “are very serious,” according to Megan Kirk of the Vigo County School Corp.

The school district had 89 students referred for crisis assessments for 2020-21 and is on pace to pass last year’s numbers, Kirk told the Tribune-star’s Sue Loughlin.

“This year, I am hearing more cases of students attempting suicide — not just having ideations about it,” Kirk said. Hesitant to believe officials?

Try this: In October, 61% of Vigo County high school students and 46% of middle school students considered themselves at risk in terms of mental health, according to a survey that collects social/emotional learning data.

The trend is playing out across the nation. Data from the Centers for Disease Control “show the proportion of emergency department visits related to mental health crises has increased dramatically for young children and adolescents since the pandemic started,” according to a Nov. 12 Education Week article.

Government officials and community leaders seem to be taking these reports seriously, and the mental health of youth is being given a level of attention possibly never seen before.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch recently participated in a roundtable with west-central Indiana educators, mental health professionals and elected officials aimed at addressing the needs of Hoosiers.

“What keeps me up at night,” Crouch said, “is the human cost of this pandemic.”

Mayors are on board. and so are local legislators. Parents, too.

“The spirit and emotional well-being of your community is what matters,” said Sullivan Mayor Clint Lamb at the roundtable.

State Sen. Jon Ford, R-terre Haute, attended the discussion. a bill co-sponsored by Ford would require suicide and human trafficking hotlines be printed on or attached to school ID cards.

Parent Mike Frey of Farmersburg also participated. Frey, who lost his son to suicide in the fall, is using his grief to speak out. a parent’s voice is sometimes all another parent needs to be awakened to an issue.

Schools play a vital role, with initiatives like Project AWARE, a multi-year, federally funded grant — which Vigo’s Kirk oversees for the district — aimed at better responding to the mental health needs of school children.

Other resources, including Youth Mental Health First aid, can and are being utilized. a group of West Vigo High School students completed the training before the pandemic hit; 385 VCSC staff have also been trained in the program, according to Kirk.

These efforts are admirable, but only a start in what we hope becomes a united attempt to ensure mental wellness for our children and generations to come.

Officials must continue to take a deliberate stance against stigma; as a community, we must ascertain resources that can be used across the spectrum.

We must reach fear with facts and cultivate a better understanding.

Through clear and inclusive messages from lawmakers and office holders, from teachers and parents, from siblings and peers, the discussion becomes less frightening and more commonplace, less surface and of deeper value.

Together we can create impactful change on an issue we’ve never had a good grasp on and of which we’ve let get out of hand.

Now is the time. What role will you play?