At the start of the school year, students’ mental health tends to rise due to having to go back to the school routine every weekday. There are several ways for students to get support for mental health. 

You might be wondering “What is mental health?”. Mental health is a state of well-being that affects how people feel, think, and act and how they are able to function in their everyday lives. While mental health is still a concern to students, there are many solutions to improve it. 

The start of the school year is very challenging. Many students have a hard time with stressors such as fitting 

in, routine changes, academic pressure. All of these reasons contribute to students having poor mental health. 

Research shows that 75% of students feel stressed about returning to school and 40% report symptoms of depression. According to CDC “In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among U.S. high school youth aged 14-18 with 1,952 suicide related deaths resulting in a rate of 9.0 per 100,000 youths.”

These emotions can impact them in different ways. For example, poor mental health can lead to youth risk 

behavior which are actions that dangers youth like substance use, acts of violence, self-harm, etc.

With the rise of poor mental health and risk behavior, Arturo Martinez, a social worker at East Leyden 

High school, explains what support they offer for the students who need it.

“With students dealing with mental health concerns, I try to start with where they are at.”,  says Martinez. “This means having a conversation to help them feel comfortable and open up about what struggles they are dealing with. People may sometimes experience shame and embarrassment as they talk about their struggles so it’s important to remain nonjudgemental and instead be supportive and encouraging”. 

Martinez explains that once they go through the first step of helping the students open up then they go onto the second which is looking deeper into their struggles.

 “Once the students can share what they are going through, we can look at more specific support. Sometimes a student may just need someone to talk to openly about their struggles.” 

Then Martinez acknowledges that students need new strategies. “Sometimes they need better ways to cope so we introduce new coping skills.

 If Martinez sees that the students need something more personal, he directs them to that path. “Sometimes a student may need more direct therapy so we provide community resources so that the student and their family can get connected with more support.” 

Every Wednesday, East Leyden High school hosts  “Wellness Wednesday.” Wellness Wednesday happens during the lunch periods in the student services center. They often pick themes and create fun activities for the students to participate in. This December, they gave out candy canes and hot chocolate for the students to enjoy. 

In addition, East Leyden High school offers community resources like self-care articles, hot line numbers, and referrals to local support services. They also have articles for parents to read about supporting their children.

One of the strategies students found most helpful for their mental health is skills training development. Pubmeds statistics  show that this program helped 30% of students by showing them how to cope with stress, manage emotions, and improve mental health.

All these resources can help make a difference in a student’s life by boosting success, improving behavior, and building supportive relationships.

Although it may take a while, seeing all these positive effects can change how one thinks and acts. By supporting students with their mental health they can have higher self-esteem about themselves and achieve the future they want. Taking action is always important, if you or a loved one is struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.