September’s National Suicide Prevention Month aimed to raise awareness of suicide and to make people feel that they are not alone.
President Joe Biden proclaimed Sept. 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day. According to his proclamation on the White House website, nearly 50,000 Americans lost their lives to suicide last year, and over 10 million seriously considered it. He continued to say that in 2022, “Suicide was the second leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 14 and 25 to 34, and the suicide rate for veterans was 50 percent higher than for anyone else.”
MCPS is rolling out a mental health awareness week in October. “Wootton takes mental health very seriously, and if we’re going to roll out a month of awareness, we want to make sure it’s done right,” counselor Elizabeth Robinson said.
MCPS has marked the week of Oct. 21 to Oct. 25 as mental health awareness week. The information regarding this week can be found on the MCPS website. There will be a mental health resource fair on Saturday, Oct. 26. at Seneca Valley from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Bridge to Wellness team and school social worker Alexis Branham will plan events throughout the week.
The Patriot Minds Matter Club will take the lead for events. One of the most important events for that week will take place on Monday, Oct 21, which will be a tabling event. Clubs will hand out flyers and information. Patriot Minds Matter will have a table to promote their club. They will be offering sign-ups for the Teen Mental Health First Aid Training; students who participate will receive a $100 stipend.
The school provides resources for students struggling with mental health issues. If you need more details, you can contact our school social worker at [email protected]. “The resources that we have in the school include your counselors, me, your social worker, and Bridge to Wellness staff, which is the case manager and youth development specialist,” Branham said.
Students may think that there needs to be more of an effort to get students to be fully engaged when the school teaches about these heavier topics. “There has to be a greater effort, I think, especially in schools, to show how literally anyone can just up and do it, like there has to, perhaps, be more PSAs. And if anything, work it into the life lessons that are taught during Wellness Wednesdays instead of just making it some boring thing that people don’t want to pay attention to,” senior Kian Hamidzadeh said.
Hamidzadeh runs the Wootton Social Management Team (WSMT) and the ACE club, which you can follow on Instagram @wootton_updates and @ace_whs respectively. “I will be working with both the WSMT and other clubs like the History Society to also share this and spread this information…perhaps through the weekly updates show, which is starting to turn out some more episodes here and there; we can have a segment fully covering the issue.”
When dealing with suicidal thoughts, it’s important to find things that bring you joy, whether that be a new hobby, a favorite TV show, or anything that can bring you comfort. Honing a skill set can be a great way to negate negative thoughts. “My advice for students experiencing these thoughts is to reach out to a trusted person, whether it be a friend who can tell someone or an adult. You’re not alone, and help is always available,” Branham said.
If you need someone to talk to, you can always contact the 988 Lifeline through direct call or through text. You are never alone.
