The CDC states that the state of teen mental health is classified as a crisis. “Adolescent mental health in the U.S. was worsening prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our nation’s youth are experiencing a mental health crisis.” One of Bunnell’s very own counselors, Mrs.. Koebbe, responds with this: “It’s true, it’s gotten worse. I think the 2020 pandemic also made it worse because we were stuck at home for months on end so there really were no outlets for students and teenagers to get help that they needed. They kind of locked themselves in their bedrooms and were isolated and withdrawn.”
Although school counselors are not authorized to give counseling services like a therapist outside of school can do, they can meet for short periods of time with students who are struggling with their mental health or are feeling anxious, and talk them through it. Counselors can also talk about different strategies, provide students with a break. Their role is to connect students with other resources as well. Bunnell has its own licensed social workers who work with students on a weekly basis to help them with their mental health needs. A word of encouragement Mrs. Koebbe offers for struggling students is “how you feel in this moment, doesn’t mean you will feel like this forever.”
However, a student must be willing to get the help that is available to them. Mrs. Koebbe says, “Going to counseling can be very empowering and life changing, but a person has to be open to change, they have to have a growth mindset and be willing to attend sessions, learn about themselves, and be willing to try strategies and work on themselves.”
In 2023, CDC found 4 in 10 (40%) students had persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Two in 10 (20%) students seriously considered attempting suicide, and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) attempted suicide. These numbers are not meant to be taken with a grain of salt. These numbers should be alarming for a parent and a teenager. This can be a wakeup call for teens to take care of their mental health.
Adrienne Lopez, a junior, is a busy student with multiple APs, president of Kinder Connect and in color guard, yet still is able to maintain her mental health. “I surround myself with people I trust to ensure I’m in a positive environment. Additionally, I always take some time to be alone after school or on the weekends to relax, reset my mind, and to recharge my social battery.” Other ways teens can support and take care of their mental health are; prioritizing sleep, staying active, eating healthy, and limiting screen time. Adrienne shares some of the biggest stressors in her life: “While school might possibly be my greatest stressor, maintaining good time management and being anxious for the future come close. As a high school student, I handle school, clubs, volunteering, and practice like many others do. It can feel as though I’m running out of time, which builds heavy pressure on me to get everything done.”
Mrs. Koebbe believes that there are multiple different factors like personal-social, academic and situational that are affecting mental health in students in recent times. Mrs. Hull, a teacher at Bunnell, believes it has a lot to do with social media. “It comes down to social media. Honestly, I think that’s the worst thing that has happened for students’ mental health, because I think you’re judging yourself against somebody else’s best day, and I think its also giving a place for people to go on and essentially bully people online without any repercussions, without people knowing who you are. I think it’s a miserable thing.” Mrs. Hull states she even compares herself to others “best day” on Facebook. In the classroom, Mrs. Hull can see this presented as students “who are withdrawn, who don’t want to participate, and who don’t want to talk to people.” Hull says that she sees students who she knows are friends fighting, and believes it all comes down to social media.
Teachers also should take care of themselves and here’s how Mrs. Hull does it: “I have a good solid group of friends and my family [who] I’m pretty close to, so I usually will turn to them if I am having a rough time and I’ll do things like stay off social media because that is definitely detrimental, even if you’re an adult.”
