Before we dig into the big story of the day,
we want to pause for a second and let
you know it's some heavy emotional stuff.
But it's a conversation we need to keep
having because the problems getting worse.
Children and adolescents are
experiencing mental distress at
higher rates and with more dire
consequences than ever before.
And some of those kids suffering
opened up about their experiences.
These issues are incredibly real.
I am someone with lived experience.
I know what it's like to be a team.
Today, struggling with mental health.
This might be triggering,
but we hope you'll stick around because
we've advised for every parent on
the warning sides and how to help.
The youth Mental Health
emergency has gotten so bad.
the United States Senate invited
some of the teens suffering to
share their story on Capitol Hill,
17 year old tray sterile red lawmaker,
some text messages,
some he got recently from other teenagers.
They show how serious the impact
of the pandemic has been.
4:07 PM I just need someone to talk to.
4:37 PM My dad hit me but
you can't call the cops.
5:23 PM I need therapy,
but my family can't afford it.
8:07 PM I just lost my dad
and I can't stop crying.
6:42 PM I wanna kill myself.
Trey says he also had depression to
the point of being suicidal himself.
He's had an eating disorder
and at times crippling anxiety.
He considers himself lucky, though,
because he got help from a professional.
Unlike a lot of his friends.
My friends have struggled to
receive professional mental
health services because it's too
expensive for their families.
Too far away or inaccessible because
of unreliable Internet access.
We need to bring care to where
people are, and for teens,
that's in schools or at home.
Along with the congressional hearing,
17 of the nation's leading
nonprofits focused on mental health.
They all came together to give a state
by state score for how we're handling
the issues in schools and North
Carolina is slipping in the rankings.
And 2015, we were 30th for
overall state rank for youth,
mental health and 2022 were ranked 42nd.
The report says access to care for
kids is one of our biggest weaknesses.
In fact, the experts they recommend.
One counselor, one school psychologist.
For every 500 students but in North Carolina,
we've got one for every 2500 students
and last year in North Carolina,
less than half a kid who had a serious
depressive episode actually got treatment.
The authors of the report say the
pandemic has made things even worse
nationwide in the first half of 2021.
Reports of self injury and suicide
in ages 5 to 17 went up 45%.
You heard that right?
Kids as young as five are trying
to harm themselves.
A5 year old emergency department
who disclosed suicidal feelings
and plans to run into traffic in
reaction to her parents job loss.
Financial stress is at
her mothers depression.
A 6 year old boy suspended from
first grade for kicking a desk after
witnessing a shooting 20 feet away from
him while walking home from school.
Too terrified to disclose the experience
for fear that he would be the next victim,
a 16 year old honor student becoming
depressed after a romantic breakup,
eventually making a serious suicide attempt.
While waiting six weeks for treatment.
These stories they break your heart.
Mental health professionals
say there aren't usually huge
red flags or child in trouble.
Instead, you should look for
subtle changes in their behavior.
Overtime, the Mayo Clinic says.
Look for things like changes in
their sleeping or eating patterns.
It also says pay attention to differences
in their moods or even school performance.
Here's another good example,
Bethan Parmi realized her child was
struggling when she saw him draw himself
wearing this mask and looking down and sad.
It just felt off to her.
So she asked her son.
He said he was depressed about
all the arguments over if kids
should wear masks in schools.
I said, you know, it says a lot to me,
Tyler, I didn't know you were this.
This stressed and this sad about it,
you know and about the.
The arguments and and the fears
she made it a goal to check
in with him more after that.
And it Triad psychologist says that's
something all parents should do often.
Be careful about the way you say oh,
what do you have to be stressed about?
You're a child.
They have things to be stressed about.
Acknowledge their stress.
Don't invalidate it.
That is even more stressful when
someone invalidates their stress
and the director of psychology
at a Children's Hospital
says those kinds of talks.
They can't just be a one time thing.
In fact, she wants you to keep
having it over and over again.
It's pretty simple, so at dinner,
whenever there's an opportunity,
how are you doing?
And with kids, checkins really look
more like play and special time.
With teenagers, it's more just
asking repeatedly and often,
and being persistent and not taking
that first sign of resistance as a sign
that you shouldn't be asking, right?
Kids need to know that you're predictably,
reliably there for them,
the doctor also encourages
parents to talk about their own
feelings in front of their kids.
It's good for children to see
how you deal with your own.
Problems a program at one Greensboro high
school has taken a proactive approach.
Teens gotta talk,
launched last November and W
Funnies 2's Lauren Coleman learned
the program works so well.
The foundation running it wants to expand.
Creating an open and positive environment
for students as a priority for teens
got to talk the 12 week program
founded by Mental Health Greensboro,
is designed to address mental health
issues that are specific to teens.
The program was created because of
the gap in resources for teenagers.
A lot of mental health services are
there for adults and smaller children.
Reports shows suicide is the
2nd leading cause of death among
teens aged 15 to 19 in the US.
The peer support program focuses on
three main points, stress management,
self-esteem and suicide prevention.
We want to make sure that they know
that they're not the only ones
going through something because
when they connect with other people,
they can learn how someone else copes
with it versus how they cope with it.
Teens gotta talk is currently
implemented as an after school support
group at Northwest Guilford High
School student Eleanor Long says
the program started over zoom last
year. Being a teenager is
so intense and so you have.
All of these factors in
your life you have school.
You have how your your home life
as well being part of TGT has
really opened my eyes to wow.
I'm really stressed a lot more
than I really am really aware of it
now meeting in person,
she hopes the program expands to
more schools in the near future,
but I think it really allows
students to really open up up
about their mental health,
especially since you know,
with COVID we were really isolated
and so having that open discussion.
Really brought attention to
how our mental health changes,
especially in our teenage years
and going into adult years.
And we're going to keep having those
open discussions with you 2 right here
on W FM Y News 2 if you ever feel
like things are getting too hard in
your struggling help us out there,
you are not alone as we head to break,
we're going to share a free
hotline number with you.
Take a picture, write it down,
put it in your phone.
You never know when you or
a friend might need it.
W FM Y News two at 6 is up next.