Mental health awareness is an issue that tends to be pushed aside at school. We want to proudly address the elephant in the room and make it an approachable subject.

Every month, we will be focusing on a particular topic related to mental health. Then each week, we will delve into a specific subtopic related to the month’s theme.

According to MentalHealth.gov, mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It alters how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, communicate with others and make decisions. All of these variables, if taken into consideration, are important to living a healthy lifestyle.

The school is planning to work on mental health policies with Mrs. O’Dea, the director of main guidance. She is working on changing the stigmas surrounding mental health to make students feel that LHS is a safe space to discuss mental health.

“School is a place for academics, but we need to make sure social, emotional aspects are taken care of as well,” O’Dea said.

There are ways to be cognizant of where a school has gone wrong. With these techniques, they can determine whether or not a student is struggling or facing a mental health issue.

“An easy way to check with schools is to set up pictures of the current students and have the teachers move the students they have a connection with,” O’Dea said. “Then we can view what students the staff has not made a connection with…are they flying under the radar, are they new?”

Students and their guidance counselors might not always have a connection. O’Dea believes it doesn’t matter if it’s a guidance counselor, a science teacher or even a secretary. Everyone should have someone to go to.

“It’s all about who the students feel connected with,” O’Dea said.

O’Dea is really working towards making everyone at the school feel comfortable wherever they are. She recommends to students to pay more attention to how they personally feel rather than paying attention to how everyone else is feeling.

“The only way to care for somebody else is to care for yourself,” O’dea said.

Never hesitate to visit this website or call this phone number if you ever have any concerns:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-8255