Students face pandemic’s mental health challenges head-on

Mental health challenges have been at the top of everyone’s mind lately — several suicides among young people in northeast Colorado in recent months, canceled school events and extracurricular activities, and increasing anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

Students in the region have been bringing awareness to these challenges in a variety of ways.

Last week, Holyoke JR/SR High School’s Dragon Spirit Club announced a #fightthefunk social media challenge.

Organizers encouraged students to join Merino High School and other surrounding schools to “fight the funk” over the holiday break, which began Friday afternoon, Dec. 18, in Holyoke.

“It’s important to find things that bring you joy and a sense of purpose. What helps you fight the funk?” said the social media post.

Three prizes are up for grabs for students who complete at least five of the challenges by posting pictures on their Instagram story using the #fightthefunk hashtag.

There’s a different challenge for each day of the break, such as “something that makes you happy,” “something you are grateful for” and “your favorite holiday tradition.”

“This is another way to boost connectedness to each other,” said Ashley Clayton, counselor at Holyoke JR/SR High School.

Students also organized Christmas-themed dress-up days and games last week.

“Holidays can be tough. Knowing who they can reach out to for support is important,” said Clayton.

She said the school district has been helping students build foundations of support throughout the school year.

In their Seminar class, students completed a trusted adult campaign that helped them identify who they can reach out to for support. Clayton said the school also encourages kids to look at their strengths — family, positive friends, working out, reading books, etc.

She commended Holyoke students for using problem-solving skills instead of simply getting angry during the pandemic. For instance, when sports schedules were pushed back, students made a video to explain why athletics were important to them. They also came up with alternative ways to exercise together, whether that meant being outdoors, at the downtown gym or in someone’s garage.

Earlier this month a couple of northeast Colorado teenagers wrote open letters to the governor and state health department. “It was empowering for our kids to see others use their voice to stand up for something,” said Clayton.

Kaden Piel, a 15-year-old from Merino High School, said, “The policies put in place by, you, our leaders have stopped and disabled students from participating in many of the things that they know, need, and love. Basically, all extracurricular activities have been shut down. We are learning at a young age that in life you rarely know how badly you need something until it is gone.”

After pointing out the seven teen suicides in the region and zero teen deaths caused by COVID-19, Piel said, “I now ask you, what is the real pandemic among teens? I feel our voices must be heard and immediate changes must be made. Many teens feel they have nothing left to live for because well-intentioned adults keep jerking the rug out from under our feet.”

He went on to say, “This is a matter of life and death. People are dying because of choices made that are meant to protect us. I beg of you, allow us to do things as we did. We need a new normal!”

Cyle Goble, a senior at Otis High School, asked the governor, “Do you not see what is happening in rural Colorado? These mandates and restrictions have isolated these students and us from friends and mental health resources. Are you ok with this? Do you sleep well at night knowing the effect you are having on the younger generations of Colorado? When is enough enough? When do we get back to normal life and choose not to live in fear, but live with resilience and respect for others?”

He closed his social media post with #7is7toomany and #speakupcolorado.

Last week, the Sterling Journal-Advocate reported on a group of local high school students who marched around the Logan County Courthouse in a peaceful demonstration to show how they feel about athletics and activities not being allowed to take place.

They held signs that read “Let us compete!” “Give us back our outlets!” “COVID policies for schools must change #LetUsPlay #LetThemWatch #LetUsLive #NoReasonForNoSeason #MentalHealthMatters” and “Let’s Change Polis’ Mind.”

Youth suicides cause for concern

By Jeff Rice, Sterling Journal-Advocate

Local and state officials are expressing concern over an unusually high number of youth suicides in northeast Colorado.

Officials say the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is almost certainly a contributing factor but they don’t yet know to what extent.

Maranda Miller, prevention specialist with Centennial Mental Health, which covers 10 Colorado counties —  Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Morgan, Yuma, Washington, Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne and Kit Carson — said she is aware of seven alleged suicides of youths in the area in 2020. Miller said that while she cannot yet officially confirm anything, she does know the identities of six of the seven people involved.

“This is very unusual,” Miller said. “In 16 years in this job, I have never experienced a time like this.”

The problem isn’t just in Colorado. California officials are worried about the increase in the number of attempted suicides by teens in recent months. Hospital officials in San Francisco reported eight attempts in one night alone, something a psychologist there called “an insane number.”

Data from the Centers for Disease Control show that about 10.7% of young adults, ages 18 to 24, had suicidal thoughts in 2018, but that number had risen to 25.5% by August 2020. That compares with a general population rise from 4.3% to 11% over the same time period.

Experts cite a lack of interpersonal contact as one cause of teen depression during the pandemic. The teenage years are when people begin to form strong bonds with those outside the family; being locked down with the family can heighten already-present conflicts.

Miller said the anxiety and stress felt by adults over the uncertainties of the pandemic is also being felt by young people.

“We are in uncharted territory,” she said. “Our kids are struggling in ways we have never seen before. Many of them are historically very resilient, but this uncertain world is causing high levels of anxiety, anger and sadness.”

Miller said the most important part of preventing suicide is communication. People have to have hard conversations, and someone has to listen. She said teens need to be able to talk to adults they can trust, and that doesn’t have to be a parent. Youngsters often turn to mentors or other adults in leadership roles.

“We must have this tough conversation with our youth and make sure our youth have at least one trusted adult in their life,” she said. “Remind them that if they ever have thoughts of suicide, to please tell a trusted adult.”

And, she said, it’s vital that youngsters be allowed to experience emotions and not bottle them up. After all, emotions are part of being human.

Miller also refuted the idea that merely talking about suicide with a youngster can plant the seed of “suicide ideation.” Suicide is an original idea, she said; it’s not planted there just by talking about it.

“Talking about suicide does not cause it,” she said. “We need to ask those we are concerned about directly about suicide. A person is either thinking about suicide or they are not. We will never plant the thought in someone’s mind.”

Another important step in suicide prevention is restricting access to “lethal means.” Miller said that can be inconvenient in rural areas, where guns are part of everyday life for most families, but locking up firearms and practicing strict gun safety does help. The same goes for prescription medications, many of which can be deadly if taken in large enough doses.

The reported deaths have prompted teenagers in northeast Colorado to blame the curtailment of in-school learning and extracurricular activities, but Miller said that’s an unfair simplification. While the pressures of the pandemic may contribute to the increase, there are other factors as well.

“(Suicide) is very complicated,” she said. “There’s no one way to look at suicide deaths. Each one is multi-layered, unique and many times very complex.”

Still, Miller said, it is encouraging to see teenagers themselves trying to address the problem.

“This is a call to action by our youth. No one should experience a loss of a loved one by suicide,” she said. “It is OK to not be OK, but it is not OK to not ask for help.”