Mental and Emotional Health
Good mental health is important to maintain. We can help assist children and parents in advocating for the mental and emotional health of their self and others. We encourage local PTAs to reduce the stigma of mental health and advocate for resources to help empower our children. It is a common myth that talking about mental health or suicide will cause it. In fact, in our role as PTA leaders, we should be willing to “reduce the stigma” and make it easy to talk about these issues.
It becomes more complicated as we recognize that some of the early warning signs of serious disorders are similar to normal behavior patterns of maturing children and youth. Parents need to recognize persistent and recurring warning signs. Parents should also be reassured that it is acceptable and responsible to seek professional help . . . especially if they are in doubt.
Additionally, Utah’s suicide rate has consistently been higher than the U.S. average. There are many factors that put children at risk for suicide attempts but cannot be attributed to a single cause and event. Approximately 90% of people who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health or substance abuse disorder. There is also a higher rate among students who have been bullied, have large amounts of screen time, identify as LGBTQ, or feel ostracized or disconnected from their community.
Resources:
Live On Utah (Suicide Prevention)
National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI)
Parent Support Groups and Programs
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Ideas:
- Family Nights & Activities that build strong family bonding
- Connection Games / Programs to connect peers
- Spirit Days to connect children to their school and community
- Hope Walls
- Promote and Educate on Mental Illness Initiatives (See NAMI resources)
- No Child Eats Alone Initiative
- Help Sponsor HOPE Squad Activities
- Suicide Prevention Month - September
- Mental Health Awareness Month - May
- Parent Night Training like Mental Health First Aid or QPR
- Promote and educate students and parents with crises line information and the “SafeUT” app.