Student column: raising mental health awareness

One in five children ages 13 to 18 has, or will have, a serious mental illness. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death in young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years old. With statistics like these, it is important to realize these issues affect all of us in some way. Reducing the stigma of mental illness and guiding people to treatment can help. That's why Oceanside Middle School held a Mental Health Awareness Week in March to teach students when and where to seek help for themselves or the people around them.

The first workshop that was held at OMS was based on cyberbullying. Bullying can contribute to stress, depression, anxiety, and more for victims. Most bullies have problems that lead them to victimize others, and can contribute to difficulties in keeping friendships and getting into trouble with the law. The workshop recommended that students be mindful of what they do on their phones and social media because it's not always obvious how something we say comes across to the other person. We may hurt someone's feelings without even knowing it.

One of the sources in this workshop was a commercial about bullying, featuring a little boy with bright red hair, who is teased every day by older kids passing by as he sits on a bench in the schoolyard. Finally, one of the older boys who sits on another bench dyes his hair bright red. Once his peers realized what they were doing, they stopped teasing the little boy. This showed us that we could make an impact on someone's life with the smallest efforts. We never know what people are going through and we never know how people are mentally handling things, so we should always try to lend a hand.

The OMS Mental Health Awareness Week also tackled how to recognize the signs of anxiety, depression and suicide. This workshop taught the signs that someone may be suicidal, what to do if you need personal help, and how to aid others. The workshop also included a video of a suicide survivor, paralyzed from the waist down, who described that once he was in the act, he immediately regretted it.

Mental health awareness is a big deal at OMS. We believe that as a community, we are always there for one another, and it's our job to help, no matter who needs it. Cyberbullying and suicide are two major issues that affect people all around the world.

Together, our school has worked very hard to raise awareness for the subject of mental health through different programs and workshops. We hope that these efforts will help kids see that they are not alone and that there are many resources to help them in times of need. In addition to bringing important issues to light during these few weeks, our school was able to garner $500 in donations from basketball and volleyball fundraisers, which will benefit mental health awareness.