Mental Health Stigma And Ways to Support Students
- christaflowers3
- Feb 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 11
In today's information age, technology has become increasingly accurate, and it can be hard to determine inaccuracy when looking at news or general information on the internet. As individuals, we need to analyze the sources and resources we consult critically. "The majority of media literacy resources in civics put all of their proverbial eggs in the lone basket of evaluating news sources, seeking to help young people separate fact from 'fake news.'"(Mirra, Kelly, & Garcia, 2021). As educators, the importance of teaching our students to look at everything they see critically is becoming more important as there are so many resources that provide fake news or inaccurate information, not just on the internet but on tv, and in our newspapers (Digital Inquiry Group, n.d.). Some subjects are difficult to discuss, but need awareness. For example, teen mental health is a rising issue in Alberta and should be addressed as the teen suicide rate rises. Below is a set of multimedia texts that could be used to explore multimedia representations of teen mental Health issues for a classroom setting.
This global news article can be an eye-opener for students and educators about the surprising rise in teen mental health issues and the connection to rising suicide rates in Albertan youths.
This reel is from a professional point of view about the extreme distress youth are displaying when it comes to mental health. Our youth today are severely impacted by social media and these new trends that seem to be going around. As such, their mental health takes a significant hit in how they cope with issues. Youth are emotionally invested and experience larger-than-normal emotions, which become debilitating to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fygsnHQ99SU
This video explains the root of the rise of youth mental health issues. It gives insight into the reasons behind these rises and offers ways to combat youth mental health issues.
https://www.ncesd.org/behavior-health/video-teen-suicide-prevention/
This website is a great resource with videos to help youth understand warning signs of mental health issues before they get too big. It offers ways to spot suicidal behaviours and warning signs of self-harm. This website is a great resource for youth to become proactive in their friend groups, schools and classrooms in the prevention of self-harm and suicide. By recognizing the warning signs of mental health issues in classmates and friends, youth can become helpful advocates for others.
The issue of youth mental health and suicide is very near to my heart as I have lost 3 youth in the last 3 months to suicide. I strongly believe that bringing awareness to these issues, not just in our homes but also in our classrooms, could help students and our own children who are struggling be more open to discussing their mental health issues. Everyone has struggles; the largest issue is that too many suffer in silence because they feel like they are alone in their struggle. Normalizing and removing the stigma of mental health issues and suicide can increase awareness and provide support for those struggling with them.
References
Digital Inquiry Group. (n.d.). Intro to lateral reading. Civic Online Reasoning.
Mirra, N., Kelly, L. L., & Garcia, A. (2021). Beyond fake news: Culturally relevant media literacies for a fractured civic landscape. Theory Into Practice, 60(4), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.1983316
Photo Image taken from WIX photo gallery
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