Being a teenager is hard. Questions and big decisions seem to be everywhere. Where do I go to college? What do I want to do with my life? This can take a toll on mental health, especially for teenagers.
According to statistics from Mental Health America, over 19% of American youth (ages 12-17) suffer from severe depression. When it comes to suicide, 13.4% of American youth have had suicidal thoughts. This means that approximately 3.4 million kids in the U.S. have thought about taking their own life. Half of those, 1.7 million, actually plan to commit suicide.
Lorelei Sunderland
Lorelei Sunderland is working to make a difference to these numbers locally. As a nurse with LMH Health Primary Care – Tonganoxie, she knows that depression and anxiety are big issues for middle and high school students, and she sees those statistics manifesting themselves in her younger patients.
“Adolescents are vulnerable and make split-second decisions. Everything feels like the end of the world,” she says. “That’s why they have such high rates of self-harm. Their brains are only capable of thinking about today and tomorrow. They’re not able to process or make decisions three to five years into the future until they’re about 25.”
While working towards her DNP degree, Sunderland focused her graduate research project on screening students for depression and anxiety. She worked closely with Tonganoxie school counselors over a four-year period using standard assessment tools such as the PHQ-9 (Patient Well-Being) and GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) questionnaires.
“My goal was to notice trends and intervene before students got into trouble,” she said. “I established baselines with the data I collected and monitored each student with regular, repeated testing.”
Sunderland is one of many organizations working to address mental health. Depression and anxiety are also issues for the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA). The organization Mental health is importantis a five-part video series aimed at educating coaches, sponsors and school personnel on how to support students who may be struggling with mental health issues.
“KSHSAA encourages training of coaches and teachers on the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and when to seek help,” Sunderland said. “It’s also important for parents to know what to look out for.”
Sunderland speaks to parents of student-athletes about depression and anxiety before the school year starts each August, and gives a separate presentation to coaches. She talks about the role of coaches, but tries not to rely too much on statistics.
“I can give you numbers and tell you how many young people are struggling with mental health issues, but that’s not going to save lives,” she says. “Being proactive and learning what to look out for is what’s going to save lives, and knowing what the signs are that indicate an impending problem.”
Sunderland advises parents and coaches to be most wary of sudden changes from a student’s normal behavior.
- Dramatic personality change
- Sudden changes in grades
- Loss of interest and effort in sports
- Negative self-talk
- Substance abuse, including e-cigarettes, smoking, alcohol, and drugs
- Episodes of self-harm
“If you notice something’s wrong, ask them if they’re OK and be compassionate,” she says. “It’s okay to ask for help. Contact a school counselor, talk to your doctor, or ask me for help.”
It’s also important for adolescents to understand that it’s okay to ask for help when something isn’t going well. They need to know they can talk to a counselor, teacher, or coach and confide in them what’s distressing them.
“Also, I have classmates come up to me and say, ‘I’m worried about so-and-so.’ Some people have grabbed me at basketball games and said they were really worried,” she explained. “Some of the strongest athletes need serious help, and it’s people you wouldn’t expect. We’re able to reach these kids before they get to that stage.”
