We need to start paying attention to kids’ mental health.
By: Blaire S.
Tags: Mental Health, Children, Teens, Teen Health, Suicide Prevention

I’m 14, and I’ve attempted suicide four times. I’ve been to a mental hospital once, and have a history of self harm. I’ve asked myself forever what went wrong with me. Why I was unable to experience what were supposed to be the best years of my life properly? I still don’t know, but there are a few things I have learned.

You have the most influence over your child. Your actions are the main source for their behavior. If you do not address mental health it will get worse. Everyone needs a therapist. No one is “too young” to feel depressed

Now, this is all from personal experience and each kid is going to be different. Any negative thoughts should be discussed with a mental health profesional. Now, some of the statements above are controversial but I do believe they’re true.

When I was younger my family would drink around me. I was probably only five or six, memories are hazy. Sometimes my schedule was school, then home, then hiding under the covers while my parents threw a party. I was scared and I didn’t understand, to this day loud noises still scare me, as does alcohol. It’s an invisible mark my parents left that they haven’t even realized yet. Everything I do is influenced by it. Those memories left a permanent damage on me and that same damage can be felt by many kids everywhere.

You are the final say, where your kid goes, who they talk to, what they wear, etc. You have the most power, if you choose to use it correctly your decision. We’ve all been/are teens. You may remember that rebellious phase or following exactly in your mothers footsteps. When making a decision you either “do things in agreement with them (parents), or complete disagreement.” Limerick, my friend explained to me. Decisions are never stand alone. Especially as a kid. If you are an absent parent your children are bound to feel bad, act out, etc. They look up to you, we want to believe you are genuinely good so please, please, be good.

June 2020 I was self harming. My parents noticed and spoke to me about it, no other intervention was taken. I asked for a therapist in September and never got one. October I was in the mental hospital. Had my parents gotten me help sooner I don’t think I’d have to say I had been to the hospital or been under suicide watch. School programs don’t cut it for therapy. Conditions allow, you should push to get your kids’ therapists, even if they’re the perfect child.

Age 10 is the first time I remember having a suicidal thought. It came out of nowhere and younger me quickly dismissed it and got back to playing games, I didn’t realize how awful that was until recently. Enough fingers to count on two hands and I wanted to die. That’s absolutely awful and I wish I would’ve known to tell my parents or to know that I wouldn’t be in trouble for that, but I didn’t know. I didn’t know that wasn’t normal or that I shouldn’t be thinking that. If your child speaks to you about feeling badly you need to listen. They need you to be there for them, they need to know you have their back no matter what.

Covid-19 has left a long lasting impact on the world, but also on children. We can’t see our friends, go to school and we are practically isolated. Now is better than ever to start talking about mental health, normalize it, tell kids to talk to you, make them feel safe. Those small actions can save a life or even change their whole path. It is never to late to apologize for mistakes, to reach out, to be better. Us kids need you to be better, we can’t do this alone.

Addressing mental health is the key to guiding us, the next generation into being the best we can be.