Psyched About School

If you or someone you know is suicidal, get help immediately via 911, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or the Crisis Text Line (text “HOME” to 741741). September is Suicide Prevention Month! Although September is recognized as THE month to share information and resources about suicide intervention and prevention, it is something that should be talked about all year long. The more we talk about it, the more we NORMALIZE talking about it. If we are able to make these conversations less taboo, individuals experiencing suicidal ideation and/or behavior may be more likely to ask for help without the fear of being judged.  Suicide is preventable, but sadly is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with almost 50,000 deaths occuring by suicide in 2019 [1].  Unfortunately, for youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death [2]. Furthermore, when compared to heterosexual youth, LGBTQ+ youth are thought to be at an even gr

It has been a hard couple of weeks, y’all.   A shooting on the campus of one of our schools is devastating to the entire community.   In addition to responding to that crisis, your W-S/FCS Student Services personnel (counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses) were also dealing with suicide assessments, threat screenings, and physical and emotional crises (some of these during other school lockdowns) across the District. Schools are statistically VERY safe places for children but, when school shootings do happen, people start looking for answers.  We all want someone or something to blame.  Gun control and metal detectors are the most common responses.   Research has not proven that metal detectors – or other “hardening” of schools with security guards and cameras – have any positive effect on school safety.  In fact, there is evidence that metal detectors can make our students FEEL LESS SAFE at school.   Additional research suggests that such measures may actually

by Angela Fernandez, School Psychologist Although Mental Health Awareness Month has come to an end, the need for awareness and acceptance of mental illness has not. I encourage you to read on to learn more about mental illness, stigma, and steps you can take to help end the stigma associated with mental illness.  Let’s first talk about what it means to have a mental illness. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2021), a mental illness is a condition defined by a combination of changes in thought patterns, emotions, and behavior that cause distress and/or dysfunction in social, family, and/or school/work activities.  But I’m not aware of anyone who has a mental illness, so it must not be THAT common, right? Wrong! Mental illnesses are very common. So far in 2021, 19% of adults in the United States of America are experiencing a mental illness. That is over 47 million Americans (Mental Health America, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, 2021)! Children are also

It’s May—the sun is shining, flowers are popping, the pollen is thick, and school is winding down. May also means it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. The cynical side of me thinks, “well geez, do we need a special day or week or month for everything?” I mean September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. There’s National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day on January 31st. February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Enough already.  But then the other part of me thinks, Mental Health Awareness Month is in a whole different category than a “shiver me timbers” or a K-9 molar extraction, it’s serious business. We need it to be every month! Mental health has often been overshadowed by its physical health big-brother. Eat your vegetables. Walk 10,000 steps. Wait did you eat your vegetables? Take some more steps. Lift some weights. Do you see those people on Instagram? Yeah, do your best to look like them. More vegetables! If you do all this, will you be healthy? You might be. Or you mig

As we wrap up Mental Health Awareness Month, several members of our WS/FCS family will share their thoughts about the importance of mental health.  Although the month is almost over, it is critical that we continue to #breakthestigma by increasing our awareness and understanding of this topic. Our student voice is Lillian Reid, a senior at West Forsyth High School. She has great insight and advice on how to support those with mental health challenges. A Student Perspective By Lillian Reid Although mental illness has an unfortunate stigma attached to it, many people today have been diagnosed with one form or another. What some people don’t recognize is that mental illness is much more common than you might think. In fact, younger Americans diagnosed with mental disorders have increased significantly over the past decade, according to sciencedaily.com. Specifically, depression increased from 2005 to 2017 at 52% in adolescents, although anxiety is often associated with depression, so its

In 1970, the Autism Society first designated April as Autism Awareness month to promote awareness about individuals on the spectrum. This year is significant because as of March 4, 2021, the Autism Society made the shift from Autism Awareness to Autism Acceptance. The hope is that this change will empower autistic individuals and their families. To promote both awareness and acceptance, this year’s campaign is “Celebrate Differences.” There are so many wonderful things to celebrate about individuals on the spectrum. One of the best things is that no two people on the spectrum are the same; each one is unique in their own special way.  Although April is over, we want to continue this acceptance campaign and find out how WSFCS celebrates differences throughout the year. To that end, we surveyed a few of our staff and families to find out and here are some of the responses we got:  Accepting people for who they are and not projecting my expectations or perceptions on them. - School Psycho