Mmhm Reflection

On May 17, 9th through 12th grade students in My Mental Health Matters (MMHM), a new club at State High, presented May’s Straight Talk session. MMHM is a student-formed club that aims to erase the stigma attached to issues surround mental health. Under the guidance of high school counselors Patty Devecka and Suzanne Lyke, Jana Marie Foundation’s President Marisa Vicere, and State High alumnus Shawn Bainbridge, members strive to bring awareness to common feelings of doubt or helplessness and most importantly, to let students know that they are never alone in the State High halls. Their Straight Talk presentation covered the importance of mental health awareness from a student perspective. The students responsible for forming MMHM were moved by troubling results from the most recent Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), which reflected alarmingly high rates of depression and suicidal ideation. They identified that the importance of physical health receives a great deal of attention, but mental health is often neglected. The
It is coming at a time when mental health concerns are sounding alarms at universities like Penn State. Perhaps stress in the world of education continues to climb as time goes on. Melanie Lynch identifies reliance on technology as being a potential culprit for part of the decline in students’ stress management skills. “Everything is at the touch of our fingertips,” she said. “Relationships are becoming more virtual, and kids struggle more with showing empathy.” Coupled with ever-increasing academic competition reinforcing unachievable ideals, this creates a dilemma: “Students’ brains do not shut off; they are constantly engaged,” said Lynch, “but that also means they’re