Kayla Kitana, Teen Board Member
Westchester Academy - Houston, Texas
Teen Board Member 2021 - Present
Kayla is a junior at Westchester Academy for International Studies. She is the 11th grade representative of the school’s National Honor Society. Kayla is a student ambassador for Fuel Up to Play 60 and president of the Fuel Up to Play 60 club at her school. She has qualified for distinguished academic honor roll every school year for the past 5 years. Kayla enjoys drawing, singing, and learning sign language in her free time. She aspires to become a speech-language pathologist and a counseling psychologist.
Mental Health: Wrap Your Mind Around It
American actress Glenn Close once said: “What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation.” Unfortunately, many adolescents were taught that the subject of mental health is disgraceful and shouldn’t be discussed. But it should be talked about. The best way to give support to people with mental health problems is to understand them.
Unbeknownst to most people, mental health problems aect everyone. A study done by Adolescent Wellness Academy revealed that approximately one in five teens between ages twelve and eighteen suer from at least one mental health disorder; this alone should show the commonality of mental health disorders. Providing mental health education can provide awareness and resources for individuals and loved ones. Additionally, it can promote eorts for treatment and recovery.
What is mental health? Mental health concerns our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
● Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
● Life experiences
● Family history of mental health problems
Mental health is a convoluted part of being human. And like many parts of us, we need the ability to cultivate it and let it grow healthily.
It is arduous to pinpoint a single cause responsible for the decrease in teen mental health. Many factors like environmental, genetic, and situational dier in eect depending on the person. Some common factors that can contribute to mental health diculties in teens could be:
● Social media
● Pressures to succeed
● Underdeveloped coping skills
● Diculties with relationships
Regrettably, these factors are dismissed as being a part of natural teenage processes and development. It is crucial to be aware of significant behavioral
and emotional changes during adolescent years to determine if symptoms can indicate something more profound.
Furthermore, treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual. Options for treatment include medication, therapy, or even community support systems. Only 44% of adults with diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and adolescents receive needed treatment. Friends and loved ones make a notable dierence. Friends and family can be important influences to help someone get the treatment they need.
Ultimately, working to maintain positive mental health is critical in allowing people to achieve a good state of mind. Ways to maintain positive mental health:
● Getting professional help if you need it
● Connecting with others
● Engaging in physical activities; like exercising, walking, running, or
playing active sports
● Helping others
● Getting enough sleep
● Developing skills to cope with stresses in life
Kayla Kitana December 2021
