Mental Health Crisis
Let’s Chat Afterglow #10
I have never had a child of my own so I can only imagine the concerns and fears of parents who have to raise their children in the world we presently live in. I have had a taste of it with the littles that I shepherd who are my heart and most recently with a precious baby, turned toddler, that has become a part of our family. To be honest, until he came along, I had never known a love like this. He is growing up so fast and parts of it scares the be jeebers out of me. I have a hard enough time feeling like I have to protect him on the playground let alone sending him off to school without his bodyguard, that’s me, I’m his bodyguard. It’s amazing how fast the ninja mom rises up in me. I may not be as nimble as I once was, but believe me, the sound effects have risen to a whole other level. I honestly feel like I am on a covert mission to protect him, not just from the high slides, imposing walls he climbs, and his daredevil ways, but how the other kids treat him. He is two and a half years old and I’m already trying to shield him from getting his feelings hurt, being made fun of, being excluded and having his confidence take a hit. I know it’s part of the growing process, but I worry that it will lead to something bigger, to something more serious, making life hard for him. I do not want him to feel less than he is, to feel like an outsider, to feel like nobody wants to be his friend, to feel like there is something wrong with him, and on and on and on. Am I overthinking this? “I thought you were a woman of faith.” I absolutely am, but those playgrounds can be brutal. The bottom line is that I want him to be ok. I don’t want him to develop any inferiority complexes, anger issues, or sadness. I’ve seen where this can lead children and it’s not always pretty.
I realize that I can’t protect him from everything. I can step in when the playground bully disks or ices out my boy or gently remind the parents that their child is throwing rocks or shade at my child, but how do I protect him from what may be going on inside of his head, the silent struggles, the ones that I cannot see? The first thing I know, is to put him in the hands of Almighty God, which is easier said than done. The second is to continue to educate myself on mental health issues and struggles in children. I believe it’s never too early to begin to talk about certain facets of mental health with our children. I don’t want them to be afraid to talk to me, to be honest with me about their fears, their sadness, their anger, their hopelessness, etc. I want them to know that our struggles are nothing to be ashamed of and that “It’s OK not to be OK,” which is part of the global mental health awareness campaign that I think packs a punch.
I am seeing more and more young people suffer with mental health issues and when I say young, I am talking about eight-and-nine-year-old's that I know personally that are struggling seriously with anger, rage, depression, murderous thoughts, suicidal ideations, etc. We have no other choice but to deal with it head on. Help us, Jesus. The numbers show that many students are receiving significant mental health diagnoses, in particular, of deep depression. This is why I wanted to bring in one of the greatest gifts to our community, Tammy Nicholl, Director of MHDAS, Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Services Board of Logan & Champaign Counties. Tammy has her hand on the pulse of the issues and trends that our nation, state, and local community are currently seeing. There is a consensus among those who work within the mental health profession that we are currently experiencing a youth crisis in the realm of mental health. For several years now, our local schools have instituted a “Signs of Suicide Screening.” This screening is done with 6th and 9th grade students. It begins with an education class for all students about the meaning of mental health, pointing out that everybody struggles sometimes but teaching the signs that indicate we or somebody we might know may need more help and where to start the process. It’s also highlighted that “It’s ok to not be ok” and nothing to be ashamed of. A day or two after the class, they do the screening. For the 2021-22 school year, out of 1,666 students, 1,474 students were screened. Parents can opt out of the testing for their children. 28% (404 students) of the students that were screened were positive, indicating that they were at a level where it would be a good idea for them to talk to a clinician. Of the 404 students that tested positive, 12% (48 students) had previous suicide attempts. These numbers set me back a bit. I knew there was a problem, but I didn’t know it was this dire. Needless to say, our schools are overwhelmed trying to do the right thing by their students.
Like our school staff, our mental health care workers are overwhelmed and understaffed. While the need for services is growing, the work force is dwindling. This is where the church comes into play. As individuals, we all have the capacity to help somebody that is struggling in their mind, thoughts, emotions, situations, etc. I know it can be intimidating to talk about the darkness someone is experiencing, but it doesn’t have to be a scary thing. It doesn’t always have to be big, grandiose gestures. Sometimes it’s just a matter of listening or checking in on them. It all matters. You can make a difference.
We want all out children to be ok and to have access to good and safe environments that foster communication. I love what Tammy Nicholl said when I asked her what her greatest hope is for the future of her grandchildren. “I think it’s that they find a purpose and understand their value and the plan that God has for our lives and recognize that it’s bigger than one interaction that can destroy them. That they can become more solid and know that this one interaction, this one mistake, this one failure, this one time of not making the team doesn’t have to destroy them.” Amen. The devil is a liar. If we teach our children this truth at the onset of their first “major” incident, meltdown, rejection, or time finding themselves in trouble, they may have a better chance at developing healthy coping skills and maintaining a healthy balance in their mental health.
One of my focuses as a pastor is to help people understand this same truth. Our mistakes, diagnoses or past doesn’t define us, that is not who we are. We are who God says we
are. We are not bipolar. We are human beings who have bipolar. We are not a drug addict. We are human beings who have addictions. The way that we identify ourselves is very important. The devil wants us to see ourselves as our illness, as our mistakes, as our limitations, but God sees us saved, complete, chosen, forgiven, a new creation, a child of God, redeemed, a light of the world, more than a conqueror, created for good works, victorious, not condemned, accepted, healed, beautiful, not alone, sufficient, strong, blessed, special, precious, and wonderfully made. Let’s help our children see this also. Knowing these truths can set us free, adult and children alike, to be who we be in Christ, and that, my friend, is the only way to live.