COLORADO SPRINGS — As the mental health emergency continues for Colorado’s youth, local teens are addressing alarming trends.
Children’s Hospital Colorado issued a state of emergency in May 2021. The hospital reports that area children have experienced twice the rate of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. The hospital also reported that suicide is the leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 24 in Colorado.
Local teens now say they want to be part of the solution and prevent such trends, by having difficult conversations about mental health and suicide with others their age.
Braeden Turner, 17, says many teens go through emotional times, but they often don’t talk about their feelings.
“A teenager can go through almost anything, you don’t really know what they’re going through,” Turner said.
For Braeden, the suicide attempts also hit close to home.
“You can still see the immense pressure put on students and how that translates into suicidal ideation. Just this year at Lewis-Palmer High School, we had basically three school attempts that kind of shut down our school for that day,” Braeden said.
For 18-year-old Jana Milner, losing her older brother seven years ago was difficult.
“I was really struggling. I was super suicidal. I didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Jana said. “I still have these really bad days, but through therapy and all these different support groups and camps I’ve been to, I’ve learned how to deal with those bad days and help myself.”
Jana and Braeden are both local teenagers with their own stories of how they have been affected by mental health or suicides. Today, they are both passionate about ending the stigma around talking about mental health and helping others their age.
“Hearing a student my age share their experiences is much more meaningful, and I think that’s what has the most impact on students,” Braeden said.
Both are on the teen board of directors for the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County. This is a group of local teens who attend different organizations and schools to discuss suicide with others their age.
“We go into schools and teach freshmen through seniors what to do if you think someone is suicidal, the signs you should look for and how to get help for them,” Jana said.
They also teach other teens their age about all the resources available and aren’t afraid to talk about difficult conversations with other teens.
“Everyone has mental health,” Braeden said. “It’s something we need to be comfortable talking about.”
“I’ve reached a point where I can happily help others too,” Jana said.
Their work has not gone unnoticed. Jana said that after one of their conversations, a mother who had lost her son came up to her, burst into tears and thanked Jana for telling her story.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, and although mental health is making headlines this month, these teens say it needs to be talked about year-round.
In a statement from Children’s Hospital Colorado: “The month of May is typically a very stressful time for children and families. This is especially true for high school-age kids taking SATs, final exams, proms, graduations, and other milestones. These additional stressors often lead to an influx of children seeking mental health treatment in our emergency departments. Although the dramatic increase in patient numbers we have seen over the past two years has begun to stabilize, the numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
On Tuesday, Children’s Hospital Colorado also invited the community to a virtual open forum on child and adolescent mental health. The experts spoke about:
- How to ask if your child is having suicidal thoughts
- How to help children allay fears associated with violence targeting schools and youth across the country
- Warning Signs of Substance Use, Depression, Anxiety and More
- How to Handle Your Child’s Increased Anxiety About Final Exams and Next Summer
- How to Treat Mood Disorders and Find Treatment
- How to Develop a Structure or Routine for Your Child’s Summer Vacation
A recording of this forum can be viewed here.
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