Educators know firsthand that Maine kids struggle with mental health needs, and that the pressure to succeed is real. Officials say the need for mental health services is growing in and outside of school. Heather Perry is the superintendent of Gorham Schools, responsible for five schools and 2,800 students. She said the conversation needs to change. “Normalizing the conversation about mental health, that it’s not something that should be hidden in the closet. If you have a mental health issue, it’s no different than if you have a cold or you break your leg. You need to go see somebody. You need to treat it as such, and I think normalizing the conversation is really important, especially for young people,” Perry said. Experts say the root of the problem is related to information overload, especially for impressionable young minds, and too much screen time, including social media. Perry spoke about a national movement underway. “This is trying to encourage families not to give their kids a cell phone until they’re in the eighth grade. Imagine that,” Perry said. Marissa Ritz of Maine Family Centers said her growing mental health company has expanded to four locations in three years, with a fifth on the way. Ritz spoke about the need for mental health services for Maine youth. “Our kids are inundated with this information,” Ritz said. “Our brains aren’t built to have this much information about the world,” she said. Maine Family Centers offers therapy for people of all ages. Ritz said she agrees with educators that more needs to be done to normalize mental health struggles. Perry said school districts have added mental health-centered curriculum in recent years, something Maine Total Coverage covered extensively toward the end of the pandemic. “You want to put them in situations where they might fail and teach them that it’s okay to fail,” Perry said. “The only way you teach a child that it’s okay to fail is to have a cheerleader who tells them it’s okay to fail,” Ritz said. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988, which is 911 for mental health support. Someone will answer your call or text message 24/7.
Educators know firsthand that Maine’s children struggle with mental health needs and that the pressure to succeed is real. The need for mental health services both in and outside of school is growing, officials said.
Heather Perry is superintendent of Gorham schools, responsible for five schools and 2,800 students. She said the conversation needs to change.
“Normalizing the conversation around mental health and making sure people know it’s not something that should be hidden. If you’re having a mental health issue, it’s no different than if you have a cold or a broken leg. You need to go see somebody. It needs to be treated as such. I think normalizing the conversation is really important, especially for young people,” Perry said.
Experts say the roots of the problem have to do with information overload, particularly for impressionable young people, and too much screen time, including on social media. Perry spoke of a nationwide campaign.
“This is trying to encourage families not to give their kids cell phones until they’re in the eighth grade. Imagine that,” Perry said.
Marissa Ritz of Maine Family Centers said her growing mental health company has expanded to four locations in three years, with a fifth opening soon. Ritz spoke about the need for mental health services for Maine youth.
“Our kids are inundated with this information,” Ritz says. “Our brains aren’t wired to have as much information about the world as we have,” she says.
Maine Family Centers provides therapy for people of all ages, and Litz said she agrees with educators that more needs to be done to normalize mental health concerns.
Perry said school districts have added curriculum focused on mental health in recent years, and Maine Total Coverage provided extensive coverage toward the end of the pandemic.
“I want to put my students in situations where they might fail and teach them that it’s okay to fail and that it’s okay to fail,” Perry said.
“The only way to teach a child that it’s okay to fail is to have a cheerleader who tells them it’s okay to fail,” Ritz said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text 988. This is 911 for mental health help. Someone will answer your call or text 24/7.
