Last week, students from across western Kentucky gathered to share experiences and learn about mental health at the Substance Prevention and Mental Health Care Student Conference in Graves County.
Four Rivers Regional Prevention Center in Paducah and Pennyroyal Center Community Mental Health Agency in Hopkinsville hosted the meeting.
The conference will be attended by approximately 250 students from 16 schools representing 13 counties. School staff, advisors and state prevention experts were also in attendance.
Gabriel Ross, a sixth-grader at Paducah Middle School, has been dealing with mental health issues since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Relationships and things that are going on are affecting me,” Ross said.
One thing her mental health struggles have taught her is to put yourself out there and never be afraid. She wants her students to know that taking her chances will be beneficial.
“I kind of learned that I can still go on and do my job and be the great person that I am,” Ross said.
Murray High School senior Matthew Ashlock said he doesn’t struggle with mental health or substance abuse, but he appreciates what the conference has provided.
“I think this is pretty empowering,” Ashlock said. “It’s really interesting to meet people you’ve never met before and to connect in that way, knowing that you can connect with issues that not only affect you but also affect them.”
Mr Ashlock said he has many colleagues struggling with mental health and offered advice on how to overcome these issues, including reaching out to colleagues and taking responsibility.
“Even if you’re not in any trouble, even if you don’t know anyone, just being able to learn these skills and give it back to your community can definitely make a huge impact on people who are struggling. ,” Ashlock said.
Grace Donaldson, Youth Empowerment and Prevention Specialist at Four Rivers Behavioral Health, said the Kentucky Prevention Incentive Study found that serious psychological distress among those surveyed increased by 57% from 2014 to 2021. He said it was found that.
“One in four middle school students surveyed reported poor mental health most of the time or all of the time,” Donaldson said. “For high school students, she was actually one in three who reported having poor mental health most of the time or all of the time.”
Donaldson said the most important factor in a young person’s life is having at least one adult they can trust. She said it was essential for her parents to discuss mental health at home.
“It’s okay to talk about whether you have any concerns or what you would do if you woke up in the morning and felt like you couldn’t go on anymore,” Donaldson says. “We want them to know that they have an adult in their life that they can trust.”
Ross wants her fellow students to know that they have a community behind them and that no one is alone.
“Never bow your head,” Ross said. “Even if you are not going through the best of times right now, believe that you will get through it.”
