Although there has been a 10% decrease since the pandemic, the level of emergency department visits for mental and behavioral health is higher than pre-pandemic levels, especially for teen girls.

Fall 2022

• 4,000+ ER visits for mental health conditions among teen girls compared to 2,400(ish) among teen boys.
• Suicide attempts were nearly 4x higher in teen girls than teen boys
• Overdoses involving opioids increased 27%
• Teen girls are experiencing record levels of violence, sadness, and suicide risk

What do we do?

HSD recently held a guardian and parent information session on student mental health. In addition to resources provided for taking home, we also keyed in on some of what we are seeing. Some takeaway points are:

• that students report feeling relieved when they are restricted from phone/social media use for long periods of time (3+ days relief seems to set in)
• the increase in vaping, alcohol abuse (binge drinking/blackouts), and cannabis use is alarming - the students are using these things before the health curriculum teaches the dangers, they need more conversations about risks
• students are self-diagnosing, trickle down diagnosing/treating, and self-treating their believed diagnosis of anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc. - students who believe they are experiencing these things should seek out a licensed professional for confirmation and treatment.
• ask your teen flat out if they have ever considered suicide, if yes, find out how recently, if there is/was a plan, do they have access to means, have they ever attempted, etc. Then make a safety plan, and seek out professional help
• if your teen hasn't considered suicide, but does not already see a professional, you can ask if they have any desire to see a therapist - you might be surprised how many say yes. This can be a great preventative measure to allow steam out of the pot before reaching any crisis level.
• students report feeling immense pressure in academics and college, as well as not knowing about options other than college. Ask your teen if they want to go to college and/or if they want to explore other options too. Remind them that their peers here are not their competition, they're not likely to be applying to the same schools for the same programs.
  
  

Check out the US Surgeon General Advisory Below:

We usually see more incidents of vaping in September when we return from summer break. We can extrapolate that this means students increase their vaping activity over the summer and experience some level of difficulty separating from/or withdrawal when they return to a controlled school setting.

Below is a flyer for a youth quit group. Summer is a great time to seek out vaping education classes, quitting support, and kicking any addiction.

Reach out to your school counselor, nurse, case manager, or SAC if you'd like to find out about IOP, PHP, or residential treatment centers that can be explored over the summer. Sometimes the interruption to the school routine can be a deterrent to seeking more intensive help - remember that the help exists in the summer too!

If certain content is sensitive or a "trigger" for you, try using this website:

https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ for books

http://www.doesthedogdie.com before watching a new movie, tv show, or reading a new book. It lists a wide variety of content warnings. It is public/user driven - like Wikipedia.

The link below leads to the SAMHSA website were you can print (or order for free) safety plan sheets. You don't have to be in crisis to be prepared. Talk to your kiddo or loved one about:

• How they know when things aren't right for them
• What helps when things don't feel right
• Who/What are people/places for distraction
• Who are they willing to go to for help
• What are some crisis numbers
• What are some actions that can be done to make a safer environment

https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/SAMHSA_Digital_Download/PEP22-08-03-007.pdf

*Students present for the 5/15/23 homeroom activity received a TWLOHA Crisis Planning booklet with hotline numbers and a safety plan template to be completed and shared with a trusted adult*

Newport Academy is offering a guide on how to do a mental health temperature check with your teen(s) using 10 questions. Newport Academy also offers ways to incorporate evidence based "temperature" lowering activities into your teen's life and routine. Check it out!

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/mental_health_temperature_check/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11_09_21_na_resources_temp_check&utm_content=1st_img

Did someone post an exploting image of your kid?

https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline/cybertiplinedata

The link above is a way to get it down.

Click the title to be taken to Megan Thee Stallion's new website that acts as a landing page for mental health resources. CAUTION: the website title and linked song both use language deemed inappropriate.

The website includes therapy connections, including free therapy, resources for suicide, crisis, substance use, and more specifically labeled ones such as for: LGBTQ+, Black Girls, Black Men, and more.

If you'd like your student to join a free online vaping education class to learn the truth about vaping and receive a completion certificate, have them sign up here:

Have students go to everfi.com/register, enter code 8bdfd959 and click Next.

This is a Truth course supported by EverFi and monitored by our district SAC (me).

Do you have a student you feel needs to meet with me? Print and fill out this referral form and send it to me.

Newport Academy/Institute is a treatment center/teen rehab. They are not in any way partnered nor affiliated with the Haddonfield School District.

They do provide a lot of free information and resources that I share when appropriate.

Issue No. 1: https://www.smore.com/e2sbu

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issue No. 10: https://www.smore.com/xrj9m

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Fentanyl: https://www.smore.com/8gb7ps

Doxxing: https://www.smore.com/0x9nb

Email: hpenna@haddonfield.k12.nj.us
Website: https://haddonfieldschools.org/
Location: A104 HMHS
Phone: 856-429-3960 . 1155