ISSUE 6 2020-21

Page 1

THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056

THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

VOLUME 61, ISSUE 6

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

The Silent Pandemic

RICK LYTLE

Editor-in-Chief

*name changed for confidentiality ne year ago today on March 12, all co-curricular activities were suspended through the end of spring break. The next day, District 214 canceled school for at least two weeks, and students were told they “should bring all materials home with them ... in the event we are unable to hold face-to-face class instruction immediately following spring break.” Now, one year later, two-thirds of Prospect students are still remote learning every day. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide mental health crisis, and high school-age students haven’t been spared. Although suicide reporting is slow in the United States, early data on mental health and suicide among adolescents is cause for concern. From mid-March through October, the CDC found a 31% increase in mental health-related hospital visits for people aged 12-17. Some reports have been even more worrying: at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, the number of children and teenagers hospitalized for suicide attempts was 250% higher in October of 2020 than in October 2019. Both of these studies were conducted before the coronavirus spike seen this past winter during which total COVID-19 cases in the United States tripled and COVID-19 deaths doubled. Prior to C OV I D - 1 9 and the

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resulting impact on all aspects of society, mental health was already a serious and worsening issue in the United States. In the last decade, suicide rates have been steadily increasing among all age groups, including ages 10 through 34 where suicide is the second leading cause of death. For high school students especially, this is not an issue caused by COVID-19, but one worsened by it. According to a Prospector survey of 102 students, 1 in 13 Prospect students have been diagnosed with a mental disorder in the past year, and in total, 32% of Prospect students have been diagnosed with a mental disorder at some time in their life. Senior Mary Lazaretti is one of those students. Having been diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety and ADHD, she spoke about the importance of taking the first steps towards getting help and her experience of doing so at Prospect. During Lazaretti’s freshman year, she began to frequently have panic attacks often because of grades. After having backto-back days of panic attacks and building stress for an upcoming test, Lazaretti went

and talked to her school counselor. She went through a series of questions related to her mental health and had a discussion with her counselor before being referred to Northwest Community Hospital. She was a part of the outpatient program, so she did not stay overnight at the hospital, but she went to the hospital for seven consecutive days. Lazaretti didn’t feel like her stay at the hospital for her mental health was very successful, but it did start her process of receiving treatment which now includes one-on-one therapy outside of school and medication. Lazaretti also credits the help of school psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson, who she described as “the nicest man you will ever meet,” and how he continues to be a great resource for her at Prospect. “[Because of] the amount of times I have cried to that man in his office, he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for dealing with me,” Lazaretti said. “... He has still been a good resource during the pandemic. He still checks in every so often with an email, and I think that speaks volumes to how important it is to have staff who understand mental health in high school and who are willing to

help.” Psychology teacher Daria Schaffeld discussed the stigma surrounding mental health and how that stigma makes it harder for students to take that first step towards getting help. She believes that some of this stigma surrounding mental illness stems from the fact that people cannot physically see mental health issues in the same way they see physical injuries. “When you blow out your knee and you have an ACL surgery, you’re bandaged, and you’re on crutches, and it’s such an obvious physical issue,” Schaffeld said. “... [When that happens] people feel for you, and they show empathy, and they ask you how PT is going … we embrace the physical issues and ailments much more powerfully than the mental stuff ... People think that because you can’t see [mental illness], and there’s not a cut or a scar or blood that it shouldn’t be talked about.” Schaffeld believes the invisible nature of mental illnesses can lead people to brush off the need for professional treatment and help. “It shouldn’t be, ‘Oh, I can just figure it out on my own.’ You wouldn’t figure out your ACL tear on your own,” Schaffeld said *Jamie Zimmerman is a senior at Prospect who has first-hand experience with the stigma surrounding mental illness. During her freshman year, she watched her then-senior brother not only struggle with mental health issues but also his hesitancy towards taking the first steps towards getting help. “I started to notice that

SEE MENTAL HEALTH, page 2 Painting by Ondine Cella

Have You ever been diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder?

1 in 5

Yes 32.4% No 67.6%

Information courtesy of a survey of 102 Prospect students

Nationally, about teenagers currently suffer from a mental illness Information courtesy of the National Institute of Mental Health


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ISSUE 6 2020-21 by The Prospector - Issuu