RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — An important conversation shining a light on mental health, as star athletes were hoping to let students know they’re not alone. Athletes for Hope hosted an event at Dillard Drive Magnet Middle School on Wednesday.
Speaking on this kind of stage, talking about mental health is something Chasity Melvin never imagined doing growing up.
Growing up in Sampson County, chasing hoop dreams that took her to N.C. State and then to the WNBA, Melvin said her family didn’t always understand mental health.
“Be tough, don’t cry, you know, just get over it, you know, like my grandma used to say, this is where all the Southern people like you don’t have any nerves, you know, like, so for me, it’s important to just be here, motivate them and encourage them, because, you know, the youth are our future,” she said.
It’s something athletes said is slowly changing. Olympic BMX racer Kamren Larsen said he used to not be able to speak up, and sports were his outlet.
“As a young adult, I can even remember myself in middle school. I didn’t want to talk to a lot of people, didn’t want to talk to my parents because I didn’t want them to like, yell at me,” he said. “So, yeah, it’s going to be talking to these parents about ways to also assess their children and help them help themselves.”
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Studies found that suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens aged 15-19.
It’s why events like this are so important. Dillard Drive Middle School Principal Margaret Feldman said that, especially in the early teen middle school years, in the post-COVID world where social media creates a lot of pressure, it’s been a challenging time for students.
“Kids are on social media all the time, and we’re really lucky here that we have a no cell phone policy and it allows kids to really go back to having conversations,” she said. “And it’s funny, we used to be like getting kids into technology, wanting to introduce technology to the classroom, and now we want to get rid of it because we want kids, you know, having these conversations, speaking with each other, listening to each other.”
And physicians are also hoping that the message reaches parents.
“I would say stigma being the No. 1 is that oftentimes people have a hard time speaking about mental health and substance use,” Dr. Mena Mirhom said. “There’s a feeling that this is a moral failure or someone’s doing something because of a character issue. As a parent, you can begin to feel, oh, if my child is using substances, I’m doing something wrong and I blame myself instead of saying, You know what, let me support my child and get support for myself as well.”
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