HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Federal health leaders have found that an estimated 20 million young people in America have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
Health officials across the country have documented spikes in cases of anxiety and depression among students following the COVID-19 pandemic.
CBS 6 asked viewers to share how they feel about the state of mental health in Virginia public schools. Hundreds of people weighed, sharing varying thoughts:
"The mental health system is broken. Schools need to teach like they were designed to do. They can't manage everything. Parents need to parent," Karen Michelle wrote.
"They're doing all they can with the limited resources and lack of funding they have,” Cathy Hollar said.
"We need licensed mental health therapists in schools. As a school counselor, I'm drowning. I have 350 students on my caseload. We need help!" Cynthia Smith shared.
Varina High School’s Parent Teacher Student Association is attempting to tackle the issue. They held a district-wide meeting Wednesday evening for families who may not know where to start when it comes to addressing their mental health needs.
A licensed professional gave a presentation sharing the signs to look out for, questions to ask kids, and how to support struggling students.
“It’s important we normalize talking about it. So many people think it’s a bad thing or it's a stigma around it, and we want to bring a program that allows people to talk about it and normalize it and everyone has a different journey,” said PTSA President Danielle Ransom.
Henrico County high schoolers have access to free virtual counseling services through Hazel Health.
County leaders also launched a “Henrico Cares” program this year.
It is a program that partners with the county and providers to get more mental health professionals and social workers in individual schools.
The school district also launched a free program this year called Care Solace. The program helps families find a therapist or service free of charge, and schedules appointments for them.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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