Girls Struggle with Mental Health
According to the GirlsEmpowermentNetwork, “One in five high school girls in Texas has seriously considered suicide, and one in five has made a plan for attempting suicide.”
Mental Health can take a huge toll on how a person goes through their day and Norwin students are not an exception. Oftentimes some people choose to stay in bed because they don’t have the energy to get up, or some people keep themselves busy and surround themselves with people. Someone’s mental health struggles can be from many things, from school to friends and family, and even just being overwhelmed by things, but you can get help and that is what some people do not understand.
I actually think that females’ mental health is often considered at a higher rate and greater importance than males. However, I think that if a female presents herself as having a strong exterior and acts composed and unaffected, then her mental health status can oftentimes be overlooked. — Ms. Devon Fiore
According to a recent Norwin poll of over 50 female students, 86 percent of girls said that society overlooks women’s mental health.
Most girls feel like when girls speak about their feelings they are not being heard like they want to be.
“I think people should let women voice their opinions instead of trying to silence us,” said one female student in the Norwin poll. “If we do show emotions we get told we are emotional. Society acts like showing emotions is a bad thing instead of something that makes us human.”
Unfortunately, often girls compare themselves to other girls; they see on social media. That often causes insecurities to form in girls’ brains.
According to an article written about Girls Mental Health by CNN, “Once they are on social media, the focus on appearance hits girls especially. They are more likely to be ‘liked’ or ‘disliked’ based on their looks, and sexualized, than boys.”
Not only does social media play a huge effect on their mental state. There are other pressures that are causing a decrease in mental health.
”Females experience stress at a higher rate than males,” said Devon Fiore, a Norwin High school guidance counselor. “Ongoing stress is a major contributor to one’s mental health status. In addition to that, females often value relationships and socialization more than males. When adverse situations arise in those areas, that can contribute to a decline in a female’s mental health as well. Females are also biologically different which can affect mental health status as well.”
Additionally, since stress and external pressures has risen in females throughout the years, females now go through puberty in earlier stages of life.
According to a CNN article about Girls Mental Heath, “Back in 1800, girls got their periods around age 16; in the 1900s, it was around age 15; and in 2020, the average age was 11. It might be that development is sped up by stress or a shift in diet.”
However, there are improvements in Norwin High School that can help make people suffering from mental health issues feel not so alone.
“Have student groups make signs to post around the building or make videos to show on KWIN promoting positive mental health and how to access resources,” said Mrs. Nevi, a chemistry teacher at Norwin High School.
A lot of girls struggle with their Mental Health in Norwin and outside of Norwin. Just know you are never alone and that you can reach out to someone.
“At Norwin, each student is assigned their own school counselor that they can see at any time during the school day,” said Mrs. Nevi. “We also have a school psychologist assigned to the high school and a social worker. If needed, school counselors can get students in touch with outside agencies that work with young people struggling with their mental health.“
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline-988
Norwin Resources for Mental Health
