Mental Health Overview

Mental Health
and Wellness Portal
Coping with typical stressors of life


What is Mental Health?

Mental health and well-being includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make everyday choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. U.S. Department of Health and Human Service

Mental health is a spectrum. In the same way that every individual experiences physical health as a continuum from ‘well’ to ‘ill’, every individual has a mental health experience. As with physical health, mental health changes at different points in individuals’ lives based on both biological and environmental factors. Many young people enjoy mental wellness, meaning that they have positive regard for themselves, enjoy positive relationships with the people who are important to them, and are generally resilient when faced with challenges in their lives at home and school. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Coping with mental health concerns negatively impacts young people’s ability to meet the many demands of school, including cognitive demands for learning; social and emotional demands for making friends and behaving according to school rules, norms, and expectations; and physical demands for being active throughout the school day.

Lee County Public School’s Mental Health & Wellness Page is designed to provide a wide variety of educational and community resources available to students, staff, and the community to support positive change, reduce stigma and develop the capacity of all stakeholders to engage in wellness.

Facts About Mental Health

  • Mental health affects everyone regardless of culture, race, ethnicity or gender
  • Nearly 44 million adults experience mental health illness in a given year
  • One in five children ages 13 – 18 have or will have a serious mental health illness
  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth ages 10 - 24

Things Parents can do When Concerned About Mental Health

  • Talk with your child’s pediatrician
  • Get a referral to a mental health professional
  • Learn more about mental illness
  • Work with the school
  • Connect with other individuals and families

How to Support a Friend or Relative with Their Mental Health

  • Contact – Stay in regular contact. Pick up the phone; send a text or email to check up on your friend or relative
  • Listen – Listen to your friend or relative. Be patient and understanding
  • Support – Offer to go with them to find some extra support and advice from professionals
  • Encourage – Encourage them to talk about how they are feeling
  • Coping Skills – Help them to develop coping skills such as relaxation or deep breathing. Be there to practice with them
  • Respect – Respect their limits and do not put pressure on them to do things
  • Daily Tasks – Ask them if there is anything you can do to help them with tasks such as shopping, cleaning, etc.
  • Wellbeing – Talk to them about how exercise, sleep and eating healthy can help with their mental health
  • Judgement – Do not judge them or be critical when talking to them
  • Yourself – Make sure to look after yourself and your own wellbeing

From Twitter @BELIEVEPHQ