Suicide is the leading cause of death and disability among high school students, according to the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report issued in 2022. That report also specifies that “nearly 20% of children and young people ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. ” Moreover, among high school students suicidal behaviors “have increased more than 40% in the decade before 2019”. And while these trends were already worsening before the pandemic, they were exacerbated by it.
And yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) only about 1 in 5 of the 20% of children who have mental health conditions in America receive appropriate treatment for them.
What’s behind this? The organizers of “Slam the Stigma” events around the world believe it is simply the stigma that unfortunately goes with mental health treatment. And to combat that stigma they’ve organized events to bring health care services to young people at the events they’re already attending.
Last Tuesday night, Eagle Grove’s second annual Slam the Stigma event was held along with the games of the boys and girls basketball teams, playing against the Lake Mills Bulldogs. And while the games weren’t wins for the Eagles, the service tables in the hallway outside the game were a win for everyone.
Eagle Grove was part of the inaugural Slam the Stigma event in the local area, played in Clarion in 2022 (organized in memory of Brandon Zigrang, a Clarion teen who died by suicide earlier that year) against the CGD Cowboys and Cowgirls. The Eagles also recently participated in the Slam the Stigma game at St. Edmond’s Catholic School, competing against the Gaels on January 8th.
Other events throughout the area have been held in Fort Dodge, and at South Central Calhoun, and another is being planned for a game between Webster City and South Hamilton.
If you are struggling with a mental health condition, persistent feelings of sadness or thoughts of suicide, know that you are not alone, and help is available. You don’t need to feel embarrassed about feeling bad. There are resources here in Eagle Grove, and in Wright County, to help. Among them are the Wright County Department of Public Health in Clarion, the Eagle Grove extension of the Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, the Unity Point Health Clinic here in Eagle Grove, Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 for immediate assistance.
