Thursday is World Teen Mental Wellness Day. Here's why that's important.

Mental health challenges have affected some of the world's most successful people.

Those include Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jim Carrey, Winston Churchill, Angelina Jolie, Serena Williams, Frank Sinatra, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, according to a nine-minute slide show presented during a concert last spring at Topeka West High School.

Photos of those celebrities were shown that day to the accompaniment of a musical piece, "(not) Alone," written to help raise awareness of mental health issues by Arkansas high school band director Randall Standridge.

As the piece neared its end, the slides shifted to instead show faculty members at French Middle School and Topeka West, accompanied by text identifying mental health challenges each of them has faced.

'People they see in the hallway'

The appearances of those "brave souls" sent a message to students that it's OK to seek help for mental health concerns, said Jennie Watson, director of school and outreach services for Topeka's Family Service and Guidance Center.

The slides were presented as part of a partnership involving FSGC, for which Watson has worked since May 2005.

The slides let students know that some of the "people they see in the hallway" have personally gotten help, which hopefully will help lessen any stigma they might feel about seeking mental health assistance themselves if they need it, she said.

Mental wellness 'an important aspect of health'

Watson was among mental health advocates The Capital-Journal contacted this week seeking their perspectives regarding World Teen Mental Wellness Day, which is Thursday.

The annual observance "aims to raise awareness about the mental health issues that teenagers deal with," according to its website.

"Even for those without any mental health struggles, mental wellness is an important aspect of health," that site says. "It refers to overall emotional well-being, the ability to live a full life and the flexibility to deal with life’s changes."

More:Suicide is a 'public health crisis,' experts say. Kansas' rate increased 60% in 20 years.

Students mourn classmate at Emporia High

The importance of teen mental wellness was particularly driven home by the death last week of an Emporia High School student.

Hundreds attended a prayer vigil held in memory of the student, who was a sophomore. Her death prompted the school to cancel the home basketball games it was set to play against Washburn Rural High School.

The student's cause and manner of death haven't been made public. In announcing her death, however, the school shared phone numbers people can call or text to receive mental health support.

Those included the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 988.

More:Survey finds nearly two in five Kansas teenagers reporting feelings of depression

'Our kids need far more support'

The suicide rate among young people ages 10 to 24 years in the U.S. rose nearly 60% between 2007 and 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Suicide rates subsequently decreased in 2019 and 2020 before rising in 2021, the CDC reported.

Teenaged girls in the U.S. are increasingly depressed and considering suicide more often than in past years, with the problems being worst among those who identify as being LGBQ+, said a CDC study published Feb. 13.

“High school should be a time for trailblazing, not trauma,” said Debra Houry, the agency’s chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science. “These data show our kids need far more support to cope, hope and thrive.”

'Communication is everything'

If you have teenagers in your life, check in on them, said Amy Mullin, vice president of support services for Boys and Girls Clubs of Topeka.

"Communication is everything," she said.

Mullins, herself the mother of teens, urged parents and other loved ones of teenagers to keep up with what they're doing, what they're saying and "what they're not saying," which she said can be even more important.

Know who their friends are, Mullins added.

Here are some resources

Some potential resources for people who are having suicidal thoughts or have lost a loved one to suicide include the following:

• The Healing After Loss to Suicide group, which maintains a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HEALsTopekaArea.

• The Shawnee County Suicide Prevention Coalition, which maintains a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SNSuicidePreventionCoalition.

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255.

• The Crisis Text line, for which users can text "HOME" to 741741 to reach a volunteer crisis counselor 24 hours a day.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Importance of teen mental wellness highlighted in Topeka, Emporia