PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Alexandra Salerno knows what it’s like to be a young performer.
She was a professional ballet dancer and watched other dancers and athletes strive for perfection.
“Athletes in particular have this idea that they can’t take a break. They have to be on all the time,” she said.
Salerno was a speaker and panelist at the recent NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania conference in Pittsburgh with a focus on youth mental health. NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania is based in Pittsburgh and is a statewide division of the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“They have to be perfect all the time, work well and do everything right. That’s very unrealistic. We don’t ask anyone else to do that,” Salerno said.
Today, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Peak Performance Specialist at KPEX Consulting in Pittsburgh. The company provides sports psychology and mental training to athletes, business professionals and other performers nationwide. But Salerno shows a troubling trend.
“Kids as young as 7 and 8 are coming into the office with body image concerns (and) comparisons. The mental health epidemic seems to be affecting more and more people at a younger age. ‘ she said.
According to NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania Chief Executive Officer Christine Michaels, that was one of the reasons for the meeting.
“Children’s mental health is at stake right now, and it’s come to the forefront with the pandemic,” she noted.
The conference was intended to attract attention beyond mental health professionals. Designed for parents, teachers, coaches and anyone else who works or is involved with young people.
Some student-athletes find it difficult to reconcile all that is thrown their way with the demand to be the best.
Stephanie Cornelius, a senior at Pine-Richland High School, said, “I practice with my team about three times a week. On the other days, I practice and go to the field on my own.” ” he said.
She plays league soccer for the Beadling Soccer Club in Canonsburg with teammate Hayley Longwell, a senior at Moon Area High School.
“In high school, we have practices and when we don’t have practices, we have games, so we don’t really have days off,” Longwell said.
Both players are already planning to play football in college. At the same time, they said they felt pressured not to mess up or let anyone know what wasn’t going well.
That’s the culture their coach is trying to change. Libby Mascaro is the Head Her Coach of the Beadling 2009 Girls Academy Team. She works to instill a supportive, loving culture that prioritizes people over performance.
“They come in and it’s not just coaches! They’re asking you to ask questions about your life outside football. Was it a science test yesterday or what’s going on? ”
Mascaro spoke about her approach at the Youth Mental Health Conference during one of the panel discussions. I think.
“Maybe they lose, get in the car, and the kid is quiet. The last thing a parent should do is say, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t do XYZ,'” she said.
Her advice is to take an encouraging approach.
“Turn around and say, ‘Hey, I love watching you play.’ And if they’re mad, we might talk about it,” Mascaro added.
Meanwhile, many schools are seeing an increase in the number of students facing mental health issues.
According to the Pennsylvania School Board Association’s recent State of Education report, student mental health ranks second on the list of the biggest challenges facing school districts.
According to the report, most school districts in Pennsylvania are trying to work with local agencies to address mental health needs, including bringing in local vendors and hiring staff.
But Michaels says it adds another problem.
“There is a shortage of child psychiatrists, therapists. People were waiting for services before the pandemic, they are waiting for services now. Many providers were not accepting new patients.” Michaels said.
There are currently 96 psychiatrists in Allegheny County, according to data from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The county needs him to hire 12 more people to meet the need for child mental health services in the area.
It was a frustrating battle for Mandy Davern. She and her husband have tried multiple ways to find help for their teenagers.
“Do something for these kids at your hospital, whether it’s an inpatient somewhere. Outpatient intensive, whatever,” she implored.
Young African American men are another demographic with a disproportionate increase in poor mental health. According to Michaels, the issue was highlighted in Congress’s Black Caucus report several years ago, and mental health groups are working to address it.
“We have a program called Sharing Hope, which is a program to get you involved in the community, the African American community, and start a discussion about mental health,” Michaels explained.
One thing experts say is hard to talk about is suicide. Stigma makes it difficult, but when young people show signs of deteriorating mental health, it’s a necessary conversation.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Usually the first thing we see is burnout, asking for help, some kind of comment,” Salerno says.
Salerno says some people are hesitant to ask, “Are you okay?” Because the answer might be “no”. She says to be cooperative and doesn’t think you have to handle it alone.
“We have the resources to deal with crises. We have trained professionals to deal with it, we have mental health providers who are accustomed to implementing safety plans, and they can talk to people and give them treatment. there is,” she said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
Click here for more information on the Kids in Crisis feature and the “Connecting the Dots” documentary.
