LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Mental health is a major focal point in today’s world. Tuesday night, a virtual seminar was held discussing the issue among our youth.
The event was hosted by the “Well Beings Tour,” a 34-city webinar that connects communities in an effort to address stigmas and raise awareness about mental health and well-being.
Las Vegan Reggie Burton, who lost his son to suicide in 2017, joined in on the conversation with local health experts.
“I think the things parents can do to make that conversation about mental health less awkward is changing the conversation ever so slightly from, ‘How is it going?’ to ‘How are you feeling?’”
It is a technique Burton suggests as one of the ways to help your kids through their daily struggle.
While the access to resources in Nevada is lower than in other states, we do have options. Support groups are big, along with Nevada 211 and our state’s Mobile Crisis Response Team. The Mobile Crisis Response Team can respond to the home of a child in about 30 minutes in the Las Vegas valley area.
Kids are having a harder time than ever with their mental health during this pandemic due to the lack of interaction with their peers. As a state, Nevada ranks as one of the highest for youth suicide.
Monique McCoy, a social worker for CCSD, thinks that part of the reason for that is the city hasn’t made it a priority to talk about these issues in the past.
“I think that the mental health surge grew faster than Las Vegas anticipated. I think for a while, it wasn’t a priority, and now, we are seeing how important mental health is in a community,” she said.
The webinar also highlighted the stigmas that go along with talking about mental health issues, no matter what age or race you are, and how having the conversation is the first step.
For immediate assistance, you can call the Mobile Crisis Team at 702-486-7865 for rural and Southern Nevada and 775-688-1670 for Northern Nevada residents.
