Youth POV: Why Consistency Matters to Teen Mental Health

Edwin’s entire high school has about 90 students. His graduating class will have 18. In a school that small, people tend to know one another. Edwin, 17, describes the culture in his rural South Dakota community as one built around family and looking out for your neighbors.

So when a recent graduate of his school died by suicide at the beginning of Edwin’s sophomore year, the loss was felt everywhere. “You know suicide can happen,” Edwin says. “But you would never expect it in your community.”

In the days that followed, counselors came to the school and students were given space to grieve, Edwin recalls. Homecoming happened around the same time, but Edwin remembers it feeling different that year; less lighthearted, more solemn.

Then, slowly, life began moving again. That was the part Edwin kept thinking about. Months later, after the immediate crisis passed, he felt as if the attention given to students’ mental health had faded. But the challenges young people were facing hadn’t. Edwin had begun to notice a pattern: People struggle to keep responding when the urgency has passed.

“Fix it. Move on,” is how he describes the instinct. “Mental health is always an ongoing issue,” he says. “It’s not something we should ignore or give up on. It’s just something that we need to keep up on and keep consistent with.” 

For Edwin and so many young people, mental health support matters even when a student isn’t ready to ask for help. That’s one thing he wishes more adults understood.

Young people hear plenty of advice: Talk to someone. Take a breath. Reach out when you’re struggling. But Edwin thinks trust comes from knowing the support will still be there tomorrow — and next month — whether a young person uses it immediately or not. “Always be there,” he says. “Always be an available resource for them.”

That matters especially in communities where asking for help can feel difficult.

Edwin says young people around him sometimes feel disconnected or worry about standing out. In a small community, being different can feel especially vulnerable. Changing that doesn’t happen with one school assembly or one conversation. It happens by continuing to make room for those conversations. 

Because to Edwin, consistency isn’t just about keeping a program going. It’s how you build and keep trust.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, text, call, or chat 988, or text HOME (or HOLA) to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

Related links

• What are the warning signs of suicide?
• How to ask someone if they’re thinking about suicide
• How to tell someone you’re thinking about suicide