With youth mental health in the spotlight in Centre County, what changes are needed?

Suicide Prevention Month has been marked in Centre County with events, discussions and more to remember lives lost, give hope to survivors and educate the community.

This year, youth mental health was thrust into the spotlight after the May 12 death of Abby Smith, a Park Forest Middle School eighth-grader. Abby was a longtime Girl Scout, avid crafter and a member of her school’s band. While her struggles with mental health were known to her family, her death by suicide has raised numerous questions, and opened up a community conversation about school district policies, bullying and communication.

Abby was the third student within the State College Area School District to die by suicide within four years, and her family and others are pushing for action — and seeing progress. An external review of the district’s response to the death is on the school board’s agenda for Monday, but her family and supporters say they’ll continue to push for district- and community-wide change.

“No one tasked me with going to bat for kids with mental illness,” Abby’s mother, Jennifer Black, said. “No one has given me that task, but I feel like that’s what I need to be doing right now, and that I need to make sure that things are right within the district and things are right within our education system.”

School reform

In the weeks after Abby’s death, her family pushed for a meeting with the school district, looking for any possible answers or updates surrounding Abby’s death. Black said that Abby’s phone was taken by state police and her computer was shut down by the district — leaving them with few avenues to find answers.

“We felt so powerless and so directionless, and we had nowhere to even start looking,” Black told the CDT.

After learning about several other students in Abby’s friend group who had attempted suicide, Black asked if there were ways to share information with parents so they could watch for signs with their children. She was told that information could not be shared due to privacy concerns.

“Maybe we need to talk to people in government to get laws changed so that if there is a suicide attempt, that information is shared with parents,” Black said.

Although the district is pursuing an external review of its mental health policies and services, Black says it is only the first step in a long fight for change.

“For us, making sure that an external review happens is just the beginning,” Black said. “Because then we need to look at the data that was found and make the changes, and then look again and continue this. And so we want the community to know that as a community, we need to be asking the hard questions and not just assuming that everything that should be done is being done.”

During a Sept. 23 board meeting, superintendent Curtis Johnson said he fully supports an external review and said the district is already working toward making changes.

“I’ve been in the school district for 20-something years, and I have always strived to do what’s best for this school community, the school district,” Johnson said. “If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t be in this position that I am here today. So I am interested in growing and doing better as far as the school district. That is the whole purpose for bringing forth and having an external review.”

Fighting a stigma

Don O’Connell understands Black’s push for change. His 16-year-old son, David O’Connell, died by suicide in January 2021. He was a sophomore at State College Area High School, a junior firefighter with Port Matilda Fire Company and a leader in his Boy Scout Troop.

Don O’Connell said Abby’s death is part of a concerning pattern.

“That’s three deaths in four years, all in the same school district,” he said.

Since David’s death, Don has advocated to remove the stigma around mental health, starting the David O’Connell Memorial Fund. In 2022, the fund built the David O’Connell Health Education Building at Seven Mountains Boy Scout Camp, where his son spent summers and volunteered as a junior counselor.

Although there has been some improvement, O’Connell believes there is still a long way to go. He has found that the local community of people whose lives have been affected by mental illness continues to grow.

On Sept. 10, dozens of community members gathered at Boalsburg Fire Hall in honor of National Suicide Remembrance Day as part of an event hosted by the Jana Marie Foundation. Throughout the night both survivors and family members spoke about how suicide and mental illness had changed their lives.

“There’s always people to talk to,” O’Connell said. “I didn’t know how many people had been touched by suicide until my life had been touched by suicide.”

Marisa Vicere, founder of the Jana Marie Foundation, said the social stigma around suicide has lessened in recent years, but continuing to speak about mental health is vital.

“We’re seeing more people who are comfortable in reaching out for help and also reaching out to help someone who might be going through a difficult time,” she said. “There’s still going to be stigma that is out there, and that, of course, is a barrier for people reaching out. Suicide prevention takes an effort from every single one of us.”

One way to reduce stigma is for parents to have open honest conversations about mental health with their children. Vicere said helping to model behaviors can be useful in building resiliency for children and teens.

“If we have a hard day sharing, ‘hey, you know, today was really hard, and I was able to get through because I use these coping strategies,’ right?” she said. “So just really helping them recognize that life is full of ups and downs, and some days are easier than others, but even on those harder days, we have some strategies internally that we can tap into, and there are supports outside.”

Jana Marie Foundation has several programs aimed at helping children and teens connect and build coping skills, sometimes through creative outlets like art, music, or reading. The nonprofit also partners with local organizations and schools to teach mental health first aid, a course that covers how to help teens or adults who may be struggling or in crisis.

Access to services

Throughout September, local officials and community members have been focusing on Centre County’s mental health services, including Centre Helps. A nonprofit resource organization, Centre Helps also serves as a 988 call center that provides a 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis hotline.

But when it comes to finding in-person supports for mental health, services in the area can be limited. County Commissioner and former State College Area school board president Amber Concepcion said the levels of access to mental health services differ for every family.

“Not everyone has the same level of access to those services,” Concepcion said. “And ... seeing what has occurred within several years, the health of our youth has to be something that our whole community is thinking about.”

Although Abby was going to therapy for her anxiety, her family could only find appointments available during the school day, something that would have caused Abby to miss class — a major trigger for her anxiety.

“We felt like we were doing all the things we thought were the right things,” Black said. “But for her, it wasn’t helping.”

Black said the family had looked at getting Abby into Penn State’s anxiety clinic but wasn’t able to due to not having Penn State insurance. Black offered to pay out of pocket but was told the program would be unable to accept her without the proper insurance carrier.

“You’re not only limited physically by location and how many people and the times of day, but you’re also limited by if they’ll take your insurance,” Black said.

This isn’t just a problem in Centre County but nationwide, Vicere said. One thing that can help fill that gap is online services.

“It’s not for everyone, but it could be helpful to someone who might be on a waiting list for traditional in-person, but could benefit from seeing somebody a little bit sooner,” Vicere said. “So they could always start, and then if the spot opens up, they can always transfer into in-person as well.”

Jana Marie Foundation has several in-person and online resources for children, teens and adults to learn about suicide prevention, build coping skills and fight the stigma around mental health.

State College Area School District also has mental health clinicians for students who may be unable to find mental health services. Although school services may be a temporary fix, they can be vital for families unable to find or afford resources outside of school.

There is always more work to be done, but local organizations are pulling together to provide support and resources for families struggling with mental health.

“We are seeing a lot of really great, great collaborations happening within our county in trying to fill the gaps in a lot of unique and creative ways to really make sure that there is that safety net for anyone who might need some additional services,” Vicere said.

While Suicide Prevention Month is coming to a close, the work around youth mental health and suicide prevention continues. Jana Marie Foundation hosts events and programs year-round and the 988 hotline is available 24/7 for anyone in need.

And on Oct. 13, Centre County’s annual Out of the Darkness Walk will return, as part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s fundraising series. Donations help support survivors, fund research and advocate for changes in public policy.

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org

Center for Community Resources: Visit 2100 E. College Ave., State College, 24/7