Mental health awareness and treatment are areas that used to be considered taboo to speak about. A person who was struggling with poor mental health 20 years ago did not want anyone to know if they were seeking help with medication, therapy, counseling, etc. However, today, people are starting to open up about issues that have caused them to become overwhelmed with life where they feel like they need professional help of some kind. More and more people are admitting that, although they may appear healthy and happy, they aren’t always feeling that way inside, and they are receiving help to get them through life.

The topic of mental health is something that Isabella Bitterman, a senior at Sanborn Central High School, knows too much about for someone at her young age. When Isabella was quite young, someone very close to her almost committed suicide due to postpartum depression. That person has since received help and is now doing well, but her life could have taken a much more tragic turn if she didn’t have the strength to get through the toughest moments and get the help she needed. Thus, Bitterman decided to do her senior project on mental health awareness to possibly help someone in her school who might be suffering from troubles that no one is aware of.

She invited all students in grades seven through 12 at Sanborn Central to attend an assembly in their school gym. Parents were given an option to not allow their student to attend if they thought the content was too sensitive, but Bitterman said that all parents allowed their student to attend. 

…Read on and see a picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!