Mental Health Matters

Yahaira Ruiz Ramirez is a proud Latinx woman from the Bronx, a committed mentor, social worker, and therapist for the youth. For the past two years, Ramirez has also served as a mentor for Girls Mentor Girls.

Ramirez attended Mercy College for her undergraduate education, studying behavioral science and getting her bachelor's degree in 2019. During the pandemic, she pursued a master's degree in social work at Hunter College. She graduated from Hunter College in 2022 and felt it was a journey within itself in terms of academics.

Ramirez grew up with her biological parents, who adopted children who needed a home, which allowed her to see the outlook among family members and what it meant to work in the foster care system. While in school, she worked in foster care for two years. She observed how many teenagers were lost due to broken homes and a lack of support and guidance, noting that "youth of color were in need of guidance."

She continued her journey working in a shelter for runaway youth for girls and saw there was not much support for girls that looked like her. This motivated her to provide the support she never had. She witnessed mental health needs, generational trauma, food insecurity, and family instability consistently. This led her to pursue becoming a therapist to provide one-on-one services to teenagers.

She chose to work with teenagers because she felt they were impactful and connectable. Ramirez defines mental health as "the state you feel or look upon the world and yourself," noting it's often impacted by environment.

Conversations about mental health in many families are not discussed enough. Ramirez pointed out that sadness or anger is often dismissed as a bad day. Growing up in her family, there were not many conversations surrounding mental health. If siblings were struggling, it was seen as "you're going through a phase, or you're having a moment." With suicide rising, more attention is being paid to mental health's seriousness.

Juggling many responsibilities can seriously affect mental health when people aren't taking moments for themselves. Ramirez takes care of herself while working by being authentic and recognizing she's there because she wants to be. She explains that "coming and doing things from the heart" has helped her moving forward. Her experiences of not feeling supported influenced her to provide support to others.

For Ramirez, her mom is her biggest support system. Reading and journaling have also helped her self-care journey. Having loved ones around is precious.

Youth mental health shouldn't be taken lightly. Ramirez believes the biggest factor affecting youth mental health is social media and how it's perceived. She also emphasizes that families lack serious conversations about mental health: "It starts at home — if your mom or dad or sibling isn't listening, how do you know that somebody outside is going to listen to you?"

Many people advocate for themselves but feel stuck without good support systems. School systems play a role in improving mental health despite being overpopulated. Educators should be more sensitive to youth and conduct more research. Ramirez thinks many youths are automatically diagnosed with ADHD or ODD based on behavior alone. She advocates examining the whole child's environment to determine the origins of behavior, noting that family dynamics, housing insecurity, and food insecurity are factors "children can't control but are highly impacted by when they become youth."

Many families don't openly discuss their struggles. When people grow up seeing families struggle without seeking help, they believe they must endure battles alone, creating a continuous cycle of silence across generations. To help youth open up about mental health needs, Ramirez emphasizes "speaking their language, looking like them, and letting them know you are here for them." She is committed to letting youth know she's "very big on letting them know I'm on your team."

When mental health deteriorates, people may reach an all-time low without noticing. Ramirez believes it comes down to how you're feeling. Being in tune with your thoughts and body is important for recognizing deterioration. Known signs include headaches, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, or isolating. She notes, "There's no specific way to tell, because we are all different."

Learning to check in with yourself reveals what's happening, and then you can take next steps to get your mental health back on track. Ramirez recommends beneficial coping skills, including practicing mindfulness, understanding what you can and can't control, using the grounding method with your five senses, and learning breathing techniques. This helps people "sit with ourselves and learn how to breathe and calm down our anger and anxiety," allowing for the identification of mental health triggers and a clearer perspective.

Everyone struggles with mental health. For some, it's more difficult than for others. All people have highs and lows, but there is greater awareness today of mental health's importance for current and future generations. More parents are recognizing how school and home environments affect mental health.

Ramirez hopes "mental awareness will rise, and I think it will — but we need to continue to add more resources for families and the school system." More in-class support, real-life mental health examples, additional social workers and school counselors, and integrating mental health education into our systems will help address these needs. Everyone has a voice and isn't alone. It's acceptable to ask for help, and it's okay not to be okay.