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First Lady Jill Biden visits Westfield High School, discusses teen mental health

Dr. Jill Biden and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy listened to Westfield High School students Wednesday regarding mental health.

WESTFIELD, Ind — First lady Jill Biden visited Indiana on Wednesday, talking with students and teachers about mental health resources for teens.

It's part of Dr. Biden's back-to-school tour, with stops in several cities and schools, to highlight the importance of supporting young people's mental health.

And it's meant to tackle a crisis.

In Indiana, suicide is the second leading cause of death for teenagers.

Biden, an educator herself, treated much of the visit to Westfield like her own classroom. She spent much of the afternoon asking for students' perspective on what they experience and what they feel is needed to improve mental health support.

Credit: WTHR/Jennie Runevitch
First lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy spoke with Westfield High School students Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

The first lady heard first from young leaders at Westfield High School who are working to reduce suicide and boost mental health awareness, teen-to-teen.

Members of the school's chapter of Robbie's Hope club shared their mission with Biden and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.

The club is named for a Colorado teen who took his own life. Students said their chapter has grown from three at the start to nearly 100 teens this year. They were thrilled to have such a personal visit from our country's top political leaders.

"It was like awesome to see they care about the same things I do, even though they have such a different and more impactful position as I do as a high school senior," Westfield senior Zoe Milewski said.

"All we can do is talk as loud as we can and hope that someone important listens," Westfield sophomore Lexi Ball said, "and Jill Biden is someone important and she listened, and it's just ... it's awesome."

"When I heard the good work all of you were doing, I just had to come out and meet you because what you're doing here is going to heal communities, and it's so important to me as a teacher, a mom and a grandma," the first lady said. "And it's important to Joe Biden, too."

Credit: WTHR/Jennie Runevitch
First lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy spoke with Westfield High School students Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

RELATED: Teen girls confront record levels of violence and sadness, according to CDC research

During a roundtable discussion, Biden shared how federal funding is expanding mental health resources for schools, with $14 million in grants being sent to Indiana alone. It's meant to combat a crisis hurting young people in record numbers.

"It's OK not to be OK, and you are not alone," Biden said. "You should not have to face the rough edges of life by yourself."

But Biden spent most of her time in Westfield listening to students' experiences, their struggles and their advice to get more mental health support. One student suggested how teachers can help.

Credit: Jennie Runevich/WTHR

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"I think they could be more direct in figuring out, 'Hey what's actually going on?' rather than than just dancing around the topic saying 'I'm fine' when you're really not," Biden said.

Another student said how social media fuels hurt among teens.

"It's promoting the eating disorders. It's promoting all the mental health struggles, and I feel like it needs to be fixed, some type of trigger warning or something that could stop that," Biden said. 

And one student suggested better connecting kids with counselors and adults who can provide professional help. He said teen-to-teen support is there, but it's not enough.

"We need to teach students how to extend the conversation from just me and you to someone that can help because too often, people talk to each other, and me telling you that I don't want you to share my secret, don't want you to tell people how I'm struggling, it's a cry for help. I would rather protect your life than your secret," the student said.

Biden praised Westfield for its work to boost teens' mental health.

"You can feel there is a sense that people can share their stories and get help," Biden said.

She also encouraged them to keep talking, keep listening and keep reaching out.

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