Native American youth panel emphasizes this mental health message: It's always OK to ask for help

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- A group of Native American teenagers held a panel discussion on mental health issues affecting teenagers as a part of Native American Heritage Month.

The discussion was titled "Never a Bother: Real Talk from Native Youth on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention," and was broadcast by KVCR public television in conjunction with First Nations Experience television.

"There were definitely differences between when I was in school and when youth are in school nowadays," said host Mateo Moctezuma Ortega with the Sierra Native Alliance. "Teaching them what a friend is; what a healthy mentor is; teaching them the differences between reality and social media reality. A lot of times what they see on social media doesn't match in real life, so that definitely causes (youth) a lot of confusion."

One of the students on the panel, Penelope Hyde, who grew up in the Inland Empire, said some of the biggest challenges Native teenagers face involve substance abuse.

"A lot of the struggles I see in my school and my area and community is substance abuse and alcoholism," said Hyde. "Grief, trauma, generational trauma, what they're going through at home, and what people don't show on social media."

Hyde said the influence of social media on the lives of teenagers can sometimes offer a false sense of reality.

"You'll see on social media, these girls are going out every week; they're having fun; it's an amazing life. And here I am in my room dealing with mental health," Hyde said.

The message they're trying to push with the "Never a Bother" campaign is that it's always acceptable to ask for help.

"We all have people behind us, and we just don't know unless we speak up and ask for help. And there's no shame in that. There truly isn't."