Tori Morrison with a Mom's Message for Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As a mom who lost her son to suicide, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking someone seriously when they say they need help.

All too often, it is easy for adults to minimize what their kids are going through. We have the benefit of age, and we know that what they are experiencing is most likely a temporary hardship. They do not have the benefit of age. To them, what they are experiencing is their whole world, and it will never change.

But for our children today, there is more that weighs them down than just a bad day. Social media creates unrealistic expectations of life. No one’s life is as perfect as they post. For you and me, that’s usually easy to see. But for our children, not so much. 

Social media can also create an environment where kids are more vulnerable to being picked on. Kids have always been picked on. The majority of us have all experienced bullying in some way. The difference is that when girls were mean to me in 7th grade, I could go home and find peace. Kids today do not have that luxury. The people picking on them are in the palm of their hands. It is a very different world today.

Please keep your door—and your heart — open so your children always feel safe sharing anything with you. When they do share, take them seriously and listen with intention, no matter how trivial the issue may seem to you. 

In 2025, adolescent mental health remains in a critical state, with nearly 40% of teens reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 19.2% of U.S. adolescents (ages 12–19) screening positive for depression—a historic high. Key issues include 22% seriously considering suicide, with high anxiety (11%) and behavior disorders (8%) fueled by academic pressure, social media, and financial uncertainty. [Centers for Disease Control]

Tori Morrison and her son, Ben Morrison

Long-time Loveland resident, Tori Morrison, is a mental health advocate and speaker dedicated to turning grief into hope. After losing her son, Ben, to suicide at 19, she has become a passionate voice for suicide prevention, youth mental health, and breaking the stigma around asking for help.

To learn more about the Ben Morrison Fund organization, its work or mental health resources, visit: https://benmorrisonfund.org/