SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which affects even the youngest in our population.

Hannah Spears, with the Shreveport-based child advocacy center the Gingerbread House, shed light on the reality she sees first-hand in her line of work when it comes to children struggling.

“We see so much, unfortunately, in Northwest Louisiana here at the Gingerbread House. But the biggest thing we see is a ton of kids facing depression and anxiety,” said Spears. “It’s so common after a traumatic event.”

“Especially in the south, a lot of these topics, we just don’t talk about it,” Spears continued to explain with generational trauma.

Spears emphasized the value of a good support system for children.

“If it’s not a family, maybe it’s a pastor, or a friend, or a neighbor- just someone who is there, supports them, believes them, and is able to comfort them in those times,” said Spears.

Spears reminds the community if you see something say something.