“Nearly 5 million children in the U.S. have some type of mental illness” (Goldberg). It is agreeable that there are many young children that deal with mental illness every day. Schools should be concerned for every student’s well being. Moreover, mental health is a part of a person’s overall “well being.” Therefore, schools need to make the mental health of students a stronger focus and implement plans to keep students mentally well and educated. To help create a positive, mental health aware environment where students feel open to seek help, high school students should be educated on how to be mentally healthy, be given a safe place to seek help, and be encouraged to monitor and maintain their mental health. Mental illness and mental health care need to be a more eminent priority in our society, starting with high schools. Schools need to educate parents and children about mental health and illness. According to an article published by the Association for Children’s Mental Health, “1 in 5 children and youth have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder and 1 in 10 young people have a mental health challenge that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, school or in the community” (Problems at School). Schools could hold educational meetings on mental health to inform and aid parents and children to determine when they need to address mental health. Additionally, incorporating a stronger mental health aspect in the state required health
Teachers and staff will be trained to tell the if a student is experiencing symptoms of any type of mental health disorder. For example, if a student is having irregular mood swings or a fluctuation in weight, which are common symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the article, “Why Schools Should Screen Their Students' Mental Health”, it says,“If we made mental health part of the usual health system of a school, then it becomes more normal…”. If a student sees a positive outlook on mental health they would be opened to getting help. On some media platforms, mental health is portrayed as something to be ashamed of or a evil quality to posses. Mental health isn’t evil, it’s how the person deals with it that's important. Yes, if not treated it can cause negative effects but with the help from the community these children can live relatively normal lives. Children and adults struggle to comprehend the severity of mental illness, which causes them to avoid any form of treatment. In the future, mental health should become a thing not to be ashamed of. A person who broke a bone would go to the hospital right away, not wait for it to heal on its own. If you wouldn’t wait for a physical injury, why would you wait for
I think we should really value the mental health of our children in the society if we want to develop this great Nation. The psychological well-being of our children affects us both directly and indirectly whether we accept this fact or not. It is very important that we ensure that our beloved children have the capabilities to adapt to the stresses, working productively both in school and also contribute to the developments in the community. Problems associated with mental illness or health are very common in this society especially in the institutions of learning be it high schools, colleges or even universities. Some health problems associated with mental health include depressions, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders and at time
There has been a decade-long spike in the awareness of mental illness and suicide ideation among teenagers and young adults. Accordingly, researchers have determined, based on the results of numerous studies and trials, that there exists the possibility of dramatically reducing mental illness, suicides and suicidal behavior, thereby raising the potential of promoting overall wellness among young people. Many political leaders and mental health professionals, encouraged by the results of the studies, have asked school administrators and community leaders to enact awareness and prevention programs in their jurisdictions, while requesting that program leaders take responsibility for program results (e.g., No Child Left Behind, 2002).
With the prevention of mental and physical health difficulties and the advancement of well-being and health, there is emphasis on reducing the breach between mental health needs that are not met among youngsters and teenagers and operational evidence-based services to meet them (Rones and Hoagwood 2000; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1999; U.S. Public Health Service 2000 as cited in Flaspohler, Meehan, Maras, & Keller, 2012). Despite evidence that school viciousness and other main problems among youth may have declined or leveled off, a significant need for effective prevention programming is still necessary. Current data suggests that of “11.3 % of young people in this country, about 7.4 million youth altogether, have at least one diagnosable emotional, behavioral, or developmental condition; 40 % of these youth are diagnosed with two or more of these conditions” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010).
Mental Health is a common topic in all agenda’s in the United States. It is currently looked at broadly across all segments of health; in fact, over the years there have been multiple approaches to addressing the needs of the population affected by lack of mental health or that have prominent mental health disorders. Over the past century the United States has been especially concerned about the mental health problems of our children and youth (Tuma, 1989). Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). This topic has been so important to the extent that as early as 1909, the white house conference on children recommended new programs to care for mentally disturbed children
The National Comorbidity Survey Replication advocates that many mental health issues emerge during childhood and adolescence with half of all lifetime mental illnesses starting by age 14 (Kessler et al., 2005). Therefore, children and adolescents experience high rates of mental health disorders. This is especially concerning because only a small number of these children receive treatment. The underutilization of services has significant implications considering that child psychopathology may be a risk factor for future problems such as substance abuse, academic difficulties, health problems, and adult psychopathology (Turner & Liew, 2010).
MILFORD ? Greater access to mental health care would be a primary benefit from a high school-based medical clinic a recent study shows. The study by the Yale School of Public Health into how such a center could serve the community shows that teachers overwhelmingly support the idea.
Bartlett, H. (2015). Can school nurses identify mental health needs early and provide effective advice and support? British Journal of School Nursing, 10(3), 126-134. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cnc.bc.ca:2048/ehost/detail?vid=8&sid=f33fba7e-514d-4cbf-b080
According to The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, schools play key roles in children’s development, ranging from fostering peer relations and social interactions, emphasizing academic attainment and cognitive processes, educating students on emotional control and behavioral expectations, and supporting moral and physical developments. All of these areas are affected reciprocally by mental health, and better recognition of the effects mental health problems cause and the distinctive platform schools offer for access and support to students has led to a newfound importance of mental health
In today’s society we tend to overlook some of the mental issues in our peers among us, especially in some school systems. At least 20 percent of youth ages 13 through 18 live with mental illnesses today. A mental illness can be defined as a dysfunction of the brain that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought or behavior, resulting in an inability to coupe with life’s ordinary demands and routines. Overall there are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. There are some types of mental illness that are more common than others, but among youth the three main mental health issues are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
In my own opinion, the biggest barrier that children and adolescents face is that they simply are not identified as having mental health problems. As stated in this chapter, in a typical classroom at least three students are affected by a moderate to severe mental health issue; however, it is estimated that only 30% of these children will receive the help that they need. There are several factors
Mental health is often overlooked in today’s society. Some people don’t understand the seriousness of mental health towards a person’s and other peoples well being. Mental health can affect many different people. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, “Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experience mental illness in a given year.” (NAMI)Mental health is not acted upon as seriously as it should be, and should be treated like any other illness in the world. Living with poor mental health can affect the rest of your life. Mental health is one of the key components to living a healthy and long life, if your mental health is poor, it can affect your daily life and bring other health obstacles along the way. In today’s news, school shootings, along with other shootings around the world, have been taking place more frequently. The attackers of these attacks are often ruled out to have been suffering from a mental illness. Mental illness, as defined by the CDC, refers to as disorders generally characterized by dysregulation of mood, thought, and/or behavior, as recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, of the American Psychiatric Association.(CDC)
There are 44 million people in America that are diagnosed with mental illness and 16% of those that are incarcerated have some sort of mental disorder. These numbers are quite staggering, but what makes these statistics more baffling is the fact that the government has not done much to fix this. The government has tried to resolve issues, but they never really put enough efforts into making a big difference. The mental institution has been a rollercoaster ride, because it has been destitute and prosperous in the way it has been able to treat their patients. The mental institution have not been able to treat their patients appropriately due to financial deficients. The government lacks the efforts to treat the mentally ill patients especially inmates.
You rub your cold, clammy hands against your jeans to dry the sweat off of them. You feel your heart beating through your chest as if someone is banging against it like it’s a door. Your stomach twists up into knots that are too tight to untie. When experiencing something that causes such feelings of discomfort, particularly if those sensations are new, a person could falsely presume, “This gives me anxiety.” And as the promotion of mental health awareness grows, we should encourage people to be as open as they want in regards to their mental health; after all, the more it's discussed, the more informed people will be and the more able we will be to conquer this stigmatized illness. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. As more and more people come forward to share their own personal accounts with their mental health, it seems others are joining the “trend”, borrowing terminology from the Diagnostically and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM and co-opting the pain. It seems that nothing is more fashionable right now than anxiety disorders. People have taken to exaggerating their everyday experiences and throwing medical terminology appropriate for a psychiatrist's office in the middle of conversations. They aren't nervous about an upcoming exam; they have "bad anxiety." They aren't uncomfortable to start at a new school where they do not know anyone; they have "social anxiety." And they don't experience nausea in their stomach; they have
On Sunday, November 5th, 2017, a gunman opened fire on a church in Texas. On the night of October 1st, 2017, the deadliest shooting in modern US history happened in Las Vegas, toppling over the record of the still-fresh Orlando shooting from June of 2016. Amidst the debates of gun control that these shootings have provoked, Donald Trump publicly announced that he did not blame guns. Instead, he quotes it to be a “mental health problem.” While his quote may be a simple cop-out to keep his views about gun control down pat, he may have had a point. Mental illness is slowly taking over the United States of America, making our generations more susceptible to apathy and violence. These were all caused by those who seemed too far out of reach from the world, those who had too much inside to know how to handle other than violence. To counteract this snowball effect, people should be required to have an annual therapy session. It should be free, or at the very least affordable enough that anyone of any class can go for their annual visit, with the option to go more often if they so choose to. Several companies provide a service already to their employees, called Employee Assistance Program, or EAP. However, that should be expanded to be able to give treatment to everyone, not just those with an employment situation that provides EAP. Therapy would benefit everyone with mental and physical illness, and there are many types of therapy that can give every individual the individualized