Rhetorical Analysis to Defend Mental Health in Schools Act Essay

Since 2013 there have been 268 school shootings in the United States alone (Everytown for Gun Safety, 2017). School gun violence is becoming increasingly probable. It is imperative that our government and our citizens come together to create a solution and implement a plan to prevent and stop the occurrence of school gun violence. The solution, for some, is to bring more guns into the picture by arming teachers, principals, and other school officials, or place armed police officers at school sites (LaPierre, 2015). For others, the solution is to make even stricter laws regarding gun use or to get rid of these weapons altogether. These certainly are drastic options; I must say that I do believe the true solution is to increase the focus on mental health services and by extension, mental health awareness. There is simply not enough focus on the mental health of our youth and of our students. Mental health services are the most important step to making schools safer, because this solution touches the entire problem of violence at its root level.

When you’re being educated you’re exposed to multiple positive experiences. While communicating with adults and their peers, children gain social skills. When a child gains knowledge they can feel smart and this improves upon their self-esteem. Mental health is just as important as physical health. A good education facility has a way for students to work on their both physical and mental health. NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct states all of this in section I part 1.4, “To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development

This is why my bill is focused on mental health. My bill proposes mandatory mental health screenings twice a year for citizens ages 11-22. 11 is the age that most mental illnesses start to develop. During the mental health screenings, people will be asked a series of questions about lifestyle, eating, and drinking habits. Additionally, questions about mental wellness designed to check for potential mood or anxiety disorders, including depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, etc. If a doctor found that a patient showed symptoms of a mental illness, they would be recommended to see a counselor. The therapy would be available once a week maximum, and would be free. During counseling, one would learn basic coping methods, share their feelings, get useful advice, and learn how to make the most out of life and work through it with a mental illness. Free counseling would only go to the citizens with a diagnosed illness, as it more drastically interferes with their life and help is much more needed. In addition to mandatory screenings, two short lessons twice a year would be added to the curriculum for all schools from 6th grade-college. This lesson would encourage anyone who feels in need of help to get it, how and where to get it, and that it will be better for their well being if they get it as soon as possible. The most common mental health disorders in their early stages

Due to the politics underlying both, gun control and mental-health legislation, this recent shift came with a lack of simplicity. Being careful not to ignite inaccurate stigmas about mental illnesses; advocacy groups and congressional Democrats remained reluctant not to connect escalating gun violence with people suffering from mental health disorders as the leading cause of these recent shootings. Deep disagreements on Capitol Hill, along with great demands from family members of individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness would not come cheap. Also, it would only become another obstacle standing in the way of accomplishing the goal of bringing change to the mental health system (Sun,

In their article, Carolyn Reinach Wolf and Jamie A. Rosen propose that, “Individuals suffering from a mental illness need increased access to and funding for AOT, outpatient treatment programs, residential treatment programs, psychiatric case management, and appropriate psychiatric housing, among others” (870). Anyone with mental illness should have access to the health care they need, whether they’re an upper class citizen, in the criminal justice system, or even homeless. Having access to proper mental health care can drastically change a person’s mood and outlook on life; it allows them a way to coup with mental illness. Proper mental health care provides surveillance, and the red flag behaviors can be identified and treated before people lash out. Also, to prevent shootings, school systems and workplaces should have a system in place to connect information that indicates a serious issue. Along with this, these facilities should have stronger connections with mental health facilities and law enforcement to keep everyone safe. Communication is key in any society, and if we can communicate with each other, we are more likely to

In the course of proper identification, evaluation, and treatment, children and adolescents suffering with mental illness can conduct positive, normal lives. Nevertheless, the devastating majority of children with mental illnesses are unsuccessfully identified and the lack of treatment or support services have led to a subordinate worth of life and violence. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 (S. 689) is an inclusive bill proposed to address the extensive issue of mental health. By strongly considering the United States’ struggle against mental illness and school violence, as well as utilizing theoretical constructs to examine the Senate’s bill, a social worker can develop a more holistic perspective that can productively integrate practical insights reached from a variety of different points of view.

Donald Trump is trying to tell American citizens that guns do not need to be banned, “and when Nikolas Cruz brought a rifle to shoot up a school in Florida, it was do to “mental illnesses” and he doesn’t deserve severe punishment and that people “should feel safe in school.” How are students supposed to feel safe after there’s been roughly 17 school shootings in the USA within 12 weeks in 2018? In example, If you were suffering from schizophrenia, and you murder a person, will you be charged and arrested for murder? Most definitely. So how are we going to protect someone who has killed 17 former classmates from depression? If people had more access to the proper mental help they needed in America, this would be less of an issue, but instead people are silently suffering.

Even though it is understandable that states must cut back on expenses, the most common cut is mental health. This has raised some eyebrows in the public because of the statements some politicians have made about how mental disorders is the cause for shootings (Reeves). Most would think these politicians would be making an effort to finding a solution instead of “serving as a punching bag for Republicans to blame” (Reeves). Mental illnesses have continuously been used as a scapegoat for politicians and the government for

By providing mental health services needed to many individuals would likely decrease the amount of future mass shootings. Serious policies and programs should be enacted and implemented by providing mental health services to children in schools, individuals in the community, and those in need and suffering from the mental health issues, that will help people develop coping strategies that will stop violent behavior in the future.

After Newtown there were many questions being asked what can we do to help our children who are suffering from mental health issues? How can we help families with children whom suffer from the disease? What forms of access to resources within their communities is available to them? Mental health has significantly changed the face of our society, it has shown the world, it has many faces from children to adults. We are all subjects of some type of mental health and having the proper system in place with the proper funding is very important to help those who do not have proper health care.

The mental health conditions and disorders affect adults, children and teens. This is why in the mental facilities

Senator Creigh Deeds story is just one of many that end in tragedy because of a mental health system that has failed. While the major proportion of people living with mental illness are not violent, they can become a victim of violence. According to the latest statistics from the American Psychological Association one in five adults has a diagnosable mental disorder, one in twenty-four has a serious mental disorder (SMI), and people with mental illness are no more likely to be violent that people without mental illness (Association, American Psychiatric, 2016). Untreated mental health care is characteristic of the violent crimes that we see happening today. Some of the reasons behind these untreated individuals are the unmet needs of people not having a financial means to pay for services, lack of insurance, knowledge about how to access care, embarrassment about having the need for services, and those that needed care but experienced delays in accessing care (Jones et al., 2014).

Schools also incorporate physical health services and implement them as necessities. What about mental health? Is this not crucial in one’s behavior, physical abilities, and choices? Mental health plays a major factor on a students’ performance and capacity. Students with mental health issues can lead towards the following behavior paths: dropping out of school; having difficulties in learning, behavior, and or performance; truancy issues; and school failure. If the lack of mental health in schools can have such an enormous impact on student achievement and school success, why is it not being included in schools?

Frequently, mental illness affects many areas of a sufferer’s life including academic performance. Mark Weist et al. explain that it is important for schools to recognize when students are suffering emotionally because of the impediment mental illness can have on education (par. 16). Mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression can have an especially negative impact on academic performance as the disorders can lead to students isolating themselves and a decrease in overall mental functioning.

About 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental disorder at least once in their lifetime. Over one-third of students with a mental health condition, age 14­–21 drops out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group. With these statistics, it shows how many people are not gaining support and are just giving up because they cannot find convenient help. If this issue is shown in the classroom, then the awareness rates will rise, making more establishments for support and treatment.