Schools must do more to address mental health
Intelligencer JournalNov 04, 2019
The issue of students’ mental health has been on the back burner in our public high schools for far too long. If schools are truly committed to helping students succeed, we must have candid conversations about mental health and we must provide on-site counseling for students who need it.
One in 5 young people today suffer from mental illness, according to the
Twenty-first-century life imposes constant stressors on today’s youth, and too many of us have no constructive way of managing it.
Teens who wish to seek help often lack the resources to do so — or they’re frightened by the perpetual stigma that surrounds mental illness. As a result, teens are fighting psychological battles all alone, for no other reason than that our schools are not providing appropriate interventions.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens and college students today, and yet a 2017
If school officials suspected a student had a disease like cancer or diabetes, they’d intervene. But mental health warning signs get ignored, and therefore go untreated.
To make matters worse, the
Granted, our schools provide traditional guidance counselors, but they are not equipped to assist students with long-term mental health. Their expertise is providing academic and career aid.
In order to carry out its mandate to prepare young people for the challenges of life, our schools must provide licensed mental health experts (yes, plural) on-site so that students have accessible, affordable ways of seeking treatment. We will never be prepared for our futures if we are unable to proactively address our stressors or manage our emotional and mental health.
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