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Mental health education in schools essay
Mental health education in schools essay
Mental health education in schools essay
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The topic of mental health in today’s society has seemingly been discussed more frequently. Numerous debates among researchers and internet forums dedicated to this topic: where some children and teens flock to try and find answers, as well as sharing experiences. Adolescents are currently in the spotlight due to the rising impacts of depression and anxiety, likely caused by factors such as family circumstances, and other internal conflicts. Depression and anxiety can either go hand in hand with each other, or be a separate ailment in a patient. There are many causes to these disorders, and many of these circumstances can lead to detrimental effects for the future. 80 percent of children with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60 percent of …show more content…
According to an npr article titled, “Mental Health In Schools: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Millions Of Students”, children who happen to have these illnesses still do attend school, but deal with issues such as “chronic absence, low achievement, disruptive behavior and dropping out” (Anderson and Cardoza). Unfortunately, it is a problem that most schools are unprepared to deal with in terms of lack of resources, and if there are students who do receive help, there are many who slip through the cracks. In the teacher’s perspective on preventing some kind of further development in a condition’s severity, it can be as simple enough as to raise a significant flag to the appropriate authorities. With all of the responsibilities deemed necessary by the teachers to do their jobs, as well as with poor mental health training, it can be difficult for them to deal with the situation at …show more content…
These individualized sessions mainly provide conversations, often led by the therapist, to talk about affecting topics such as with past or current problems/experiences, thoughts, feelings, or relationships experienced by the consumer in order to help provide insight into future decision making. This form of therapy has also been proven to be highly useful in family, couple, or group situations. This can be related to Interpersonal Therapy, which focuses on the relationships a person has with others, with the goal in mind to help their interpersonal skills while also improving the ability to distinguish negative thoughts and control
Mental illness in the classroom has become an issue that is important for teachers, not just parents, to look out for. According to Cinda Johnson, “Studies indicate that 1 in 5 adolescents have some sort of serious emotional, behavioral, or mental health problem”(Johnson). When adolescents spend half of their days in school, it is important that their teachers take the time to notice unusual signs their students may be showing them. Teachers have the opportunity and the influence to help students work toward a better future. In Graziano’s article, however, the teacher’s influence was spun the wrong way and led to mistreatment of the six-year-old boy and his learning disability. Johnson explains, “Effective teachers are “responsive to students’ problems and…emphasize reciprocity and the value of their students’ perspectives and feelings”(Johnson). The issue of disability in the classroom coincides with the issue of teacher and student trust in the classroom. In both articles there...
Depression is becoming more common among adults due to the stresses that accompany everyday living. Along with the increasing numbers of adults suffering from depression, an ongoing rise in depression among the youth is also becoming a growing concern. Depression induced by peer pressure, bullying or other stresses can contribute to the growing numbers of adolescents taking antidepressants. According to Dr. Vincent Iannelli, there is an estimate that 3 percent of children and about 12 percent of teens suffer from depression. What most people are misinformed about is that they believe that antidepressants will prevent users from having depression or stop it completely. This is a misconception about antidepressants that can be misleading. The idea of taking a supplement to combat an internal emotional conflict should be severed out as a means of treatment unless ultimately necessar...
People constantly overlook the severity of depression, more importantly, major teen depression, which presents a legitimate obstacle in society. The intensity of teen depression results from society’s general lack of acknowledgement of the rising affair. In 2012, “28.5% of teens were depressed” and 15.8% of teens contemplated the option of suicide (Vidourek 1 par. 1), due to their major depression going unnoticed or untreated for. Even teenagers themselves often ignore their depression or remain in denial because neither them nor anyone else recognizes the signs. “A sudden change in behavior is a main sign of someone being depressed, which could lead to having suicidal thoughts,” stated Pam Farkas, a clinical social worker in California (Aguilar 1 par. 8). The warning signs and risk factors of teen depression include behavioral issues, social withdrawal, and inadequate interest in activities (Adolescents and Clinical Depression 2 par. 3), yet the unawareness of these signs does not allow professional medical attention to intercede. Deaths, illnesses, rejection, relationship issues, and disappointment present passages down the negative path of teen depression, but treatments, such as psychotherapy, intervention programs, and antidepressants express ways to subdue this major problem. Knowledge of the increasing dilemma needs to circulate, in order to promote stable teen lives in the present and future world. Understanding major teen depression, the events and incidents that lead to depression, and how to overcome the problem will lead to a decrease in major teen depression and its growing issue in society.
Teenage Depression. Everywhere you look these two words appear together as one, in newspapers and magazines, as well as in scholarly reports. Teenage depression is one of today's "hot topics" this among other teenage mental health problems, has been brought to the forefront of public consciousness in recent years after several incidents involving school shootings (CQ 595). The environment that teens grow up in today is less supportive and more demanding than it was twenty years ago. Not only are the numbers of depressed teens rising, but children are also being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. Studies have found that, "There is an estimated 1.5-3 million American children and adolescents who suffer from depression, a condition unrecognized in children until about 20 years ago" (CQR 595). This increase in depression is due to social factors that teenagers have to deal with everyday. A recent study found that, "About five percent of teenagers have major depression at any one time. Depression can be very impairing, not only for the affected teen, but also for his or her family-and too often, if not addressed, depression can lead to substance abuse or more tragic events" (NAMI.org). Gender roles and other societal factors including the pressures on girls to look and act a certain way, the pressures on boys to suppress their emotions and put on a tough front and the pressures on both sexes to do well in school and succeed, all contribute to depression in teens today. Depression is a growing problem which crosses gender lines and one that needs to be dealt with with more than just medication.
The focus of individual therapy/counseling ranges from mood and behavioral issues (i.e. addiction, eating disorders) to stress management, self-esteem, relationship struggles and "personal growth". Therapy/counseling helps heighten awareness by exploring underlying thoughts and feelings as well as the impact of family and culture and assists clients in developing new skills to deal with the challenges they face (Progressive recovery counseling,
Limitations include concern of the trial being university-based and lack of generalizability to the “real world”. Also, participants tend to be homogeneous and less complex than patients seen in clinical practice (p. 913). Nonetheless, these findings have implications for further research for entry criteria, stratification of subjects, and treatment modification. “Improvement in the outcome of adolescent depression may be achieved by more aggressively targeting comorbid anxiety disorder, hopelessness and other cognitive distortions, and parental psychopathology” (p.
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 (Tuma, 1989), but the process seems to continue to be in planning phases with some advancement in mental health policies for children. One hundred years later, the surgeon general national agenda for children’s health, the president’s new freedom commission on mental health and the American Psychological Association are all pushing efforts to address children’s mental health issues (Odar et al, 2013). More so, the stakeholders mentioned above agree on the fact that there is a large gap between the mental health needs of children and the supports and services that are available to meet those needs (Tolan and Dodge, 2005). However, in spite of many different approaches Tolan and Dodge (2005) state that “Children’s mental health continues to be neglected even with growing scientific evidence of the importance of mental health in children’s development” this is occurring specially within the primary developmental systems such as pediatric care and school, and of efficacy of interventions for chil...
Without screening these children may go an entire lifetime without ever knowing that they have an illness. Children can be at risk and no one will notice because they didn’t take the time out to screen and ask a few questions. “ Children can benefit from depression screening as early as second grade” (James Mazza) “ If schools don’t screen their students don’t have the opportunity to proactively identify themselves as at risk” (Pros and cons, 1). If schools don't screen they won’t ever know how to differentiate the students who are at risk and need help from those who are fine and don’t need
Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go; which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression; not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens.
Depression is the most common mental health problem in the United States. It affects people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds. In adolescents, as many as one in eight teens suffers with this condition. It can interfere with day-to-day functioning. Many times adolescents feel lost or hopeless and may not know who to turn to for help. This therapeutic environment uses specific objectives and goals to give adolescents the tools and skills they need to cope and function more successfully. This is a positive, caring environment so that each member will feel ready to share and cope with their problems. Currently, there is a lack of support and resources for adolescents with this mental illness and this group fulfills that need. This group is different from other groups of this nature, as members are carefully screened to make sure only those who can truly benefit from it are included.
Can you picture the student voted “most likely to succeed” in your graduating class? This individual must have had everything going for them. They probably had good grades, popular, never in trouble, no health issues and socially and emotionally stable. However, twenty years later, after graduating college, a successful business owner, had a beautiful wife and three kids, he decides emotionally he is done and takes his own life. Mental health issues can manifest at anytime with varying degrees of significance on the emotional stability of a person. Factors such as socioeconomic status, biological and environmental issues all dictate mental health needs. Obviously, a variety of circumstances can evoke these mental health issues. Now imagine coping with these mental health issues and being expected to still be a normal student and conform to your peers around you. This is what we expect of our students dealing with a variety of mental health issues. The policies and procedures are established to meet the needs of all students. The mental health issues are recognized and evaluated based on the best placement for the student to receive an education. The public school system has the responsibility to provide a free and appropriate education. The school does the best they can to provide a whole school approach to deal with the increasing number of mental health concerns. However, the mental health concerns carry on beyond high school.
Children are a crucial part of society. They participate in almost all aspects of a society whether it is in schools, community activities, or in the workforce. However, not all children develop the same skills and are granted the same opportunities as others because of a mental illness. Mental illnesses are as serious as physical illnesses and they negatively affect a child’s life. There are a variety of mental illnesses children may have with different levels of severity; mental illnesses hinder childhood development, and they affect a child’s social and home life.
Anxiety has a main definition; a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. Although, it has its single definition, each person diagnosed with anxiety has different symptoms. With that, some have more severe cases of the actual diagnosis. It has been noted that anxiety has had an increase in teens recently. In the last 30 years, the statistics for anxiety in fifteen to sixteen year olds have doubled for both girls and boys (“Increased Levels of Anxiety…” 1). It is said, “in societal moments like the one we are in…it often feels as if ours is the Age of Anxiety”(Henig 1). Anxiety affects teenagers profusely because the emotions of a teenager are more vulnerable than those of an adult. The brain of a teenager is not fully developed and the stress put on teenagers to start putting their life together takes a toll on their emotions. The daily life and activities are interfered with by anxiety when the amount of stress put on a teenager becomes unbearable. Unfortunately, the effects of anxiety become so intense that the mental health is eventually toyed with. So many different components of life contribute to anxiety and cannot be prevented.
Teenage depression is a growing problem in today's society and is often a major contributing factor for a multitude of adolescent problems. The statistics about teenage runaways, alcoholism, drug problems, pregnancy, eating disorders, and suicide are alarming. Even more startling are the individual stories behind these statistics because the young people involved come from all communities, all economic levels, and all home situations-anyone's family. The common link is often depression. For the individuals experiencing this crisis, the statistics become relatively meaningless. The difficult passage into adolescence and early adulthood can leave lasting scars on the lives and psyches of an entire generation of young men and women. There is growing realization that teenage depression can be life- changing, even life threatening.
Mental health issues affect people of every age all over the world, and there are so many complex disorders that people cope with. These issues and disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, and OCD (Fundamental facts about health, 2015). While many people suffer from mental illness, there is still a strong stigma surrounding the topic of mental health which makes it incredibly difficult for people, especially children and young adults, to talk about what they experience and to receive help. Many young people choose to suffer in silence than to be open about their challenges, however the statistics below confirm the issue of mental wellness is more common than people think.