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Essays on the stigma of mental health
Essays on the stigma of mental health
Essays on the stigma of mental health
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Mental illness can impact every aspect of one’s life, destroying the buoyant life they once lived. Often the individual doesn't know why their life is crumbling, drowning them in despair. This happens far too often in teens and children, and without anyone noticing, it makes death seem like the only option. Consequently, suicide has risen 50% for teenage girls and 30% for teenage boys, so it's no surprise Americans want a fix. But how do you reach out to 74.2 million children? Every American child is required to go to school. By making mental health screenings mandatory in schools, it would help thousands, if not millions of children.
Not only do screenings allow the schools to help students, but can also relieve students. If a child knows of their condition, it could give them hope. Of course no one wants to hear they are depressed, but it would explain what was happening to them. They’d know why they were struggling and that there is a solution. The knowledge alone can be revolutionary for some individuals.
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Not being able to concentrate in school is actually a symptom for mental illnesses (Everett). The anxiety, aggravation, restlessness, and lack of concentration make it difficult to excel in school, but it's not just the symptoms that distract a student from learning, but the overall lack of motivation. When a student feels like there's nothing left for them, no one can expect them to care about their grades. In fact, that’s probably the least of their concerns. If schools had mental health screenings they’d know which students were struggling with the condition, allowing the child to get proper treatment and return to a normal life. Not only will the student gain back the desire, or at least ability to learn, but also allow them to move past that horrific time and
As a student in the school system, there are many mental conditions that could affect how they perform on a daily basis. One of the most prevalent is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is defined as “a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity (Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine). There is much research that is currently being done on this subject as it does impact many students in the K-12 system. As of 2011, it was estimated that around 11% of students had been diagnosed with ADHD. While seems like a small amount of students, it equates to about 6.4 million (Data & Statistics). A huge amount of children in school are having trouble focusing in
Studies done by researchers have shown that at least one out of five students here in the United States of America experience or suffer from mental health disorders or illnesses. The attention these youths receive is very wanting. I was more than shocked to find that only 21% of the American youth with diagnosable mental disorders receive medical care and I had to emphasize this point in my letter. The remaining 80% are ignored. The increased numbers of untreated mental illnesses have turned out to be very tragic. The end results have been increased rates of suicides among children who fall between the ages of ten and fourteen. In fact suicide is now among one of the leading causes of deaths for young youths between ages of 15 and 24. Cases of homicide and school bullying have also increased as a result. In my letter to the senator, I sensitized that many students usually dr...
Some of the most common words moving around in the psychiatric circle are attention Deficit; hyperactivity; Ritalin; ADD, ADHD. These words are being most commonly discussed by most educators, physicians, psychologists and young parents in the society today. In spite of extensive advancements in technology which has brought new insights into the brain and learning, there is still a lacuna in the field of problems faced by children who are unable to remain focused on the task given to them in the classroom owing to their inability to pay attention.
Illness. When most people hear that word, they think Cancer, Diabetes, AIDs, Ebola, or the Black Plague. The epitome of a sick person is tired, grey, and laying in bed. Now, imagine an ill person walking down the hall, sitting in class, or eating in the school cafeteria. Is it strange? This is no alternate reality. The term “illness” addresses both the physical and mental condition of a person. 20% of American teens are affected by some type of mental disorder that affects their capability to function (“Mental Health By The Numbers” 1). High schools are constantly searching for ways to improve this percentage, actions ranging from adding counselors to decreasing class size to delaying the bell schedule. One solution, known by many different names but unchanged in concept, is allowing students to take mental health days.
...e people advocating for better mental health care. Parents and teachers are more likely to recognize the development of depression and should be educated on what they can do to help their student and child. Since it is proven that depression can lead to violence, qualified psychologists should be readily available on campus to help students faster than outside of the school. If not that, then schools, like George Mason University, can spread awareness of depression and sponsor programs or info sessions where their students learn of depression and what they can do to help others who may be victims of depression. Baby steps like these, as well as implementing a solution practical in the modern technology-era, can accumulate and develop into a strategically effective means of preventing school shootings caused by depression across the country in each and every school.
In today’s society there is a greater awareness of mental illnesses. With this greater awareness one might assume that there would be a substantial increase in government involvement or funding in the area of mental illness treatment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in the U.S. today. There are hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness that go untreated. These potential patients go untreated for many reasons. These reasons are discussed in the Time article “Mental Health Reform: What Would it Really Take.
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...
Student’s lack of success can occur for many reasons but some believe that that it stems from poverty. Many families are forced to work more than one job in order to maintain the household and the children end up staying at home without adult supervision. Adult supervision is needed in order to provide structure, rules, and teach children basic social skills. Social skills are essential in our daily life as it is what we use to communicate with people to get what we want or need. In my experience, I have also noticed that the majority of at risk youth come from single mom or grandparent homes. I have experienced talking to single moms or guardians who do not implement discipline at home because they do not know how to discipline. Other times, they feel bad that the child’s other parent or parents are not in the picture so they try to composite by not enforcing consequences. The mental health of a child is another important concept that schools should consider when they are dealing with troubled youth. Many students have experienced trauma in their lives that has never healed. Teaching children to properly express their emotions is something that sometimes parents do not know how to teach. Having mental health services such as counseling is a great way to help the student heal from the trauma that has been keeping them from being successful. Schools should require all student to receive a mental health screening along with their physical in order to know the student’s history and to understand and help
“ I WISH I WOULD JUST DIE ALREADY!” screamed Jane as she opened the pill bottle and hesitated to take them all. Jane had been showing these signs if depression that no one noticed. If her school would’ve screened the students for suicidal tendencies and mental illnesses they could’ve prevented her from getting that far. Screening helps people identify who may and may not be at risk of suicide. Schools should screen children and teenagers for mental illnesses and suicidal tendencies, because if it’s not treated it can worsen or cause other problems, provide more help, lower suicide rates.
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.
At least one in four people will experience a mental health problem every year, including teenagers and young adults; however, ninety per cent of people who have a mental illness will not speak about it. Why? Because we don’t.
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.
Many people believe that depression does not exist and scientists are wasting time and money on research but in fact, it has been proven that there are many people suffering from this mental illness. After conducting a research it has been revealed that “an estimated 11.4% of U.S. adolescents, or about 2.8 million people, had at least one “major depressive episode” in a 12-month period” (1 Should All Teens Be Screened for Depression?). 2.8 million may be a small number compared to the total population of the U.S.A which is approximately 300 million people, but these are still young adolescents that suffer from depression and deserve to be
Today, the numbers of people with mental health issues are considerably high. The problem increases the national and global social and economic burdens as governments try to find means of empowering the people with the issue and solve the problem. Today, one in five adults in the United States has a mental health problem (“Mental Health Facts,” 2016). “Mental Health Facts” (2016) also states that the adults that received mental health services are about 60%. Only 50% of the youth with mental health issues received mental health services in the previous year. Further, mental health issues are also related to drug use and addiction. Of all the mental illnesses and disorders, depression affects the most people and has the biggest burden globally. Due to the increasing burden and the gap in service utilization, the mental health policy seeks to address several factors. Some of the key issues to address include early diagnosis of mental disorders, provision of appropriate and adequate intervention a particular problem, education and counseling for the family members, and research to help reduce the numbers and reverse the trend. Another key area of focus is the use of mass media to create awareness about mental health issues and help clear the