Mental Health Concerns in Our Schools
Authored by Anna Porter
Edited by Kaitlyn Castro and Mela Ottaiano
TW: This article refers to mental illnesses, suicide, bullying, and domestic abuse.
There are a lot of misconceptions about mental health, like the belief that mental illness isn’t serious or that people suffering from mental illness are weak-minded. In fact, mental health problems affect nearly 1 in 5 people in the U.S., including children and teens in school. These wrongful beliefs have built a stigma around mental health, causing people with a mental health condition to feel ashamed and become discouraged to seek help. However, mental health issues are often treatable, especially when detected early on. Fortunately, mental health is becoming a less taboo topic of conversation. (Read one of our previous blog posts on how mental health awareness has grown, found here.)
Developing Mental Health Issues
There are many reasons school-age children may develop mental health issues, including significant life changes and genetics. Problems in family life, like domestic abuse or divorce, can lead to a decline in individual mental health, affecting all aspects of student life. Students with emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders have the lowest high school graduation rate out of all students with disabilities. One of the most prevalent reasons for declining mental health in schools is bullying. Those who are bullied are more likely to develop mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. On the other side of the same issue, bullies themselves are at risk for falling into patterns of substance abuse, aggression, and antisocial behavior. Students struggling with their mental health can go on to develop academic and behavioral problems, which can affect them long into the future.
In addition to the mental health challenges that come from traditional learning environments, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on students’ mental health. The transition to remote learning broke down students’ social networks, limiting opportunities for social interaction and forming connections. This isolation, in turn, can lead to social anxiety and depression, in addition to affecting physical health. A survey from 2020 revealed that 80% of students in the U.S. have experienced negative impacts on their mental health from the pandemic, and a CDC report from 2020 showed an increase in suicidal thinking among teens and young adults.
Global Concerns
Unfortunately, the issue of mental health concerns in education systems reaches beyond the United States. In a study conducted in Thailand, the United Nations found that over 70% of students reported that the pandemic has had negative effects on their mental health, with half of the respondents worried specifically about future education and studies. In the UK, 1 in 10 students say they don’t have mental health support in their schools, while research shows that 50% of mental health problems are developed by age 14. This data has led to new mental health improvement initiatives coming forward, such as the “Make it Count” campaign by the UK’s Mental Health Foundation and the Sati App by Thailand’s Amornthep Sachamuneewongse. “Make it Count” has five main objectives: peer education, teacher training, health education, expert support, and measurement. The Sati App aims to create a safe, on-demand listening service for users in mental health crises, inspired by Sachamuneewongse’s own unsatisfactory experiences with crisis hotlines.
Getting Help
When children and teens have counselors easily accessible, they are more likely to seek help. Sometimes schools hire their own mental health professionals, which allows students to receive the help they need in a familiar location without having to do additional research for treatment,worry about affordability, or arrange transportation. On-site counselors are often available for students whenever they need them, allowing solutions to be found without delay. The pandemic has also led to the creation of virtual counseling options for many students. These in-school mental health services are extremely convenient not only to the students but the greater community as well, often providing rural communities and lower-income families with options they otherwise would not have. Unfortunately, not all schools provide these services, and some counselors split their time between multiple schools. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends 1 school psychologist to every 500 students, but in reality the ratio in the U.S. averages at 1:1211.
Despite the insufficient number of professional school counselors, there are still ways for schools to help with students’ mental health. It’s important for educators to be aware of mental disorders and how to look for signs of them in students. Recognizing basic warning signs in students, like being uncharacteristically withdrawn or having extreme difficulty focusing, can be the first step in helping students obtain the care they need. More complex warning signs include seeming out of touch with reality and abruptly shifting from a depressed mood to a neutral or happy one. These signs point toward the possibility of a student being in crisis and potentially suicidal, signaling the need for immediate help. While warning signs are harder to recognize in remote classroom settings, monitoring students’ mental health is still possible. Signs like unusual body language, irregular attendance, and change in tone of voice are apparent in virtual environments.
Once warning signs are identified, educators can help their students by learning how to manage their individual needs. Options include providing accommodations like flexible deadlines or learning how to properly intervene if a student is experiencing an episode. There are many readings and trainings available online that can help educators prepare to aid their students in combating mental health challenges, which in turn has proven to give teachers more confidence in the classroom and improve classroom effectiveness.
Support Networks
Another important step for teachers in helping students’ overcome mental illness is to communicate concerns to their parents. For those educators in schools with professional counselors, talking with the counselor is a great way to form a plan to contact the parent. For those without professional help, it’s smart for teachers to first determine the proper mode of communication: phone, written (email), or face-to-face (or video call). Another good preparation measure for teachers to take is to anticipate parental resistance or denial. Tips for working with resistant parents include asking permission before sharing concerns and remembering that the teacher and the parents are allies. Together, parents and teachers can form plans specific to the child, providing them the most effective help possible.
If a teacher senses the student’s mental health stressors are from an unsafe or unstable home life, they should first educate themselves through reliable resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline. This resource offers phone numbers to text and call with concerns, instructions for creating a safety plan, common warning signs of abuse to look out for, and more. In these situations where contacting the parent could make the child’s experience worse, it is important for teachers to have support within their school to reach out to. In a profession with the potential to be tough on mental health, carrying the weight of students’ home issues can make it that much harder for educators to maintain their own mental health. Educators without the proper support are more likely to leave the field of teaching early on. Support networks of principals, superintendents, administrators, and fellow teachers can help not only the educators thrive, but the entire school as well.
By providing students (and educators) the help they need while it’s still early, schools can play an important role in children’s and teens’ development. Intervening with mental health concerns early means giving the student a better chance to obtain treatment and be healthy in the long run. In turn, this helps build stronger schools and stronger communities.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, check out these resources to obtain the help you need. If you are in crisis and need immediate attention, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Additional resources for specific demographics can be found here.