Mental Health

Dear Board of Education,

When it comes to an illness you cannot see, many people have a hard time getting
treatment for it. The reason being, it can be difficult to get a diagnosis, especially if you're a
minor and your healthcare is based on your parents. In fact, many parents don’t know what their
child is going through; “Parents are unaware of 90% of suicide attempts made by teenagers, and
the vast majority of teens who attempt suicide give no warning to parents, siblings, or friends.2
As the article states, "You can be the greatest parent in the world and your kid could still have a
serious problem you don't know about."”(Friedman). When it comes to being a parent you don't
want your kid to ever feel that way, so when your child reaches out, you may deny the fact that
they are hurting. So how do we get parents to know when their kids are struggling? How do we
make healthcare available to kids, whose parents can't or won't provide it? Below are three key
areas where changes in our schools can lead to a beneficial outcome for all children.

Understanding what a mental illness is the first step to properly responding to the
illnesses and the challenges that come with it. Without knowledge about mental illnesses
teenagers, friends, siblings, parents, teachers, counselors, etc. struggle to respond appropriately
and effectively. While information on mental health has become more available it hasn’t been
entirely destigmatized which makes access to the information challenging and support difficult.
Ken Thakker, the author of “Mental Health Stigma Persists”, states “Heart disease, migraine
disorders, epilepsy, arthritis and many other physical health problems are serious, and they are
discussed with little taboo. Meanwhile, 56% of individuals report discomfort talking to even
friends and family about mental health-related issues.” We must deal with the stigma around
mental illnesses and this has to begin with education. To deal with the stigma around mental
illnesses and to make this health information more public, consider the following ideas and
recommendations from current high schoolers. To start, provide more education, not just for the
students, but the teachers and staff as well. Follow this up with education for parents focused
around how they can help even when their child isn’t being open with them. Finally, ensure
every school or district is partnered up with local therapists and psychologists to make
recommendations, introductions and if possible, to help students who are financially unstable
navigate the challenges of paying for mental health care.

With how far our technology and understanding has come we can easily say what mental
health identifies as, but how do we learn more? Being a person who has never had mental health
issues it can be a hard task to try to understand where others are coming from. This is why
information needs to be more accessible or commercially available. We need a school wide
program to open up about mental health topics. An example of a great way to spread information
in a very accessible way would be an online app. This has already been done with the app known
as “Safe UT” but this specific app only gives you access to report not access to information.
Imagine me and you walking and talking about mental health but we get stuck. The first idea we
would probably have is to just look it up online. Google may have some credible sources but
who knows if the website you use is or is not “credible” without researching it first. Having an
app that gives even more access while having accurate information would be a life saver in that
instance. Like the article says, “By bringing together patients on a teletherapy platform,
Talkspace expands capacity to deliver treatment”(Meyer). This simple quote says the main
reason we need an app; the accessibility! Teens and Adults are always on their phones so why
not make the info accessible right on the area they are always able to access.

Schools have the power to bring awareness to students and provide help. Having schools
work with therapy institutions could help students that need help easily access it. As previously
mentioned you can not only help students by teaching them about what mental illnesses are , but
also providing information on how to get help. One way to further help students is to make
mental health care more easily accessible, by having resources through the school;”For a variety
of reasons — financial, environmental, personal and cultural — underserved children were not
receiving needed services an alarming 75-80 percent of the time. Considering the disparity
between children identified for services and children who actually receive services, providing
care in a natural environment such as a school could dramatically increase the number of
children who receive therapeutic support” (Baker). Baker refers to school as the natural
environment for many students and their parents. Schools providing the opportunity for mental
health services will help more students get the help that they need. Not only would this be
increasing the outreach for mental health services. It could not only provide awareness regarding
mental health but also provide for lower income households as well. Some schools already have
school-based mental health services, so we suggest that we spread that outreach. We believe that
it is crucial that students have access to what they need, especially when it comes to times like
these. You have the power to push for the integration of services into schools, and to provide the
knowledge that many students and parents lack in this area. We want students to know they aren't
alone, and that they have somewhere they can go to get help.

Sincerely,

Students of Brighton High School

 Works Cited
Baker, Christina. “School-based mental health services: What can the partnership look
like? - Counseling Today.” Counseling Today, 1 January 2013,
https://ct.counseling.org/2013/01/school-based-mental-health-services-what-can-the-partnership-
look-like/. Accessed 30 March 2023.
Friedman, Richard A. "Mental Health Screenings in Schools Help Children." Mental
Illness, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In
Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010154271/OVIC?u=onlinelibrary&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=bfad
efcb. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. Originally published as "Uncovering an Epidemic—Screening for
Mental Illness in Teens," New England Journal of Medicine, 28 Dec. 2008.
Meyer, Harris. "Are Mental Health Apps a Good Alternative?" Los Angeles Times, 07/07
2022. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2
700867502?accountid=28671. Accessed 27 March 2023
Thakkar, Ken. "Mental Health Stigma Persists." Baltimore Sun (Online), 06/11 2021.
ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2
560938780?accountid=28671. Accessed 27 March 2023
Wiley, Tyler. "Mental Health Stigma Takes Disproportionate Toll on Men." University
Wire, 09/23 2021. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2
586028727?accountid=28671. Accessed 27 March 2023
https://ct.counseling.org/2013/01/school-based-mental-health-services-what-can-the-part
nership-look-like/