If there is a topic that still stirs controversy, it is mental health. Schools have dealt with physical education for years, and are trying to teach young people about sexual and financial education, but mental health has been on the backburner for many years – wrongfully so, considering the increasing numbers of depression cases in young people today.
Even though it is a good thing that many school curriculums have systems in place to teach young people about financial and physical health, the devotion of resources to mental health is still a problem. Even as an adult, you can recognize that the first time you heard extensively about mental health issues was when you were an adult – for any time before that, the information was vague or non-existent. That also led to high cases of bullying of students and peers who showed signs of these illnesses – something that should not happen, but it unfortunately does.
Let us be honest with ourselves. Life today is more challenging to navigate for young people, compared to 20 or 30 years ago. There are so many pressures they go through – competing for jobs, being the best in their exams, more pressure to decide what they want to do with their lives (most of the time without any extensive guidance), freedom of choices, and a million sources of information that confuse them more than ever before. Why then should we incorporate mental health education for young people? Here are some reasons why.
Teaches them to see the signs early
The usual reaction to seeing or noticing someone struggling with a mental illness is to ostracize them or treat them as being ‘weird’, instead of helping them and giving them adequate amounts of support. Sadly, this occurs in school environments more than we would want to admit; often times, young people wi9th these illnesses are made to feel strange by their peers, they lack friends in their lives, and this causes them to feel as if they do not belong.
When young people are equipped with information on mental illness, it teaches them to recognize the signs early enough in their friends and peers, and help them to navigate the problem. They can even develop wise methods of dealing with the issue at hand, such as informing their teachers or school counselor to help with the problem. Above all, it teaches them to be kind to each other, and offer support to any of their peers struggling with the illness.
Allows them to understand the full impact
As if the statistics on mental health issues in young people is not discouraging enough, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that one in five individuals have a mental disorder. This rate is very high, and you will notice that most cases begin from the ages of 14 – a critical time for a young person, as they are going through adolescence and forming relationships with their peers. What makes this even more upsetting is that most of them do not seek help until their adult years, and some of them turn to drug abuse (for more information on that, click here) and teen suicide.
Experts in the field of mental health, therefore, seem to agree on one thing – early intervention always matters, and it can result in a more positive outcome for the affected individuals. There is a silver lining in this issue through – various programs are being set up to encourage the discussion of mental health in schools, and encourage more young people to open up about their struggles.
Teaches them that mental health has a higher importance than scoring good grades
At the end of the day, it is more important to be healthy than getting good grades or scoring a high-paying job. Parents need to be involved in the initiative as well. This is due to some of them putting unnecessarily high pressure on their children to succeed in school, and they fail to notice the young person is going through other issues.
In addition, it is important to remember there is no shame in going through mental illness since many people live through the same thing, yet are able to live positive lives through the support of their friends and families. The sad thing about mental health in schools is that few of them have adequate information resources to deal with the problem – and it is affecting students negatively. When the problem is addressed early, it can make a major difference in the lives of many.
Teaches them that it is okay to be different
A young person will want to be similar to their peers in terms of behavior and mannerisms, especially when they are in the teen years. Their desire of independence from their families and particularly parents make them want to please their peers, as they deem their friend’s cooler.
The problem with this mentality arises when someone is different because of certain circumstances, and it leads to issues of school bullying. However, uniqueness is something to be valued, and different perspectives in thinking are very helpful. It is essential for young people to remember there is no problem in being different in terms of your thinking, and teens who are struggling with mental illnesses need people that are willing to accept them for who they are.
Another important thing to note is this – not everyone with mental illness behaves in the same way. These people are still human, and they can still enjoy and accomplish the same things that other people can do. There is nothing wrong with that, and it is important to care for one another.
Final thoughts
Mental illnesses in young people should not be ignored, as many of them are struggling with these issues in school. There needs to be greater emphasis on educating them about mental health, with abundant resources on the subject when you click here. This will alert them to support their peers who may be going through the same issue.