It is no secret that mental health has been talked about exponentially more recently than ever before, which is a very good thing. Many kids however do not get the mental health treatment that they need, up to 80%. Why are they not getting help? Well most times, they want someone to ask them what is wrong, and parents and teachers can often miss signs that something is wrong. Parents may believe it is ‘just a phase,’ while teachers may believe the student is simply not working hard or doesn’t care. Oftentimes, warning signs of mental health struggles show up in school: attendance could start to drop, grades slipping, and interactions among other students and teachers diminishing. Once again we have to ask the question of who’s responsibility does identifying mental health issues fall on: the parents, or teachers, or both?
“One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14.” These conditions start extremely early on, often at the end of middle school and into high school. There are warning signs, but again these can be cast aside. Let’s look at the teacher’s side of the issue.
Teachers quite simply already have their hands full. Many do already have a mentor relationship with particular students, and this makes it difficult to have personal conversations with each and every kid they have. Teachers can often have a lack of resources in this area. The can talk to a child and identify a problem, but in reality most teachers have no training to do this and do not know the student as well as say their parents would. Should teachers even get involved then? But then its also important that most of the warning signs do happen at school and are fairly easy to find if someone is looking for them. I think teachers responsibility should be to contact the parents if something seems off, and if they feel comfortable enough quietly ask the student to stay after class and ask them if anything is wrong. I do not think it is the average teacher’s responsibility beyond this point however.
Schools do already have counselors that kids can go to for this, but a stigma around them do exist. Despite this, nearly the same amount of kids get help from school resources that get help from professionals outside of schools. Reducing the stigma around school counselors and getting help is definitely happening, but has a long way to go. Maybe a regular check in that is not about scheduling classes should be implemented.
Parents are probably the most obvious role that should take place in this. Parents know their children better than anyone else, and need to take drastic mood or behavior swings seriously, and regularly ask their child how they are doing in a calm and focused setting. Families should be the first to spot the problem, as long as they know what to look for.
This issue is not easy or simple, but with more awareness for both parents and teachers, many kids will be able to get proper treatment when they need it most.
Parents should, in theory, be the first people to identify or sense that something is wrong with their child. The rates of children barreling mental health issue keeps increasing as years pass by. It’s important to start breaking the stigma around asking for help and getting help when in need because that only harms generations to come. I love how you mentioned mental health in terms of a smaller age group and how the two major types of grown ups in a child’s life should act.
In my experience with mental health in school, I find that a lot of the things and aspects you brought up were true. Lots of kids refuse to reach out because of possible negative reactions and there is a stigma around counselors because of their job and role. While teachers are not entirely responsible for the mental health of students, they tend to reach out. Depending on who and the environment, I have seen my teachers reach out to students regarding their mental health and concerns. However, to a certain extent, teachers have to report these concerns to the counselors as well.
I can’t speak for others, but for myself, I find it to talk to people about issues like mental health because then they would know an intimate detail about me in every one of our future interactions. In my opinion, that is terrifying because I feel as if they will be judging me every time we meet. That’s why I would actually find it easier to vent like that to a random person that I will never see again, because I won’t have to worry about them knowing something about me.
This is certainly a concern in most school settings today. I know from personal experience that guidance counselor help was almost nonexistent in my town. I think check-ins with students on a bimonthly basis would be beneficial. It may not solve the issue for some kids, but giving some of these kids a calm and relaxed setting to express themselves may be a beginning way to seek help. I also strongly agree with not putting the stress on teachers to identify problems, that would be making an already overwhelming job that much more stressful.