The Importance of Youth Mental Health Education Reforms

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Publication Note: I intent to submit this Op-Ed on “The Importance of Youth Mental Health Education Reforms” in the Education Week. I chose to voice my opinion on the issue of Youth Mental Health in the Education Week as they give a suitable platform for expressing one’s thoughts about the prevailing social issues that require immediate attention and intervention. With around 46.4% adults and 46.3% adolescents facing mental health problems in the US alone, speaking about the pressing need on raising awareness on the Mental Health issues, especially those prevailing in school students cannot be ignored. Topping it up, people’s stigmatizing attitude towards mental health problems as well as lack of knowledge about the issue are serious impediments to getting sound mental health interventions. Not only does poor mental health affect psycho-social and educational well-being of the youth but is also detrimental to their overall development. Without being so preachy, I subtly urge that the governments should look into the matter and put in place a National Education Program for Pre-Kindergarten -12th students to make their lives easy and burden-free. 

The Role of Schools in Youth Development and Mental Health

A School is a formal institution structure that plays a key role in the overall development of children. It plays an impactful role in developing peer relationships, social interactions, and academic development of the child besides enhancing their cognitive, moral, physical and behavioral development. All these developmental areas of a being are reciprocally affected by

 Salerno, John P “Effectiveness of universal school-based mental health awareness programs among youth in the US: a systematic review” J Sch Health. doi: 10.1111/josh.12461 (2016). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5123790/ 

 the mental health.  Thus, youth with poor mental health may face challenges in their community, schools, home and developing interpersonal relationships.

The Consequences of Poor Mental Health Among Youth

If we closely look at the detrimental effects of poor mental health on the overall well-being of the youth, one may get a ghastly figure to know that Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth (15 – 29 years) in developing countries like India, as per the reports by the Lancet Global Health Study. 

Mental Health Stigma and the Need for Early Intervention

Stigmatization towards mental health issues is also one of the deterrent determinants in attainment of mental well-being or treatment for mental illness among youth. Such an impediment, if not nipped early from an individual’s life, can lead to serious repercussions later in life. As youth spend most of their time in the educational spaces, it is imperative that the individuals, if taken care of at an early stage right from their school life, can be well developed in purview of their psycho-emotional and educational attainment. In this regards, school-based psychological interventions have a key role to play in the overall healthy development of the youth. 

 Mina Fazel, Kimberly Hoagwood, Sharon Stephan, and Tamsin Ford, “Mental health interventions in schools 1”, Lancet Psychiatry. 2014 Oct; 1(5): 377–387. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477835/ 

 “Mental Health”, Youth.gov, https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health 

 Rekhaa Reddy, “School-based mental health and justice program for youth in India”, The Mental Health Innovation Network. (2021). https://www.mhinnovation.net/innovations/school-based-mental-health-and-justice-program-youth-india?qt-content_innovation=0#qt-content_innovation 

 Salerno, John P “Effectiveness of universal school-based mental health awareness programs among youth in the US: a systematic review” J Sch Health. doi: 10.1111/josh.12461 (2016). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5123790/

National Education Programs from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th Grade

A continuum of care that integrates mental health and educational enlightenment from as early as pre-kindergarten to 12th standard can help individuals attain sound mental health. I strongly urge that there should be school-level based National Education Programs that may not only strengthen the mental well-being of the youth but also build their capacity to emerge as the strong youth of their nations. 

Mental Health Literacy and Support Across the Education System

I strongly urge that National Education Programs educate and raise awareness about mental health literacy among all the stakeholders, be it the youth under review, their peers, parents, school teachers and the entire education system. They should also aim at promoting the mental health for the youth and seeking justice for them. 

Training, Counseling, and Child-Parent-Teacher Groups

Some of the measures that can help in contributing to attainment of these objectives can be, training the trainers for preventive measures that could ensure that youth with mental illnesses procure treatment or right intervention at the right time. Besides these, there should be knowledgeable counselors for the child counseling and creation of child-parent-teachers groups that could conjointly work towards the mental empowerment of the youth. 

Conclusion: The Need for School-Based Mental Health Education

To conclude, Mental Health is a major determinant in the overall well-being and development of the youth. With rising trend of the youth committing suicide and stigmatization of the mental illnesses, it is evident that the that evil of mental health issues should not only be nipped in the bud but proper school-based educational programs like National Educational Programs should be put into place. These programs would not only empower mental health of the youth but would also make it better for them to sail through the toughest times.                                                                     Bibliography

John P, Salerno, “Effectiveness of universal school-based mental health awareness programs among youth in the US: a systematic review” J Sch Health. doi: 10.1111/josh.12461  (2016). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5123790/

Fazel, Mina. Hoagwood, Kimberly. Stephan, Sharon and Ford, Tamsin. “Mental health interventions in schools 1”, Lancet Psychiatry. 2014 Oct; 1(5): 377–387. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477835/  

 “Mental Health”, Youth.gov, https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health  

Reddy, Rekhaa “School-based mental health and justice program for youth in India”, The Mental Health Innovation Network. (2021). https://www.mhinnovation.net/innovations/school-based-mental-health-and-justice-program-youth-india?qt-content_innovation=0#qt-content_innovation