By Wayne Campbell
“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain.”
– Matt Haig
The youth mental health crisis endures, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released in August. In 2023, 40 percent of all students, and 53 percent of girls, experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Nearly 1 in 5 students reported being bullied at school, while 13 percent missed school because of safety concerns.
We often discount the impact that mental health can have on our students. This misconception frequently leads to policy decisions that are flawed and are counterproductive to teaching and learning. We have all seen students acting out due to stress and depression– some of us have shared the videos. Yet, mental health is still not openly discussed. In part because of the stigma associated with the topic that we have all contributed to. Our mental wellness is just as important as our physical state of being. Fortunately, it is our young people who are most comfortable having conversations surrounding mental health issues. They continue to drive the wave regarding how to destigmatize mental health.
What is mental health?
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.
The WHO adds that mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. Mental health exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.
The National Alliance on Mental Health reports that 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavior problems, anxiety and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. Yet, only about half of youth with mental health conditions received any kind of treatment in the past year.
Undiagnosed, untreated or inadequately treated mental illnesses can significantly interfere with a student’s ability to learn, grow and develop. Since children spend much of their productive time in educational settings, schools offer a unique opportunity for early identification, prevention and interventions that serve students where they already are.
Policy shift needed
The State of the World’s Children 2021 reports concluded that in Jamaica, 16.5 percent of adolescents live with a diagnosed mental health disorder. On the other hand, researcher and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bluedot Insights, Larren Peart, has revealed alarming data that suggests that over 30 percent of Jamaican children under 14 exhibit mental health symptoms: “Approximately 34 percent of juveniles in Jamaica display mental illnesses before the age of 14 and 48.4 percent before the age of 18.” Regardless of the report, the state of mental health disorder among our students is at a crisis level. Are we acting as if we are in a crisis? Clearly not.
There needs to be a National Policy on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Additionally, such a policy needs to be accessible to the public to pinpoint potential users where mental health support services are available.
There needs to be a policy shift regarding Jamaica’s education system to have school psychologists and social workers in our public schools in order to identify and treat mental health issues early. Perhaps, a cluster of schools could share the services of mental health professionals given limited resources.
School-based mental health services are delivered by trained mental health professionals who are employed by schools, such as school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers and school nurses. As adults we too must provide our young people and students with the necessary support and scaffolding. As the new academic year is fast approaching the time has come for our students to be assessed for mental health.
Illinois is the first state in America to require this form of evaluation. For students of Illinois, mental health screenings will soon be required alongside annual vision and hearing exams. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed a bill into law that will require public school students in grades 3 through 12 in the state to undergo a mental health screening each year.
“Our goal is an integrated, comprehensive approach to quality mental and behavioral health services for young people across the state,” Pritzker added, saying the legislation will pave the way for schools to receive resources and support to implement the new push for screenings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anxiety and depression are some of the most common mental health conditions diagnosed in children between the ages of 3 and 17, with mental health being a significant concern among teenagers.
Early identification and treatment
Mental health issues are not new, but the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated the depth and breadth of the crisis. Isolation and loneliness are common consequences of mental health conditions and may be exaggerated by imposed quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Problems with emotional regulation and a reduction in availability of professional support may trigger risky behaviors.
In order for schools to adequately prepare for their students a mental health screening should become commonplace for each student annually. The fact is many of our students need specialized support in order for them to maximize their true potential. Too many students suffer silently each year.
Early identification and effective treatment for children and their families can make a difference in the lives of children with mental health conditions.
Many parents are clueless where to turn in order to receive mental health support for their children.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 that addresses inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities will remain elusive if mental health is not included in the discourse. There needs to be more robust advocacy for school psychologists and social workers. Partnerships from the teachers’ union the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), the Jamaica Teaching Council and the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) are critical to attend to this issue.
The solution to address mental health requires a collaborative approach from all stakeholders within the education system.
In the words of Dr. Brent Jones, PhD., one big challenge is identifying mental health issues early. We are reliant mainly on teacher observations and on our students’ self-reporting. But we don’t have robust ways to identify problems early, which compounds the challenge.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.