Lack of Mental Health Services in Schools is Unacceptable by Audrey

Lack of Mental Health Services in Schools is Unacceptable by Audrey - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

While it is an issue that has gained more visibility in the past few years, mental health, and the lack of supportive services in schools, is still a pervading issue. According to the Center for Disease Control, death by suicide has surpassed death by car accident in students aged 10-14. There's no excuse for that. Schools need to enact programs that bring awareness to and provide services for students affected by mental illness.

First and foremost education about mental health has to start with the lowest levels of health classes students are required to take. I didn't get any clear information about depression or anxiety until my freshman year health class, at which point I already knew anything I was taught because I had gone out in search of information on why I felt so awful all the time. Students shouldn't have to feel like they need to go to the internet to find information about very real health issues. The added benefit of having mental health education worked into curriculum early is that it decreases the stigma associated with admitting that one does suffer from anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, which is one of the biggest hurdles when it comes to someone deciding to seek out help.

The second step schools have to take is to make mental health support services readily available. Oftentimes the difference between one student feeling they have to end their life and another choosing to keep fighting is access to support services. More students in poor families commit suicide than students who come from more affluent families because of the difference in access to services like therapy sessions and medicine. While it would be unreasonable for a school to issue prescriptions I don't think it is unreasonable for schools to have a certified psychologist on staff, even if they aren't employed on a full-time basis. If that is unrealistic, as it might be in many rural and disconnected areas, school counselors should be more accessible. I've found that unless someone is in the guidance office for a schedule change or asking questions about college, they tend to avoid the place, which is unfortunate. So instead of "marketing" counselors, as it were, as resources to help with school planning, they need to be seen as individuals you can come to any time you need help, school related or otherwise.

I found information on anxiety and depression through the internet, and the internet became my lifeline for a long while. It was a place where I could talk with people who were suffering in a similar way to myself. I wouldn't trade the connections I made for anything, but I do still wish I'd been more comfortable speaking with someone at school, and that I hadn't needed to go to the internet in the first place. Schools need to know they have to do better, because their students deserve nothing less than the best.