Tag: mental health education

New York Considers Allowing Students To Take Mental Health Days

Proponents of the bill say that designating excused “mental health days” will help destigmatize mental illness and help start critical conversations.

New York state legislators are considering a bill that would allow students to take off from school to attend to their mental health.

Some call it coddling and a crutch. But proponents of the bill say that designating excused “mental health days” will help destigmatize mental illness and encourage young people to feel comfortable talking about what they are going through.

“No longer will a student have to lie about why they’re staying home from school, and this conversation, hopefully, will be forced out in the open—not just with their teachers, but with their parents and their family members, too,” said state Senator Brad Hoylman, who is sponsoring the bill.

Indeed there is a need to address young people’s mental health. About 70% of American teenagers view anxiety and depression as a major problem, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center. And suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people aged 10-34, according to the CDC.

Mandatory Mental Health Education

Last September, New York became the first state to mandate mental health education in elementary through high school curricula.

Allowing days off from school to deal with mental or behavioral health would cement the state’s commitment to supporting young people’s mental well-being.

“I think that’s a really good idea, because teenagers go through a lot of issues, struggles internally that they might not show to everyone… or even talk about,” student Gabbi Hanna told CBS. “But inside they might be dealing with something they don’t know how to deal with. And having that day off… might help them decompress a little bit before going back into the school environment.”

Other States Are Also Prioritizing Mental Health Days

New York would not be the first state to enact such a policy. In 2018, Utah amended the definition of a student’s valid absence to include illness “which may be mental or physical.”

And in July, Oregon began allowing students five mental health days in a three-month period. Hailey Hardcastle, who helped pass the bill, said the bill was inspired by the national youth-led movement following the Parkland, Florida mass shooting in 2018.

“We have a lot of kids that are dealing with [symptoms of mental illness] in silence because they’re embarrassed or they think people are going to judge them and not believe them,” said Jennifer Rothman, senior manager for youth and young adult initiatives for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Normalizing “mental health days” can help destigmatize mental illness and facilitate conversation about mental health, Rothman said.

View the original article at thefix.com

12 September 2019
Has New York's Mental Health Education Mandate For K-12 Made A Difference?

The overall goal of the initiative is to provide a “climate of support” around mental health, starting in school.

As of July 1st, it has been one year since New York began mandating mental health education in grades K-12 across the state. It was the first state to do so. Around the same time, Virginia also set a requirement to teach mental health education in the 9th and 10th grade.

Buffalo’s NPR News Station WBFO gave a brief picture of the state of mental health education in New York one year later.

One school district in particular, the Niagara Falls City School District in Western New York, has taken “a very enlightened and progressive view toward mental health education,” said Ken Houseknecht, executive director of Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.

Superintendent Mark Laurrie explained the thought behind his district’s approach to the state’s mental health education requirement—which he called “just a very low minimum bar that’s been set.”

“It’s our belief in Niagara Falls that opportunities like more drama, more theater, more dance, more athletics, more outside participation—from chess to karate to musicality—those are also mental health programs,” he told WBFO.

On the other hand, peer advocates say that the young people they work with aren’t seeing this level of change. “I would ask some of the youth, ‘What have you noticed in your school?’ and they’d be like, ‘Well, it was one class, in health class, out of the entire year. And that was it,” said Julianna Hill, a youth peer advocate with Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.

Schools Create Their Own Mental Health Curriculums

New York’s mandate—which came about amid rising anxiety, depression and suicide among youth—requires school districts to educate students about mental health as part of their health class. The state did not develop a “uniform curriculum” to implement in schools—which puts some students at a disadvantage, Houseknecht explained.

However, it was a deliberate decision to allow school districts to experiment with their own curriculums.

“Those schools out there who [are] developing their curriculum know their populations,” said Dr. Catherine Collins, New York State Regent for Western New York. “Sometimes, a district may have had many more suicides than others, and so of course their concentration will be on those areas that cause children to be so depressed that they take their life.”

Successful curriculums have the potential to be scaled up to reach more students.

The overall goal of the initiative is to provide a “climate of support” around mental health, starting in school, said NYS Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia. “It is creating a climate in a school of support,” she said. “And that should be supportive of students but also of the faculty that’s working with them, and the families.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 July 2019
State Of Mental Health In America "Still Quite Bleak," Report Says

New data shows “alarming increases in adult suicidal thoughts and major depression in youth.”

Talking about mental health is becoming less taboo, but is this making a real difference?

According to a new report that offers a snapshot of mental health in the United States, overall the picture is “still quite bleak.”

The annual State of Mental Health report, compiled by Mental Health America (MHA), saw encouraging trends since the release of the first report. These include slight decreases in the number of American adults who have mental health concerns (18.19% to 18.07%) or substance use problems (8.76% to 7.93%).

However, according to president and CEO of MHA Paul Gionfriddo, the data shows “alarming increases in adult suicidal thoughts and major depression in youth.”

An estimated 9.8 million adults experience suicidal thoughts—an increase of 200,000 people since 2017. And more than 2 million young people were diagnosed with severe major depression, according to the report.

Overall, more than 24 million Americans living with mental health issues go untreated.

“Despite mental health being something that more and more people are talking about—far too many people are still suffering. People are simply not receiving the treatment they need to live healthy and productive lives—and too many don’t see a way out,” said Gionfriddo in a press release.

The MHA report ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C. based on rates of mental health issues and access to treatment. Minnesota came out on top at #1, with Nevada ranked #51. States ranked higher were deemed to have lower prevalence of mental health issues and better access to treatment, while states ranked lower were deemed to have more mental health issues with less access to care.

The report also studied the long-term impact of childhood trauma, and determined that youth affected by trauma are more likely to have problems at school such as missing school, being removed from classrooms, and struggling with schoolwork.

Thus MHA “strongly supports” integrating mental health services in schools. Early intervention and education can prevent the development of more severe mental health problems and help kids deal with trauma.

This year, New York became the first state to require mental health education across all grades. Virginia enacted a similar rule this year, requiring mental health education to be taught in the 9th and 10th grades.

“When young people learn about mental health and that it is an important aspect of overall health and well-being, the likelihood increases they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others will know where to turn for help—and it will decrease the stigma that attaches to help-seeking,” said NY’s Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.

View the original article at thefix.com

7 November 2018
Mental Health Education Now Required In New York Schools

New York is the first state to require mental health education in all grades.

This fall, New York schools became the first in the U.S. to teach mandatory mental health education to students of all ages.

“All schools” across New York state are now required to teach mental health literacy in health class in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

New York enacted the requirement in July—same as Virginia, which now requires mental health education to be taught in the 9th and 10th grade.

There’s a growing movement to lessen the stigma of mental illness as suicide rates in the U.S. rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national suicide rate increased by 30% since 1999. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, and is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. overall, the agency has reported.

According to the New York law, “90% of youth who die by suicide suffer from depression or other diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death.”

It is “critical” to teach young people about mental health, said New York’s Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “When young people learn about mental health and that it is an important aspect of overall health and well-being, the likelihood increases they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others and will know where to turn for help—and it will decrease the stigma that attaches to help-seeking,” said Elia.

The purpose of teaching kids about mental health in schools is to “advance mental health literacy among young people statewide as schools prepare students with lifelong skills in mental health and wellness and increase their awareness of when and how to address treatment or support for themselves of others,” according to the New York State Center for School Health.

CNN reported in July that the curriculum should cover “the multiple dimensions of health and include the relationship of physical and mental health.”

In August 2017, the NYS Mental Health Education Advisory Council was established to provide guidance to educators. The new curriculum must teach nine key points, according to the Daily Mail. These include identifying the signs of mental health issues, finding resources for help and support, and addressing the negative stigma that surrounds mental illness.

“We need to change attitudes around mental health. Starting to educate children in schools makes sense,” said Meredith Coles, PhD, professor of psychology at Binghamton University.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
2 States Become First To Require Mental Health Education In Schools

Mental health advocates believe early intervention is key to lowering the suicide rate and effectively addressing mental health.

Mental health education is now required in two U.S. states, New York and Virginia, from as young as the elementary school level. The respective laws were enacted on Sunday, July 1.

The goal is to counter the growing suicide rate and give support to young people who may be vulnerable to mental illness early on. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-24, according to the CDC.

Since 1999, the suicide rate has increased by 30% in the United States, the agency reported in June.

Mental health advocates believe that early intervention is key to lowering the suicide rate and effectively addressing mental health. The New York law states that “90% of youth who die by suicide suffer from depression or another diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death.”

Lack of mental health support can result in fatal consequences. Virginia state Senator Creigh Deeds saw this for himself, with the suicide death of his 24-year-old son Austin “Gus” Deeds in 2013.

In the aftermath, Deeds said “the system failed my son” when it could not provide a psychiatric bed less than 24 hours before his son’s death.

Deeds created the Virginia law with the help of Albemarle County high school students who had presented a proposal to address mental health issues in schools to the state senator in 2017.

“I was impressed by their thoughtfulness, because a lot of these young people had seen bullying. They had seen depression,” said Deeds, according to CNN. “They had seen classmates that had died by suicide. It’s part of tearing down the stigma and providing some equality with those that struggle with mental health.”

Virginia’s law adds mental health education to the physical education and health curriculum for 9th and 10th graders.

In New York, mental health is now included in the health curriculum in elementary, middle, and high schools. “[Mental health] is an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of health education in New York schools,” the law states.

Half of lifetime mental health issues develop before age 14, but on average, most will wait 10 years before seeking help, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

View the original article at thefix.com

6 July 2018