Mental health in education
[2] Education systems around the world treat this topic differently, both directly through official policies and indirectly through cultural views on mental health and well-being.
[8] According to Mental Health America, more than 10% of young people exhibit symptoms of depression strong enough to severely undermine their ability to function at school, at home, or whilst managing relationships.
[13] According to APA, the percentage of students going for college mental health counselling has been rising in recent years, which by report for anxiety as the most common factor, depression as the second, stress as the third, family issues as the fourth, and academic performance and relationship problems as the fifth and sixth most.
[18] Anxiety may manifest as recurring fears and worries about routine parts of everyday life, avoiding activities, school or social interactions and it can interfere with the ability to focus and learn.
Some examples of symptoms include: feeling nervous, restless or tense, having a sense of impeding danger, panic, or doom, having an increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, sweating, trembling, feeling weak or tired, trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry, having trouble sleeping, experiencing gastrointestinal problems, having difficulty controlling worry, or having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety.
[4] Students with ADHD tend to have trouble mastering behaviors and practices demanded of them by the public education system in the United States, such as the ability to quietly sit still or to apply themselves to one focused task for extended durations.
Data suggests a concerning trend of rising rates of suicidal ideation and self-harm behaviors among college students, pointing to the urgent need for effective prevention and intervention strategies.
Some ways that we are able to bring mental health solutions to the children include an on-duty counselor or a psychiatrist, both of which would be able to evaluate students and help them with receiving the proper medications.
[51] There were cases of increased isolation and depression rates of the elderly, xenophobia against people of Asian descent, and resulting mental health effects of large-scale quarantine and business closures.
[55] The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 56% of Americans have endured at least one negative mental health effect due to stress related to the outbreak.
[51] "The COVID-19 pandemic led to a worldwide lockdown and school closures, which have placed a substantial mental health burden on children and college students.
As a result of COVID-19, children, adolescent, and college students are experiencing long duration of quarantine, physical isolation from their friends, teachers, and extended family members, and are forced to adapt to a virtual way of learning.
[59] Due to this unexpected and forced transition, children and college students may not have adequate academic resources, social contact and support, or a learning-home environment, which may lead to a heightened sense of loneliness, distress, anger, and boredom—causing an increase in negative psychological outcomes.
[62] After experiencing traumatizing suicidal behavior with his own son, Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds thought it necessary to teach warning signs to 9th and 10th graders so they can look out for the safety of their peers and themselves.
[72] This governmental assistance is important to note in the country's Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is at the forefront of developmental policies and is the responsibility of the government.
"[73] GNH in Bhutan is based on four principles: sustainable and equitable economic development, conservation of the environment, preservation and promotion of culture, and good governance.
In 2010, the Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs), in collaboration with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), have also been invited to join this network to provide community and clinical support to at-risk children.
This should be achieved through graded and complementary interventions, according to the level of care, and with the coordinated participation of the public, social, and private sectors in municipal, state, and national settings.
The strategic lines consider training and qualification of human resources, growth, rehabilitation, and regionalization of mental health service networks, formulation of guidelines and evaluation.
[citation needed] In Japan and China, the approach to mental health is focused on the collective of students, much like the national aims of these Asian countries.
[78] Additionally, the dynamic of collective thinking—the centripetal force of Japan's society, wherein individual identity is sacrificed for the functioning benefit of a greater collective—results in the stigmatization of uniqueness.
[80] Efforts have been made to address academic stress, with recent initiatives aiming to reduce the burden on students and promote a healthier educational environment.
[88] In July 2021, the "Double Reduction Policy" was introduced, mandating schools to decrease excessive homework and off-campus training, potentially alleviating academic pressure and enhancing students' psychological well-being.
[89][90] With China's nine-year compulsory education program, primary schools play a key role in promoting and improving child mental health, serving as ideal venues for delivering related services.
[91] As per the revised 'Mental Health Law of the People’s Republic of China' that was enacted in May 2013, numerous provisions have been introduced concerning the mental well-being of children and adolescents.
In cases of traumatic events or other stressors, schools are obligated to gather specialists and provide psychological counseling and mental health support to children in need.
The nation's general view of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression or thoughts of suicide, is that they are believed to be a sign of personal weakness that could bring shame upon a family if a member would be discovered to have such an illness.
A study found when surveying over 600 Korean citizens from the age of 20-60+ years in 2008, most of the older people, many of whom are parents, shared similar and negative views on mental health issues such as depression.
[95] The older adults generally were also found to have a negative view of mental health services, including those offered through the educational system, as they are deeply influenced by the cultural stigma around the topic.
[citation needed] The pressures of school, extracurricular activities, work and relationships with friends and family can be a lot for an individual to manage and at times can be overwhelming.
