REALITY:
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for children ages 10–14.
The past few weeks I have been face to face with a population that knows absolutely nothing about mental health yet says they are afraid and fearful about so many things.
I have had many conversations with those who have said:
“We expect to hear about mass shootings every week.”
“Being scared has become a way of life.”
“The daily news puts me in a bad mood.”
“Why do they say good morning on CNN 10 (the student in-class broadcast) when they never talk about anything good?”
“All news is depressing.”
“Friends have talked about suicide or hurting themselves.”
“I find myself always depressed over something.”
“Even though I really do not know exactly what depression is…I’m sure I get it a lot.”
“I do not share these feelings with my parents because I don’t want them to worry.”
The stigma and the misinformation surrounding mental illness is staggering and life threatening.
We need start now with mental health education in schools.
Mental health education in schools could look like this:
In kindergarten and grades one – two, part of the health curriculum should be a unit about understanding emotions and how to deal with them. This is already being done when teachers tell kids to “use your words” or “use your indoor voice.”
But more could be done in the area of teaching children how they can keep from letting anger, sadness, frustration, and other emotions cause them difficulties. Yes, this may involve techniques that resemble meditation and yes, these may be controversial, but the outcomes will be beneficial.
Young students ought to be taught about autism and fellow students with various disabilities. They will certainly meet these kids in their classes at this age. Helping them understand the conditions at their age level will, one can hope, lead to more inclusion and less bullying of kids who are “different.”
Older children can learn about mental illness in their science or health classes. This should be a unit that covers the basic facts: that mental illness is like physical illness in some ways, that treatment is available, that mental or emotional disorders will affect one in four Americans in their lifetimes, and that mentally ill persons are not generally dangerous.
Middle Schoolers can be taught some more specifics: the names and symptoms of some of the most common disorders, the kinds of treatments available, famous people who have succeeded in spite of mental disorders and ordinary people who live fulfilling lives despite them. Speakers from local mental health centers or the school guidance counselor would be helpful.
The topics of self-harm and suicide should be brought up at the middle school level.
It is sad but true that children in the middle school age range are affected by both — if not directly, by knowing a classmate who is.
Learning the facts may help students who need it find help before it is too late.
In high school, the focus can shift to human psychology; more detail about serious psychological conditions; and the possibility of careers in mental health treatment, nursing, or advocacy.
Topics of self-harm and suicide need to be covered in greater detail, with discussions of how suicide affects the families and loved ones of those who die by suicide, how to recognize possible signs that a person is thinking about suicide or self-harm, and what does and doesn’t work when a person shows those signs.
The details of mental health education in schools still need to be worked out.
Most adults have little to no understanding of the realities of mental illness. It doesn’t have to be the same for the next generation.
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder of The Student Success Project and Think Factory Consulting. He can be reached at 305-788-4105 or via email at ritchie@thinkfactory.com and on Facebook and You Tube as The Student Success Project.
