Is Mental Health a Priority in our Schools?

I don't think that I really considered the importance of mental health as much now as I have in recent years.  With all of the school and community tragedies that are taking the lives of our young children, I have been overwhelmed with reflecting as an educator about what steps are we taking to understand the mental health of the children that walk in our classrooms every day.  According to recent research, one out of every 5 children around the world have a mental health issue.  From that number, one a third of the children that have a mental health issue are receiving the support or treatment needed.

A positive self-image and a healthy well being are proven to aid children in academic success and overall positive social development.  After conducting pieces of my literature review on mental health support for young children, I found that many schools have no support for children that have been identified as having mental health issues. In many schools, adequate training or certified personnel is not a priority to support children with mental health issues or identify the signs of children that may have mental health issues.  These issues can be prevalent in children as young as 3 years old.  The School Health Mental Services, A Legislator Brief notes that sound mental health leads to academic success in school and is essential to overall health, yet Minorities have less access to mental health services and are less likely to receive needed care. Hispanic children are least likely to receive specialty care from trained professionals, even though evidence indicates that they and African-American children have the greatest need for care ( RAND, 2007).

How can we address this issue in our schools of the lack of services for our children that are struggling with mental health issues?

How can we make sure that every state has embedded policies to ensure all children receive equal services so that their mental health issues do not impede their social, emotional, physical, and academic development?



RAND Health. “Research Highlights: Mental Health Care for Youth.” 2001. Accessed from http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB4541 May, 29 2007.