Mental Health Education Should Be Taught in Schools (Persuasive Speech) – COM 103 By: Dunmomi Osunkunle Hello everyone, my name is Dunmomi Osunkunle. I am a direct entry Mass Communication student and today I will be talking to you about the reason why mental health should be taught at schools. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is now the leading cause of disabilities around the world and over 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. A lot of research has shown that students (mainly teenagers) are more likely to be depressed than any group of people. This is due to work, exams, pressure to do well and so on, which really take a huge toll on them. Therefore, if youth are not mentally or physically well, then we would have nobody to positively impact our society and we all know the future of the world lies in our hands. So. The question is… how can we help prevent the virus of mental health? Part of the answer is at school. It shocks me that children are not being equipped with the tools for understanding mental health. Approximately 20% of teens suffer from depression before they reach adulthood. Also, 41% of students in general are depressed. As children start to grow up, they experience a lot of problems like being excluded from activities, bullying, conflict and low self-esteem. Therefore, it is key that children need to be well prepared to face these challenges. So, teachers should join forces with mental health professionals and parents to help the youth break the stigma and misconceptions of mental illness. An article by Nancy Barile, M.A.Ed. Which was on the importance of mental health awareness in schools. She goes on about how she started to realize major changes in one her students over a period of time. The student did not do homework, wore the same clothes she wore the day before and is withdrawn when Barile tries to talk to her student. Due to Barile’s mental health training, she was able to notice that her student was not in a good place, and she got the staff in school to talk to her and it turned out the student had depression and was suicidal. She then got immediate help from a psychiatrist as well as a therapist. After all this she graduated from her class with all her friends. This is what mental health education and training can do for someone, you are able to notices certain changes in behavior and then you can act fast. Who knows what would have happened if the student did not receive any attention, due to lack of mental health awareness. The teacher has now saved a life because of her quick reactions and awareness of behavior. Also, the student does not feel alone and knows that people would be there for her. The student’s life is also not halted by depression as she graduated with the class. We must create an environment for students to feel like they are in a safe space and are able to recognize that they are having issue with mental health, and they would be able to ask for help, instead of hiding away and distancing themselves from the people around them. This would build the students’ self-esteem and create a drop in the bullying rates in schools, as they would be able to stand up for themselves. Nowadays, schools are starting to notice how important mental health education is and are now trying to create an environment were there is support for people with mental health. In July 2018, a school in New York became the first school in the U.S where mental health education is a mandatory. This program also makes sure the well-being of staff and families are met. In a US News and World Report, some studies have shown “that teaching high school students about mental health bettered their attitudes towards treatment, an increase in the willingness to receive help from counselors and enhanced the students’ overall mental health literacy.” The change in attitudes against mental health must change and it begins with the younger generation and the only way the stigmatization of mental illness can be eradicated is by giving them the necessary education. One the school has been motivated by their knowledge on mental health, then students would be able to open up about their problems on mental health. References https://discoverymood.com/blog/todays-teens-depressed-ever/ https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physical-health/stressanxiety-depression/stress-in-teens https://www.statista.com/statistics/1126279/percentage-of-college-studentswith-depression-us/ https://stigmafreesociety.com/blog/the-importance-of-mental-health-educationin-schools/ https://thedoctorweighsin.com/mental-health-education-schools/ https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-08-24/howdoes-teaching-mental-health-in-schools-benefit-students https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/importance-mental-health-awarenessschools1810.html
