The Importance of Mental Health Care

Mental health can be something quickly forgotten by children, especially if it is not commonly talked about in schools. Many children seem to worry more about physical health because they can easily describe their pain level or illness, but they may not understand what he or she is going through when it comes to mental health. Mental health care is defined as services that are made to treat health problems related to our emotional, social and psychological well-being. This type of health can influence behavior, how an individual handles stress, relationships and decision making. The importance of mental health care is extremely strong, especially since educators or students may not know the extent of what someone is going through. There is a great deal of help that can be done when a child or family speaks up about an issue, but if nothing is said, poor outcomes could occur. The average age of people who suffer from mental health illnesses is around 14, but sometimes these individuals do not seek help until adulthood. This leaves them suffering all throughout their time in school, which is why this is extremely important in the education field. Students may struggle in their academics, constantly miss class, dropout, suffer from poor relationships with others or face anxiety when coming to school, so we need to be aware of the need for mental health care in schools. 

A girl is dealing with a mental health
illness, but feels alone and by herself

Even though this can be extremely sad to think about, I believe that a large portion of students around me are going through something that I will probably never be made aware of. I have always been told by my school counselors and family members to be nice to everyone, but just saying this may not get the point across. I have experienced mental health issues before, and this was because of the bullying that I faced in high school. Bullying and cyberbullying can have a long lasting effect on someone that many may not understand. When I had a hard time in high school, I did not want to attend school myself. I went to an outside doctor for help because I felt alone in my own school, even with the adults as well. I took health classes in high school, but I felt like the main focus was about diseases or illnesses like cancer, allergies, heart attacks, common cold, HIV, etc. I honestly do not remember much said about mental health. Counselors worked in my school, but the only time I saw the office truly packed was during class scheduling for the next school year. This may be another reason why many children feel nervous to go to the counselor for personal help or do not know the extent of students around them that are struggling mentally. I think that mental health care should be addressed more in schools and the counselors should actively meet with the students to check up on them and build a relationship. This could help create a more positive environment and give a student confidence to address their stress, situation or illness. The statistics of mental health are higher than many would expect, so I think that this needs to be talked about more in schools, so everyone can know the importance of being kind to others is. If mental health services are made readily available and are commonly talked about, then this could help a student with their academics, behavior, relationships and decision making moving forward.