"Mental health...is not a destination, but a process." -Noam Shpancer

Recently, UK schools have started introducing mindfulness classes, to help teenagers’ mental fitness. Although there is little evidence to prove that exercises such as these make any difference, the classes are being treated as an experiment to see if these mindfulness exercises can protect young people from mental illnesses that can severely affect their growth and future adult life.

Now, at a secondary school level, is the time to instruct teens about how to care for their mental health. 

In today's article, we'll consider how teachers, counsellors, and parents can do everything they can to promote good mental health in UK-based schools.

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What Disrupts Good Mental Health in UK Schools?

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One of the worst things for a student's mental health is bullying. (Source: Unsplash)

Before we start discussing why good mental health practices should be introduced in the traditional classroom and how this can be accomplished, it's extremely important to consider the main culprits that cause primary and secondary school students to have mental health issues. When the root of the problem is discovered, it's much easier to work towards finding solutions that will stick.

Without further delay, the list below features the main causes of mental health problems in schools across the United Kingdom and around the world:

  • Stress: for youngsters, school is by far the most stressful thing that they have going on in their lives. Stress from exams, social interactions with other students and teachers, and frustration with a particular school discipline can cause students to develop severe anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
  • Unresolved Issues: if a student starts acting out and causes multiple disruptions in the classroom over a long period, teachers should be quick to read the signs and deal with the issues sooner than later. Unresolved problems grow if they aren't quickly treated and this could result in difficult-to-treat mental anguish for kids and teens.
  • Bullying: one of the most terrible things a child goes through in their life is bullying. In extreme situations, physical, emotional, and mental torment can develop into severe psychological issues and self-harm. Bullying needs to stop NOW!

What are the solutions to the three previously mentioned mental health issues? Parents and educators must work together to create a learning environment that is accepting, encouraging, engaging, and open to discussing students' problems.

What are the Pros and Cons of Teaching Mental Health in Schools?

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The formative years should be filled with joy and happiness and not mental health issues. (Source: Unsplash)

If there were only overwhelming positive benefits to teaching and talking about good mental health at schools, it would have been done long ago. However, as is the case with all things in life, there are benefits and drawbacks to instructing students about the fundamentals of taking care of mindfulness and mental wellness. Let's take a look at both sides of the argument.

The Advantages

Most educators are pro to discussing mental health in the school setting and think that screenings should frequently be accomplished for the following reasons:

  • Fewer Suicides: unfortunately, in today's day and age, there is a staggering amount of teen suicides. According to some stats, for every teen's suicide, there are more than 20 suicide attempts; that's crazy! Therefore, an advantage of discussing mental health and potential issues is fewer suicides and more awareness as to how suicide can affect the people around you.
  • Helping Students Sooner: by completing mental health screenings and openly discussing psychological conditions at a primary and secondary school stage, serious disorders such as depression or anxiety can quickly be identified and later tracked by experts in the domain. This helps students at a young age get the necessary help much sooner than previously expected.

The Disadvantages

Since talking about mental health in schools is a sensitive topic with people on both sides of the issue, there are cons, such as the following, that are worth discussing:

  • Over-Diagnosis: it's worth stating that certain school administrators and parents are afraid that there will be an over-diagnosis of students and that if they are diagnosed from a young age, they will be given a life-long label that they will have to bear with for years.
  • Overall Cost: also, since public schools are run with taxpayers' money, a major concern for education officials is that if certain mental health issues are discovered among various students, they might not have the financial resources to treat the ailment which makes thong worse.

After analysing both the pros and the cons, schools need to decide if they are willing to allocate the funds and the potential downsides of openly discussing mental health issues.

What Can Be Done to Promote Good Mental Health in UK Schools?

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Talking openly about mental health issues is of prime importance in high schools in the UK. (Source: Unsplash)

While academic teachers in the United Kingdom do their absolute best to help protect their students from the pains of this world, there's always room for improvement. Therefore, without any further delay, let's consider a few suggestions on how positive mental wellness can be improved.

Training Staff Members

Before anything else, all staff members, teachers and counsellors included, should know how to not only spot the early signs of mental health conditions and how to take action but also be prepared to deal with any awkward questions that may arise surrounding mental health. It would be damaging for teachers to openly talk about mental health without having previously had any training on the subject. Awkward situations could arise and this would most likely cause more harm than good.

Although many schools do offer training, particularly for support staff, in a survey recorded by the BBC, 59% of teachers said that their schools did not devote enough time and resources to mental health, 45% said mental health training had been inadequate and 32% said they had not received any training at all. These statistics need to drastically change!

We're not saying that everyone from primary maths educators to gym teachers need to become trained psychologists. Rather, a little bit of training and tips for teachers on how to handle mental health issues would be useful.

Openly Talking About Mental Health

Growing up is hard enough as it is, which is partly due to a lack of understanding about life, society and, most troubling, one’s thoughts. According to a government report on mental health, one in ten children and young people aged 5 to 16 have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder. Young people deserve to understand their minds and bodies, as well as each other. Unfortunately, many young people struggling with their mental health suffer in silence and do not have a support system because they are ashamed or fear being judged. Most students would want to help their classmates but they just don't know how.

Even if a course is never added to curriculum that tackles mental health issues and stigmas, teachers should introduce it during class time. 

Therefore, instead of brushing subjects of mental health off and sweeping them under the rug, teachers and counsellors should address them openly and without any embarrassment. Teachers are role models and by doing this, all will quickly work towards getting rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness. For example, most secondary school education informs young people about drugs, sex and various physical diseases, so why is mental health so often brushed aside? I did not receive any education concerning mental health, and society is rife with misconceptions about mental illness.

A Change in the Curriculum

A recent study has also found that the ‘over-focus’ on exams in secondary schools is causing an increase in mental health problems and self-harm among students. This suggests that the actual structure of the education system is not currently set up to care for students’ mental well-being. There are plenty of examples in schools everywhere of students, from kids to teenagers, that have been triggered by exams and dealt with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression as a result of extreme pressure.

Education officials need to allot time for more classes that promote mental wellness. If the exam boards can't establish new classes or courses, there should be workshops with projects and guest speakers to raise awareness for mental health.

So, in conclusion, how do schools tackle the problem of poor mental health in young people? In my opinion, the best way to handle this problem is from multiple angles such as the ones we've seen in today's article. Nonetheless, commendation is due since certain exam boards have introduced mindfulness classes and other strategies to improve mental health in schools. A little progress is better than none at all!

 

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Brentyn

Avid movie-goer, reader, skier and language learner. Passionate about life, food and travelling.