Addressing The Necessity For Mental Health Awareness Within Schools Especially Post Pandemic By Zara Smith
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZfrFTUVpLUtdcu8MdtH1euXYOJgBtmY0sFNe4VuC4_Q/edit
Addressing The Necessity For Mental Health Awareness Within Schools Especially Post Pandemic
Many effects stemming from the pandemic have emerged as researchers continue to observe and discover the outcomes of this worldwide killer. One of the largest and most present though sometimes invisible is the decline in mental health leading to an increase in the suicide rate for teens and adolescents across the country.
According to Nirmita Panchal from KFF, “shortly after the pandemic began, 29% of parents surveyed said their child’s mental or emotional health was already harmed; more recent research from October 2020 showed that 31% of parents said their child’s mental or emotional health was worse than before the pandemic.” This heartbreaking statistic isn’t shocking as the pandemic has left so many people, including me, feeling alone and helpless.
There are many causes of the uprise in poor mental health within the teen and adolescent community but one of the largest in the negative environment kids have been exposed to because of the increased stress in authority figures in their lives.
Parents of teens are struggling not only with their own changes due to the pandemic but also the changes in their children making it hard to rely on parents to give their children the support they need.
In the same article, KFF argues that the stressors include “school closures, social isolation, financial hardships, and gaps in health care access.” The increased tension within households has proven to cause separation anxiety and stunt emotional growth across all ages in children. The same KFF article presents the statistic that, “49% of households with children reported a loss of employment income and 61% reported difficulty paying for usual household expenses in late March 2021.” The economic struggle for families within our country at this time can be directly correlated to the increase in mental health struggles among teens, again proving the idea that due to the many other stressors for parents and guardians as a result of the pandemic, solely relying on them to provide the emotional support all teens need right now is unfair and unfeasible. With kids, especially teenagers, spending a majority of their time at school and working on schoolwork, a shift in how we approach mental health within the curriculum and emotional support within schools is imminently necessary.
As a result of the involuntary support deficit that teens are facing, the demand for pediatric therapists has grown exponentially yet the supply is on the decline due to the ever changing pandemic restrictions. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing declares that, “Demand for behavioral health services is increasing, with 52% of behavioral health organizations seeing an increase in the demand for services … Capacity is diminishing as a result of the pandemic, and 54% of organizations have had to close programs while 65% have had to cancel, reschedule or turn away patients.” As a result of this statistic, children are being left to manage their mental health on their own.
Even if parents are able to find appointments for their children with an adolescent or pediatric therapist, many families aren’t financially able to do so. Because of the demand for therapists across the country, therapists rates have skyrocketed leaving families already struggling economically from the pandemic, unable to afford the support they and their children desperately need.
However if socio-emotional learning and more emotional support become implemented into the school systems across our country, we can predict that the rate of children experiencing these new symptoms of poor mental health would decline.
Throughout the pandemic, I was lucky enough to have weekly appointments with a therapist but only because I had been seeing her for a year prior to the start of lockdown. For kids not as fortunate as me, finding that additional support was nearly impossible and still continues to be as we see the long-term emotional effects of covid emerging. However, schools can help bridge this gap with additional social-emotional support.
If schools were to implement and value the mental and emotional well-being of their students over their ability to recite the Pythagorean theorem or name the most common STD’s I feel like our country would be at a much better place and be better set up for a productive future, though some believe that focusing on the mental wellbeing of students in schools isn’t permitted or just isn't necessary at all.
As someone who struggles with severe anxiety and depression, the reactions and comments to Idaho's socio-emotional learning proposal were shocking. Even pre-pandemic, Idaho had one of the nation's highest suicide rates with roughly 22% of the state's highschools students reporting suicidal thoughts in a 2019 study reports Evie Blad from EducationWeek.
With the pandemic worsening these statistics, the school board felt it was time to take action. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra, the leader of this initiative, received a great deal of pushback from Republicans such as Representative Barbara Ehardt who expressed in her statement regarding the proposal that “Its parent's jobs, not schools jobs to help children develop self-control and relationship skills…When we’re talking social-emotional, we’re talking about more time spent in an area ... that really is a role that should be dealt with in the home.” Contrary to her intent, this quote taken from the same article written by Evie Blad deepens the idea that kids are in desperate need of extra support and that we cannot solely rely on parents to give their children the support they need even though there is a parent and administrative pushback.
The proposal of including social-emotional learning in the school curriculum doesn’t negatively impact any student, it only develops further emotional learning and provides the necessary support for students struggling mentally. Another argument against this educational program is that it would encourage and enhance declining mental health in our teens. NBC News voices the opinion of Southlake, Texas parent Tara Eddins as the article quotes her saying, “At Carroll ISD, you are actually advertising suicide.” This quote illustrates the feelings of many parents and school board officials however the obvious beneficial effects of speaking openly about mental health and suicide is in fact doing the opposite of “advertising” or promoting the negative ideas of mental health.
By providing necessary information and support in a safe and mandatory environment, kids who are most in need of help won’t need to take the extra step of asking for help or assistance, instead, they will be provided with it. Implementing mental wellbeing into our nation's school system also helps end the stigma surrounding mental health. With all students learning about mental health, kids will have a better understanding and tolerance for those struggling with mental health and be able to recognize a change in themselves before it's too late.
Negative connotations regarding mental health and the mentally ill impact adolescents' ability to reach out for help. The effects of enacting social-emotional learning within our school systems are completely necessary in order to start turning the corner for children and teens experiencing poor mental health due to the pandemic.
Kevin James Kuczo, a fellow Fairfield high school student, died by suicide on the 4th of February 2021. Kevin's death hit Fairfield hard and sparked a much-needed assembly led by Kevin's father regarding suicide within teens. The assembly was only the beginning of what I hope to be a change in the way our school system views and acts on mental health. From an outside perspective, the city of Fairfield is doing a great job of providing kids with the support they need. We have counselors and deans, assemblies, and clubs however this isn’t enough. The way that we use these resources and go about them is where the change needs to take place. We have the systems in place but action needs to be taken in order to use them to the fullest.
Kevin's memory will forever live on and be remembered in all of Fairfield's hearts. A change is needed to be made in order to stop the suffering of families like the Kuczos. Our school system has the chance to set the precedent for other school systems. Therefore not only aiding our students but those across the country. With these changes, students will learn the real skills they need in order to take on this mentally taxing world.
To send flowers to the Kuczo family or plant a tree in the loving memory of Kevin, visit
Works Cited
Demand for Mental Health and Addiction Services Increasing as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues to Threaten Availability of Treatment Options. National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 9 Sept. 2020, www.thenationalcouncil.org/press-releases/demand-for-mental-health-and-addiction-services-increasing-as-covid-19-pandemic-continues-to-threaten-availability-of-treatment-options/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
Mental Health and Substance Use Considerations Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic. KFF, 26 May 2021, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/mental-health-and-substance-use-considerations-among-children-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
Parents protesting 'critical race theory' identify another target: Mental health programs. NBC, 15 Nov. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parents-protesting-critical-race-theory-identify-new-target-mental-hea-rcna4991. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
There's Pushback to Social-Emotional Learning. Here's What Happened in One State. EducationWeek, 3 Feb. 2020, www.edweek.org/education/theres-pushback-to-social-emotional-learning-heres-what-happened-in-one-state/2020/02. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
The Invisibly Visible Crisis
By Zara Smith
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Aq8jmjov0uEIwNLi63k77awDmLrEcmF-rggRQFsjBPY/edit
The tragic story of Rigoberto Lopez is the perfect example of the combining crisies that are taking over our world today. Rigoberto Lopez, a 21-year-old mentally ill homeless man knifed 4 victims on the New York City Subway and was charged with the murder of two. According to his brother, he was unraveling. (Southhall, Sandoval, Goldbaum) Lopez knows exactly what it is like to live a life of inequality and darkness as he was denied basic human rights due to his mental illness. The mental health epidemic in America needs to be secured to ensure the American values of equality and the pursuit of happiness.
One of the most controversial issues in America today is healthcare, however the more pressing issue within that is access to healthcare for all, no matter the circumstances. Currently, the healthcare policy in America favors the more affluent population who are able to pay the necessary fees and expenditures for health care and preventative healthcare measures. Those who are a part of a lower socioeconomic group are denied healthcare every day. Yet America is built on the fundamental value of equality, creating a large contradiction that needs to be addressed. This population is more at risk than any other group of people due to the extremely dangerous conditions in which they live. It would be logical to say that they are the most in need of medical insurance, however, “nationally the average cost of health insurance for one person in 2022 per month is $541 and a yearly cost of $6,487” (Townsend). For many, this cost is something that is nearly impossible to obtain, hindering the pursuit of the American Dream on which our country was built. The American Dream has been a patriotic ideal since it was created, yet through the homeless epidemic, it is clear that the American Dream isn’t attainable for everyone, limiting one of America's key values, equality. The American Dream can be defined as, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone” (Leonhardt). Through the denial of healthcare for poorer people, the ability for a richer, and fuller life is not attainable. With the extremely unsanitary conditions that many impoverished people live under, healthcare is even more important than it is for those already living a “richer and fuller” life. Therefore, a change in health care policy is needed in order to ensure equality for all. With health care costs impossible to cover, and the American Dream being unattainable, the homeless population is being denied one of America's most important ideals, equality.
Due to limited access to necessities such as healthcare, many people with mental illness end up homeless, hindering their ability to attain another important American ideal: the pursuit of happiness. Not only does the homeless population need access to regular healthcare, but more importantly, they need access to mental health care. Approximately ⅔ of all mentally ill persons are homeless (Balasuriya). Because a large portion of the homeless population is mentally ill, their ability to find jobs, create stable living situations, and develop meaningful connections with others is almost impossible. Each of these challenges that the homeless population faces is another example of inequality that they encounter. It all starts with their inability to access adequate mental healthcare. It is important to note that the state of New York is making efforts in order to create a more equal opportunity for the mentally ill homeless however the actions aren’t enough. In an attempt to help the mentally ill homeless, after the incident with Rigoberto Lopez, former Governor Cuomo hired “licensed clinicians and psychiatrists, but they can intervene only if homeless people agree or are in a life-threatening situation” (Southall, Sandoval, Goldbaum). Many homeless, mentally ill people, need psychiatric attention before a life-threatening situation happens. In order to avoid these situations, mentally ill persons need the medical attention others receive including therapy and access to medication. However, due to the lack of effort by the government to prevent, instead of stop, these life-threatening situations, they will continue to happen. Because of this poor problem solving, the idea of inequality for the homeless mentally ill is extremely clear. In order to ensure equality for all, prevention of not only homelessness but untreated mental illness in the population of homeless people needs attention.
There are many effects of homelessness that need to be addressed however the larger issue is the fact that through these effects, the pursuit of happiness, an American ideal, is not guaranteed. The stigma surrounding the homeless population combined with mental health stigma creates stereotypes and assumptions that plague and distort the way homeless people are seen. Some people might view their lives or the way they live as “eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under the sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald). This quote explains how many view the homeless population which fogs their ability to see them as real people. They face hardship just as others do, just in different and more public ways. With this constant view of the mentally ill homeless, it makes it extremely hard for those struggling with homelessness and mental illness to take their first steps in creating a life outside of homelessness. However, if Americans can’t move on from the way that they continue to view homeless people, they are denying the homeless population a chance at happiness. They are hindering the homeless’ pursuit of happiness. Not only does the way society views homelessness hinder the pursuit of happiness but so does the increasing medical needs of the homeless due to COVID-19. The pandemic has had a huge impact on not only America but the world as a whole. Unfortunately, the homeless population was hit harder due to their inability to access vaccinations sites and social distance from others. The “testing of an adult homeless shelter population in Boston shortly after the identification of a COVID-19 case cluster yielded a 36% positivity rate” (Baggett). Through the pandemic that has taken over America, new requirements for vaccinations are appearing. Many homeless people don’t have access to vaccine sites. The options for jobs for the homeless population are already slim and now through vaccine requirements, the prospect of getting a job is very low. Some people however are able to get vaccinated but struggle with the aftermath of the vaccine because of how hard homelessness is on their immune systems and bodies. In order to attain happiness, health and security are needed, and through denying the homeless population those ideas by the way they are seen in society and their inability to fight COVID-19, America is denying them the right to happiness.
Through the homeless epidemic relating to mental illness, the values of equality and the pursuit of happiness for all are not guaranteed. More needs to be done in order to stop both of these epidemics in order to ensure that America is living up to its values. Overall, each person needs to do their part to end the stigma of homelessness and especially mental health in homelessness in order to propel America into ensuring each person is able to experience the countries ideals of equality and the pursuit of happiness.
Works Cited
Baggett TP, Keyes H, Sporn N, Gaeta JM. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Residents of a Large Homeless Shelter in Boston. JAMA. 2020;323(21):2191–2192. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.6887
Balasuriya, Lilanthi, et al. "The Never-Ending Loop: Homelessness, Psychiatric Disorder, and Mortality" ["The Never-Ending Loop: Homelessness, Psychiatric Disorder, and Mortality"]. Psychiatric Times,, edited by John J. Miller, MJH Associates, 29 May 2020, www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/never-ending-loop-homelessness-psychiatric-disorder-and-mortality. Accessed 15 Jan. 2022.
---. "The Never-Ending Loop: Homelessness, Psychiatric Disorder, and Mortality" ["The Never-Ending Loop: Homelessness, Psychiatric Disorder, and Mortality"]. Psychiatric Times, 29 May 2020, www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/never-ending-loop-homelessness-psychiatric-disorder-and-mortality. Accessed 8 Jan. 2022.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon & Schuster.
Leonhardt, David. "The American Dream, Quantified at Last: Commentary." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed., 2016. Research Library Prep; U.S. Major Dailies, www.proquest.com/newspapers/american-dream-quantified-at-last/docview/1847613094/se-2?accountid=3825.
Southall, Ashley, et al. "Mental Health and Homeless Crises Collided in Subway Attacks." The New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021, p. A1(L). Gale in Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A652941998/UHIC?u=s0518&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=9d2d4603. Accessed 8 Jan. 2022.
Townsend, Robin. "Average Cost of Health Insurance (2022)" ["Average Cost of Health Insurance (2022)"]. Value Penguin, edited by Brandy Law, Lendingtree, 12 Jan. 2022, www.valuepenguin.com/average-cost-of-health-insurance. Accessed 15 Jan. 2022.