Like many others, I personally struggled greatly with my own mental health during my schooling years. These difficulties led to an overwhelming experience of suicidal ideation - a situation I believe could have been avoided or at least better managed with basic mental health education in schools. Unfortunately, I am not the only one. Rates of mental health issues among children and teens are alarmingly high. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five U.S. children has been diagnosed with a mental disorder in a given year. However, in most K-12 schools nationwide, mental health education is not mandatory or non-existent. There are a lot of individuals in the United States who have a bachelor's degree in psychology who could find work teaching courses like this in K-12 schools. Failure to provide basic mental health education in schools means we are failing to give our children the tools they need to cope with the real-world challenges they face. Comprehensive mental health education can aid in early detection and intervention, potentially reducing the burden of mental illness among our youth. It is imperative that we act now. Sign this petition to make comprehensive mental health education mandatory in all K-12 schools.

New York has implemented a program to include basic mental health education in their K-12 curriculum  this needs to be nationwide.