Schools are the best places to find students needing mental health assistance and connect them to support systems as soon as possible. Since some students have been experiencing negative mental health symptoms, including loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and hopelessness throughout the pandemic, these programs are especially crucial right now. Engaging youth as active members of their communities and schools, as future leaders who will flourish, and whose abilities should be recognized and cultivated for their upcoming roles as members of society are all components of positive youth development. 

In the United States, there were 41 violent deaths related to schools in 2020–21, comprising 17 suicides and 20 homicides. Eleven killings and six suicides among the 41 violent deaths connected to schools were in school-age children (ages 5–18). Between 2000 and 2022, active shooter incidents at elementary and secondary schools claimed the lives of 328 people (131 killed and 197 wounded), while incidents at postsecondary institutions claimed the lives of 157 people (75 dead and 82 injured). (COE - Violent Deaths at School and Away from School, and Active Shooter Incidents, n.d.)

Other Examples of Evidence:

·      Up to one in five children encounter a mental condition each year. (Improving Children’s Behavioral Health | CDC Archive, n.d.)

·      Among teenagers aged 15 to 19, suicide is the second most common cause of death. (FastStats, n.d.)

·      A mental health professional's necessary treatment or counseling is not received by 49.4% of children with mental health disorders. (Whitney & Peterson, 2019)

·      Twenty percent of children ages 13 to 18 live with a mental health disorder, and fifty percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness start by the age of 14 and seventy-five by the age of 24. (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.)

·      In the previous year, 22% of high school students said they had given suicide serious thought. The most significant percentages are seen in females (30%), American Indians/Alaska Natives (27%), and teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (45%). (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021)

It will take more than just schools to address the issue of American teenagers' decreasing mental health, but experts agree that schools play a significant role in the solution. They are in a vital position to address students' current mental health problems by providing care to young people who might otherwise have trouble receiving it. They can also assist in stopping some of these issues from getting worse untreated, which could lead to diagnoses later, by using a range of tactics like mental health screenings and teaching kids how to identify and control their emotions. 

The implementation of this strategy would eventually eliminate the stigma associated with mental health. The policy includes training communities, professionals, and family members on how to support and intervene on behalf of mentally ill people.

1841 is presently being discussed in the Senate and should come up during the next legislative session. In the hopes that this topic might be given greater attention, I would add a link to the petition I developed. Please take a few minutes to sign the petition.

Learn more about this Bill:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1841/text?r=6&s=1

https://napolitano.house.gov/issues/hr-721-mental-health-services-students-act/facts-mental-health-services-students-act