Issue Brief 001 Breaking the Stigma: Bringing Mental Health

Education to Our School Systems

"It's so common, it could be anyone. The trouble is, nobody wants to talk about it. And that makes
everything worse." - Ruby Wax

Mental Health has been a topic of interest dating back to the times of Hippocrates and
has remained that in current times. Since 400BC there have been many advancements in
the way we understand mental illnesses and even how we treat some of them. It is no
question that there is still a long way to go in further research, but all we can do now is
educate individuals on the information that is currently available for their own well-being.

When we speak in regards to mental health, we must discuss the issue of the surrounding
stigma and how it plays a role in how one might go about in their treatment for and
dealing with their mental illness. The Webster dictionary defines stigma as a mark of
shame or discredit. This feeling is known all too well by people dealing with all varieties
of psychopathologies.i Some blame the lack of community education or worldwide
education in general. It is a common assumption that when individuals cannot
understand something, they judge the situation negatively, edging people to internalize
their differences.

The education system has begun to lose its power to provide an adequate learning
experience for all students. There are currently 1 in 5 students that suffer with a mental
illness with over 37% of those struggling without the help of their school.1 For years,
there has been a divide between teachers on one side claiming that it is not their duty or
that they are not paid enough to worry about the mental health of their students, while
the other side recognizes their daily impact on the students in their classrooms and urge
schools to revamp their current resources. Many argue that it is simply in the hands of

i. Psychopathology - the psychological, scientific term for a mental illness.

Breaking the Stigma | 1
the parents with what happens to their child. Who, if anyone at all, is to blame for the 8-
10 year gap of intervention between the onsets of symptoms for a mental illness in young
adults? Unfortunately, no one can seem to answer this question as to who indeed is
responsible for the livelihoods of the students that roam their schools halls in confusion
and even pain every single day. There is only so much we can do to aid children in their
journey to successfully becoming adults, especially after they leave the boundaries of
their school and enter the real world. We have to find a way to be there for our students
in the most productive way for sake of their well-being.

Who is Suffering? And 80 % of

students won't
Why? get the help they
need to deal
The students. With about 20% of with their illness

children getting diagnosed with a 20% of children

get diagnosed a
mental illness a year, there may not year
be enough resources to go around
to support them.2 Obviously, it
may be impossible to stop the 1 in 5 students
struggle with
amount of children being their mental
illness
diagnosed. We can only work with
the resources we have by enhancing
them or adding more. In this case,
Figure 1 Students are struggling way more than they should.
it is safe to say that we need more
mental health education in schools to accommodate for what can not be done in the
community and at home.

An NPR series calls this lack of school resource and knowledge a silent epidemic. In a
classroom of 25 kids, we can expect at least 5 of them to have a diagnosable mental
illness. Unfortunately, about 80% of those that need mental health services, will not get

Breaking the Stigma| 2

them.3 And in order to fix this statistic, we need to know why this is. Well, one reason
could be the lack of availability of school psychologists. There is a recommended ratio
of one psychologist to ever 500 to 700 students, however, the current ratio is actually
closer to one psychologist for every 2,000 or more students.4 This number is extremely
high and does not make it possible for every student to get the help that they might so
desperately need.

The main issue in the implementation of mental health education in schools is the
deciding of who is responsible for students mental health. At home, one would argue
that its the parents or caregivers. At school, some argue the teachers without knowledge
that they may not be trained to help their students. School psychologists are obviously
the ones that would be better equipped to handle the job of therapist, but with the
growing number of students with mental illness and the lack of school psychologists, the
second best thing is the teacher. They know their students because they are usually with
them every day and can, ideally, pick up their natural habits and can notice when
something is wrong. However, without proper training, teachers could miss common
warning signs or even mistake symptoms for something more severe than they actually
are. In addition to that, who is to say that teachers would even be willing to go through
the extra training to be a reliable resource for their students? Many teachers believe that
there are not enough resources to compensate them for their extra time, however, as will
be pointed out later in this issue brief, this is not the case because even Congress5 has
recognized the dire need for mental health education and has passed a bill to compensate
schools for said extra education.

On the other hand, many teachers recognize the power they have in the classroom and
realize that students are more likely to turn to them when they feel they need help or do
not understand what is going on with their bodies. With 90% of suicides having been
related to an underlying mental illness and it being the 3rd leading cause of death in youth
ages 10 to 24,6 it is extremely vital to let students know that there is always someone

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there to support them in and outside of school. With that being said, the educators role
in the students mental health and well-being can be more vital than one might think. In
addition to the positive effects of having proper education in schools, if the teacher is
aware of the signs, then they might be able to also educate their students to avoid the
issue of stigma that commonly arises in people dealing with a mental illness.

Mental Health Education Put to the Test

We know now that it is not impossible, because we have already seen it done. There
have already been programs implemented throughout the country that aid in mental
health education in schools willing to work with them. Knowing that the extra education
is not impossible to attain should be more than enough of an influence for schools that
have not already engaged in the programs to reach out and consider the effects that the
extra help may have on their children.

The New York State government passed a law enforcing education in schools.

Back in September of 2016, New York State governor Andrew Cuomo signed over a law
declaring mental health as a requirement for all elementary, junior high and high schools.
This law will take effect in July 2018, when mental health will have to be included in the
state-mandated general health classes. Sponsors of this bill argue that the updated
curriculum will increase the likelihood that students recognize the signs of mental illness
in themselves and others and seek help when it is needed. In addition to students being
able to recognize symptoms, the same sponsors hope that increased education will
reduce the stigma that leads to isolation, ostracism and bullying. 7

Due to the fact that this law will not go into effect for another year, we are not sure of
the success rates the state of New York will have. However, we must acknowledge that
this is step forward in the right direction for educators to better understand their

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students and for students to better understand themselves. In the meantime, we can only
hope that the state of New York will become the model state for advancement in mental
health education.

Congress passed the Mental Health in Schools Act.

About two years ago, a bill was introduced into congress addressing regulations to the,
then current, Public Health Services Act. The act that would replace it, the Mental
Health in Schools Act, revised the public health approach to mental health services in
communities and schools. The two revisions made were (1) revising eligibility
requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for
comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically
appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. 8 With this, schools would be
provided by the government, the money to introduce in school programs throughout the
year regarding mental health education. This act makes it easier for schools in working
class communities where it would otherwise be much harder to afford proper programs.

Not only does this act provide funding for programs, but it also provides the funding to
train school staff on mental health related issues. For teachers that are concerned with
proper compensation for their extra time spent, knowing this would be ideal in order to
provide more resources for students in school. However, what is not known about what
this Act provides is the amount of money given to each school and/or school district.
Depending on the amount, not knowing this could be problematic for many schools.

Creating Opportunities for Personal Growth - The COPE Program

There are currently three COPE programs available that offer in school and out of
school education. The first, and most ideal for mental health specific education, is the

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COPE program for depressed and anxious teens. It is a 7-session intervention program
for 12 to 18 year olds and can be delivered in primary care, school based clinics, mental
health settings and regular classroom settings. This program is based on evidence-based
cognitive behavioral therapy and formatted
in a manner that can be delivered by a variety
Changes in
School
Performance of health providers and teachers after a four
hour training workshop. According to four
studies on the accuracy of the program, they
Common
Excessive
worry or
Symptoms
for
Hyperactive
Behavior
have found that they attained positive effects
anxiety
Children
that led to a decrease in depressive and anxious
symptom and improved students overall self-
Frequent concept.10
Disobedience
or Aggression

Mental Illness Education for free.

Figure 2 This chart outlines four of the most common
symptoms adolescents may have if dealing with a
mental illness9
The Mental Illness Education Act is an
organization in Australia that was founded over 25 years ago made to educate young kids
on their well-being. They offer 1 hour, school based programs that are free for ACT
schools and colleges that are public or private. This program deals with topics of stigma,
statistics, letting students know they are not alone, mental health versus physical health,
and they offer students a magazine filled with resources for them when they have
questions or if they feel something is not right with their health.11

Although this program is run in a different country, it is important to note that this is a
program that has been up and running for over 25 years. This could be used as a guide
for programs here in the United States as something that has proven to be successful and
effective. With the federal funding from the Mental Health in Schools Act, there should
be no problem making free programs like this one available to all schools in all districts.

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Where Do We Go From Here?
The number one priority in education should be the well-being of the students they are
teaching. It is almost impossible to teach, with regular standards, a child that is mentally
ill and might not even know about it. Their minds could be running all over just
wondering why they feel different and what they can do to stop it, if there is anything at
all. With school being the only place that kids spend more time at outside of their own
homes, it is important that the educators that are responsible for them about 8 to 9 hours
out of the day are aware of their students well-being and care for their mental health. Of
course, we are not asking teachers to treat their students or babysit them throughout the
day, we are asking as more of a common courtesy for teachers to understand their
students and be available to help them in their fight.

This is what we need to do:

First, educate the teachers on mental health relevant topics (i.e. warning signs, resources,
etc.). Second, put the government Mental Health Act to good use. And third, educate
the students.

We have all the resources available to let students know that they are not alone and that
they do have people around them that will be there and not ostracize them for their
differences. If we gather groups of teachers in each school that are willing to stay the
extra hours for training, then we can utilize them and place them throughout the school
as available resources. Also, being that basic health classes are requirements for most
schools in order for their students to graduate, it would make sense to implement mental
health awareness into the curriculum for at least one month out of the year to make sure
students are completely aware of the issues and to avoid the stigma that naturally
surrounds topics that people are not aware about. If there are not enough teachers and
resources in the school to implement this added subject to the curriculum, then schools

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should make themselves aware of programs, such as the COPE program,12 and put to
good use the Mental Health Act signed off by Congress. It is there for us to utilize and
not just leave there and pretend its useful.

Lets put an end to the stigma surrounding mental health and bring it into our schools
for our kids. Their well-being is just as important as the education we provide them.

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End Notes
1 "Mental Health by the Numbers." National Alliance on Mental Health. NAMI, n.d.
Web. 16 Apr. 2017. http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-
Numbers>.

2 "Facts." Mhapa.org. Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 16 Apr.

2017. http://www.mhapa.org/mental-illness/facts/>.

3 Anderson, Meg, and Kavitha Cardoza. "Mental Health In Schools: A Hidden Crisis
Affecting Millions Of Students." NPR. NPR, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/31/464727159/mental-health-in-schools-a-
hidden-crisis-affecting-millions-of-students>.

4 Lafee, Scott. "The Schools' Role in Students' Mental Health." AASA | American
Association of School Administrators. AASA, Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=28932>.

5 Napolitano, Grace. "H.R.1211 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Mental Health in Schools

Act of 2015." Congress.gov. Congress, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1211>.

6 "Mental Health by the Numbers." National Alliance on Mental Health. NAMI, n.d.
Web. 16 Apr. 2017. http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-
Numbers>.

7 Michael Vertanen. "NY Law Will Require Mental Health Education in Schools." The
Washington Times. The Washington Times, 03 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Apr. 2017. <

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/3/ny-law-will-require-mental-
health-education-in-sch/>.

8 Napolitano, Grace. "H.R.1211 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Mental Health in Schools

Act of 2015." Congress.gov. Congress, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1211>.

9 "Know the Warning Signs." National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI, n.d. Web. 16
Apr. 2017. https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Know-the-Warning-Signs>.

10 Cope. "COPE Programs." COPE. COPE, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

https://www.cope2thriveonline.com/>.

11 Programs, Youth. "School Education Program." Mental Illness Education ACT.

MIEACT, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
https://www.mieact.org.au/Education_for_Young_People>.

12 Cope. "COPE Programs." COPE. COPE, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

https://www.cope2thriveonline.com/>.

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