Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.

It also
helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of
life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

What Is Mental Health?

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Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also
helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of
life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be
affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry

Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse

Family history of mental health problems

Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many
recover completely.

Early Warning Signs

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following
feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:

Eating or sleeping too much or too little

Pulling away from people and usual activities

Having low or no energy

Feeling numb or like nothing matters

Having unexplained aches and pains

Feeling helpless or hopeless

Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual

Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared

Yelling or fighting with family and friends

Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships

Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head

Hearing voices or believing things that are not true

Thinking of harming yourself or others

Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Learn more about specific mental health problems and where to find help.
Mental Health and Wellness

Positive mental health allows people to:

Realize their full potential

Cope with the stresses of life

Work productively

Make meaningful contributions to their communities

Ways to maintain positive mental health include:

Getting professional help if you need it

Connecting with others

Staying positive

Getting physically active

Helping others

Getting enough sleep

Developing coping skills

Learn More About Mental Health

The importance of prevention and wellness

What communities can do to promote

Virginia's law mandates that mental health education be incorporated for ninth- and 10th-graders

(CNN) On Sunday, New York and Virginia became the first two states to enact laws requiring mental health education in
schools.

New York's law updates the health curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools to include material on mental
health. Virginia's law mandates that mental health education be incorporated into physical education and health
curricula for ninth- and 10th-graders.

The New York law says that mental health "is an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of
health education in New York schools."

This might be why depression is rising among teen girls

This might be why depression is rising among teen girls

Both laws come into effect amid an increased focus on mental health and suicide. In June, two prominent figures -- Kate
Spade, a fashion designer, and Anthony Bourdain, a chef and CNN host -- died by suicide within the same week.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24 and the 10th leading cause of death overall in
the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate in the country has also
dramatically increased in recent years, up 30% since 1999, according to the CDC.

According to the New York law, which was written in 2015, "90 percent of youth who die by suicide suffer from
depression or another diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death."

Opinion: Let teens talk about mental illness

Opinion: Let teens talk about mental illness

Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds sponsored his state's mental health bill after he listened to a presentation from high
schoolers in Albemarle County in 2017. The students had proposals for addressing mental health issues in schools,
including increased counseling staff. They worked with Deeds to create the legislation, passed in April.

"I was impressed by their thoughtfulness, because a lot of these young people had seen bullying. They had seen
depression. They had seen classmates that had died by suicide," Deeds said. "It's part of tearing down the stigma and
providing some equality with those that struggle with mental health."

He also has a personal connection to the issue: His son, Gus Deeds, died by suicide in 2013 at age 24. Gus was taken to a
hospital for a mental health evaluation, but released because there were no open psychiatric beds across the western
part of the state. The next day, Gus stabbed Deeds and then turned a gun on himself. Deeds later said that the Virginia
system failed his son.

Since his son's death, Deeds has advocated for mental health reforms in many aspects of state laws.

The Virginia law mandates the state's Board of Education update the health Standards of Learning with mental health
material for ninth and 10th grades.

The New York law does not mandate a specific curriculum; it instead updates the health curriculum to include mental
health in its definition and purview.

Under the new law, health education in the state "must recognize the multiple dimensions of health and include the
relationship of physical and mental health," according to the New York State Department of Education.

Schools
June 23, 2018 | By Christine Vestal

Amid sharply rising rates of teen suicide and adolescent mental illness, two states have enacted laws that for the first
time require public schools to include mental health education in their basic curriculum.

Most states require health education in all public schools, and state laws have been enacted in many states to require
health teachers to include lessons on tobacco, drugs and alcohol, cancer detection and safe sex.

Two states are going further: New York’s new law adds mental health instruction to the list in kindergarten through
12th grade; Virginia requires it in ninth and 10th grades.

Nationwide, cities and states have been adopting a variety of initiatives over the past decade to address the rising
need for mental health care in schools.

But until this year, mandated mental health education had not been part of the trend.

“We’re seeing a huge increase in youth anxiety and depression,” said Dustin Verga, a high school health teacher in
Clifton, N.Y., who was an early advocate for the state’s new law.

“We teach them how to detect the signs of cancer and how to avoid accidents, but we don’t teach them how to
recognize the symptoms of mental illness,” Verga said. “It’s a shame because, like cancer, mental health treatment is
much more effective if the disease is caught early.”

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month shows the U.S. suicide rate rose by a quarter
between 1999 and 2016. That and two celebrity deaths this month — those of fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, and
chef Anthony Bourdain, 61 — have raised the nation’s consciousness about depression and suicide prevention.

But mental illness can set in much earlier than adulthood. More than half of lifetime mental illnesses begin before age
14, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Yet the average person waits 10 years after the first
symptoms occur before getting treatment.

By educating children of all ages about mental health, the hope is that they will learn how to recognize early
symptoms in themselves and their friends and seek help before a crisis develops, said Paul Gionfriddo, president and
CEO of Mental Health America, a nonprofit that advocates for better mental health care.

“People are talking more about youth mental health and the effects of trauma on kids, but it’s taken a long time to get
traction. I think what we’ve seen recently in terms of school shootings is spurring this,” Gionfriddo said. “It wouldn’t
surprise me to see a number of states go in the same direction over the next few years,” he said, referring to New York
and Virginia.
The rate of adolescents experiencing major depression surged nearly 40 percent from 2005 to 2014, according to a study
by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, rising to an estimated 2.2 million depressed children
ages 12 to 17, according to the most recent federal data.

Teen suicides also have spiked. According to the CDC, the suicide rate among boys ages 15 to 19 increased by nearly a
third between 2007 and 2015; the suicide rate among girls the same age more than doubled.

But that only accounts for the deaths. Nearly 9 percent of youths in grades nine through 12 attempted suicide in the past
year, according to the CDC’s 2015 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey.

In response, many states have increased funding for school counseling and added psychologists to their health
staffs. Others are thinking of doing the same. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this month recommended adding more
counselors to schools following a mass shooting at a Santa Fe school. His is one of 20 states that don’t require school
counselors.

And most states have adopted so-called mental health first aid programs to train first responders, primary care
physicians, teachers and other school personnel to detect the signs of mental illness and addiction and provide
preventive measures including referral to treatment.

In addition, a slim majority of states mandate suicide prevention training for school personnel , and
close to a dozen states require annual courses. More than a dozen states encourage and facilitate training, but do not
require it.

In New York, it was a nonprofit mental health group that came up with the idea of requiring schools to educate students
about mental illness in all grades. That was seven years ago.

The Legislature was immediately interested, said John Richter, the public policy director for the Mental Health
Association in New York State Inc. “The problem was finding a way to cut in line ahead of dozens of other competing
educational issues.”

It was the opioid crisis and its strong connection with mental illness that ultimately allowed the New York Assembly’s
education committee to bring the mental health bill to a vote in 2016, Richter said. Armed with research showing that
people with mental conditions often self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, the chairman found an eager audience of
lawmakers who wanted to do everything they could to quell the overdose epidemic, he said.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people with a mood or anxiety disorder are more than twice as likely
to develop an addiction to opioids and other drugs.

New York’s law doesn’t prescribe a specific classroom curriculum for mental health, leaving the details up to
the board of education. But the state is giving $1 million a year to the mental health association to offer an
online mental health resource center and free training services for teachers starting in July.
In the fall, New York public school teachers will be encouraged to incorporate the topic of mental illness into
subjects such as science, literature, history and social studies whenever possible, according to Richter. And
health teachers will be called on to develop lesson plans that describe the disease of mental illness,
methods of treating it, and healthy coping techniques students can use to protect themselves and their
friends from the mounting pressures of school life.

“The life students live today is very different from what it was just 10 years ago,” Clifton’s Verga said. “Technology and
social media have taken over. Kids are getting cellphones at an earlier age and facing escalating academic expectations
and standardized assessments starting in third grade.”

In Virginia, the path from idea to statute was much shorter.

The new law was the brainchild of three students who attended summer classes on political leadership at the University
of Virginia. For them, the biggest political issue for high school kids was an urgent need for more mental health
resources.

With that in mind, they decided that the best approach would be a statewide educational program that would explain
the brain science behind mental illness, help students learn how to improve their own mental well-being, and reduce
the stigma around mental health.

They found a receptive legislative sponsor in state Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Democrat from Charlottesville whose son
stabbed him and later killed himself after being denied emergency psychiatric services in 2013.

Their bill flew through the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam signed it into law in March. It is set to take
effect in the fall.
Search Bustle...

New York Schools Now Teach About Mental Health As Part Of Health Education, & It's A Big Step Toward Busting Stigma

ByCAROLYN DE LORENZO

3 weeks ago

Norman01/Fotolia

A new law that took effect in New York state on July 1, 2018 means that schools will now teach about mental health as
part of health education classes, according to NBC. Not only does the new curriculum promote greater understanding of
various mental health conditions, but classes also include exercises in describing feelings, and developing increased
emotional intelligence over time. NBC further reports that New York is the first U.S. state to require that mental health
education be part of health class curriculum, and that the new guidelines could go a long way towards helping
eradicate stigmas associated with mental illness.

The new mental health education classes aren’t just your typical intro to psychology courses; students will be learning
valuable life skills that they can apply in practical ways. According to state guidelines, learning to practice self-care is
an important part of the new curriculum, as is addressing stigmas as barriers to treatment. Students will also learn
how to access resources if they or someone close to them is experiencing a mental health crisis.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says that "Schools provide a unique opportunity to identify and treat
mental health conditions by serving students where they already are." NAMI also states that many mental health
conditions start in adolescence. Half of all those living with mental illness start experiencing symptoms by age 14,
while 75 percent of mental illnesses begin by age 24. One in five young people live with a mental health condition in the
U.S. alone, but less than half receive treatment. NAMI further suggests that school-based mental health services are
crucial to providing support and resources for young people, who might otherwise feel isolated if they or a loved one
are facing a mental health crisis.

Fiona Goodall/Getty Images News/Getty Images

But the new legislation aims to help bridge this gap. According to Governing, the new education law comes not a
moment too soon: teen suicide rates have doubled in girls, and risen by 30 percent in boys in recent years. Governing
further states that Virginia also has plans to integrate mental health education into the public school curriculum, and will
introduce mental health classes at the ninth and tenth grade levels soon — when half of mental health issues start to
show up among young people.
According to NBC, stigmas associated with mental illness are still common. Many people who need mental health
treatment avoid it because of fears of what others in their communities might think. Meredith Coles, PhD., told NBC
that the purpose of the new curriculum standard is “TO GIVE STUDENTS THE KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED TO RECOGNIZE
IN THEMSELVES AND OTHERS WHEN THEY NEED HELP."

The new mental health curriculum AIMS TO EMPOWER STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THE CRUCIAL LINKS BETWEEN
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.

New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia told NBC that the state passed this legislation in order TO GIVE
STUDENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO NAVIGATE ANY MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER, AND
LEARN TO RECOGNIZE WHEN A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE MIGHT BE STRUGGLING.

“When young people learn about mental health, and that it is an important aspect of overall health and well-being,
the likelihood increases that they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others
and will know where to turn for help — and it will decrease the stigma that attaches to help-seeking,” Elia told NBC.

In short, the new mental health curriculum aims to empower students to understand the crucial links between mental
and physical health, and how to get help when help is needed.

22 Celebrity Quotes About Mental Health From Women Who Are Helping To Break Stigma

ByLAUREN DANA

11 days ago

Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Jesse Grant/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

With increased awareness and education, talking about mental health is becoming more normalized across the United
States. A lot of this work is done in our conversations with our friends and family, but when you hear celebrities talking
about mental health on a national stage, it can be a really impactful way to destigmatize mental illness.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five Americans (approximately 44 million individuals)
live with a mental illness. What's more, 9.8 million Americans a year experience a serious mental illness that
"substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities," as NAMI wrote.

Fortunately, in 2018, there are more resources than ever before dedicated toward helping people who live with mental
illness, or who cope with stressors on a day to day basis. Further, the conversation around mental health has shifted
significantly towards destigmatizing mental illness and encouraging people to take advantage of the mental health
resources that do exist.
Nonetheless, it's still no easy feat to speak candidly and openly about mental health challenges and obstacles, no matter
how rich or famous one may be. These 22 celebrities have spoken out about mental health in seriously impactful ways —
check out these quotes from them to learn more.

1Kerry Washington

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“I think it's really important to take the stigma away from mental health.... My brain and my heart are really important to
me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why
wouldn't I go to a shrink?” Glamour, May 2015.

2Lili Reinhart

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“I had so much anxiety booking work, and I spent almost five months holed up in this bedroom in this house just feeling
anxious, waiting for my next audition, and not doing anything else. It was the most miserable time of my life.” W,
September 2017.

3Chrissy Teigen

Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“I had everything I needed to be happy. And yet, for much of the last year, I felt unhappy. What basically everyone
around me — but me — knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression. How can I feel this way when
everything is so great? I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with that, and I hesitated to even talk about this, as
everything becomes such a ‘thing.’” Glamour, April 2017.

4Britney Spears

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"I moved to Los Angeles when I was very young. I was so under scrutiny. If a hair was out of place, I’d be so anxious. I
would get very anxious about so many things." Marie Claire UK, October 2016.

5Shannon Purser

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“Everybody hears OCD and they think, ‘OK, you like to clean or be organized.’ That’s really not what it is, especially not
for everybody.”
“In my case, it was me being super self-conscious, to the point where it was debilitating. I didn’t feel comfortable talking
to people. It’s incredible, but I will sing the praises of therapy. I think everybody should be in therapy. It helps so much to
have somebody educated you can talk to.” People, August 2017.

6Kristin Stewart

Sonia Recchia/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"Between ages 15 and 20, it was really intense. I was constantly anxious. I was kind of a control freak. If I didn't know
how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill, or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really
debilitating." Marie Claire, July 2015.

7Dakota Johnson

Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“Sometimes, I panic to the point where I don’t know what I’m thinking or doing. I have a full anxiety attack. I have them
all the time anyway, but with auditioning it’s bad.” AnOther Magazine, September 2015.

8Amanda Seyfried

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don’t think it is. It should
be taken as seriously as anything else. You don’t see the mental illness: It’s not a mass; it’s not a cyst. But it’s there. Why
do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it. I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and
thought I had a tumor in my brain. I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I get older, the
compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps."
Allure, November 2016.

9Lady Gaga

Jeff Spicer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“For me, with my mental-health issues, half of the battle in the beginning was, I felt like I was lying to the world because I
was feeling so much pain but nobody knew. So that’s why I came out and said that I have PTSD, because I don’t want to
hide — any more than I already have to.” Vogue, October 2018.

10Nina Dobrev

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"I don’t think people give enough time to themselves, me-time is almost non-existent anymore. So in that 30 minutes,
45, however long you’re in the workout class you’re focusing on you and you’re doing something for yourself and to
make yourself feel better. Not only does it change your body and make you look better, it also makes you feel better."
Teen Vogue, July 2017.

11Emma Stone

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“After first grade before I went into second grade, I had my first panic attack. It was really, really terrifying and
overwhelming. I was at a friend's house, and all of a sudden I was convinced the house was on fire and it was burning
down. I was just sitting in her bedroom and obviously the house wasn't on fire, but there was nothing in me that didn't
think we were going to die. I am very grateful I didn't know that I had a disorder … I wanted to be an actor and there
weren't a lot of actors who spoke about having panic attacks." Interview with Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz for the Child Mind
Institute, October 2018.

12Demi Lovato

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"[If there's anything] I could tell anybody that's thinking about taking their own life, is to reach out to people. Don't hold
it inside, don't isolate. Reach out to people, whether it's close friends, family. If you feel like you don't have anybody, look
within yourself and try to find that resilience that will ultimately get you through whatever it is you're going through.
Every single person on this planet is worth life." Interview with Dr. Phil, March 2018.

13Ariana Grande

Jesse Grant/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"Mental health is so important. People don't pay enough mind to it because we have things to do. We have schedules,
we have jobs, kids, places to be, pressure to fit in, Instagram Stories, whatever facade you're trying to put on, trying to
keep up. People don't pay attention to what's happening inside." Interview with Beats 1, August 2018.

14Gisele Bündchen

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“Sometimes we feel alone, as if there is no way out, but that is not true. My panic attacks were difficult, and I sought
help from my family, specialists, teachers, and friends. Asking for help is never a sign of failure but a sign of strength
because your life is worth saving.” Instagram, October 2018.

15Mindy Kaling

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"[Working out is] such a powerful tool for me mentally. ... Working out is a way for me to have mental strength, and now,
with a kid, it's also time that I have just for myself and to focus on my body," Shape, June 2018.

16Selena Gomez

Christopher Polk/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“I wish more people would talk about therapy. We girls, we’re taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy
and cool and laid-back, the girl who’s down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart.” Vogue, April 2017.

17Mariah Carey

David Becker/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden
to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I
got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.” People, April 2018

18Kristen Bell

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“Here’s the thing: For me, depression is not sadness. It’s not having a bad day and needing a hug. It gave me a complete
and utter sense of isolation and loneliness. Its debilitation was all-consuming, and it shut down my mental circuit board. I
felt worthless, like I had nothing to offer, like I was a failure. Now, after seeking help, I can see that those thoughts, of
course, couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can
realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer. We all do.” Time, May 2016.

19Mandy Moore

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"I’m a big proponent of therapy. It’s something that I find in my own life to be incredibly helpful ... during many different
junctures of my life, it’s been a common through line. I feel like it’s most beneficial at times when I don’t think that I need
it, like when there’s not a ton going on that feels stressful. I find that I get the most benefit out of it sometimes when I
feel like I’m doing okay." Huffington Post, October 2017.

20Halsey

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"I have bipolar disorder. I've never talked about that in an interview before. I never brought it up. A lot of people I work
with probably don't know it. I think this a good time to talk about it. It's just like, I was diagnosed when I was 16 or 17.
My mom has it, too. ... I'm entitled to my emotions and, unfortunately, because of the circumstance that I deal with, it's
a little more than other people." Elle, June 2015.

21Kendall Jenner

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

“I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I literally wake up in the middle of the night with
full-on panic attacks. Where do I even start? Everything is so horrible, it’s hard to name one thing. I just think that the
world needs so much love. ... You go online and you see everyone saying the worst things to each other, and it’s hard to
stay positive. It’s hard not to get eaten alive by all the negativity.” Harper's Bazaar, February 2018.

22Olivia Munn

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

"I have lived with anxiety and sporadic bouts of depression for most of my adult life. [Ten] years ago I tackled it, learned
to fully understand it and haven’t felt the dark depths of depression in about a decade. But before that, thoughts of
suicide crossed my mind more than a few times." Instagram, June 2018.

Speaking candidly and honestly about how mental illness impacts you is an important tool in breaking down the stigma
around mental health. When celebrities speak out about their mental health journeys, it helps provide a vocabulary for
everyone to talk about it, too.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-
8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. You can also reach out to the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or the
Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386, or to your local suicide crisis center.

government Our reply to the government’s response

Why mental health education needs to be compulsory in all UK schools.

Educating the next generation about the importance of mental health will have a long-lasting, positive effect on our
society. The UK can become a world leader in fighting mental illness, so that it no longer blights the lives of children,
adults, and families. We can stop mental health issues putting a strain on our NHS, industry and economy. We will only
achieve this, however, if it’s made a compulsory in our schools, and not a box ticking exercise.

Maintaining good mental health is an absolute life skill. It is just as important a tool in understanding the body as
physical education and biology.

We acknowledge the government’s response to our petition – “Make mental health education compulsory in primary
and secondary schools”. But they are still falling drastically short of delivering an effective preventative strategy,
something that is vital if we are to tackle the mental health epidemic that is facing three children in every UK classroom.
Headucation infographics 3The government has outlined their plans, but these will still fail to provide adequate mental
health education to the 850,000 children aged 5-16 who suffer with mental illness. They will not be sufficient for British
10-14 year olds who, over the last two years, have seen a 70% increase in the number of reported cases of self-harm in
their age group. They will not help the 43% of school leaders who are finding it harder to access CAMHS (Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Services) for their pupils.

In their response, the government stated that they want ‘mental health to be an everyday concern in all institutions’ –
as part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic lessons (PSHE). But PSHE isn’t taught every day – if it is even taught
at all! PSHE is a non-compulsory subject, and not given the dedication it deserves. The PSHE Association identifying that
schools often ‘lack curriculum time to teach PSHE’.

The government also wants schools to ‘be able to decide themselves how to teach their pupils about mental health by
developing their own local PSHE programme.’ They also said ‘all schools should teach PSHE’. The onus, of course, being
on the word ‘should’. This does not mean that they have to – it is not compulsory,

teachersThe government states they support schools in developing their PSHE curriculum, and that the PSHE Association
provides guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans to teach about mental health. However, 75% of school leaders say
they lack the resources to meet the mental health needs of pupils and cited lack of training as one of the main
contributors. Providing support and ambiguous PSHE guidance to schools is just a box ticking exercise which fails pupils
and puts immense pressure on teachers and schools. The government relies upon Ofsted to ensure that schools are
teaching PSHE (though of course this doesn’t always happen). However, in 40% of schools that do teach PSHE, Ofsted
said that the subject ‘requires improvement’ or is ‘inadequate’. PSHE is also taught to varying degrees and throughout
the country and is therefore inconsistent.

In the new common inspection framework, PSHE provision was mentioned in just 14% of Ofsted reports in secondary
schools, and in only 8% of primary school reports. PSHE was mentioned in far fewer reports than other subjects such as
sport (59%), history (36%), art (31%), music (31%) and geography (26%). If we are placing such importance on the
physical education, then it begs the question: why aren’t we doing the same for their mental health education?

Until mental health education is made compulsory and not delivered as a ‘nice to have’ afterthought, the alarming
mental illness statistics relating to children and young people will continue to increase.

The Prime Minister announced a new green paper with the agenda of supporting children and young people, and an
additional £15m to implement a range of methods, including the offer of mental health first aid training in every
secondary school.

We don’t think an improved first aid system in schools will have any major impact on addressing mental health issues for
the country in the long term. You can invest as much money as you want into additional teacher training and first aid for
mental health, but the fact is that children are very good at hiding mental health issues, and therefore suffer in silence.
Very often young sufferers are confused and unaware of what’s actually wrong, and so they don’t, and won’t, open up.
When they do, it’s usually because they’re beyond breaking point.
The government’s desire to ‘tackle the burning injustice of mental health problems’ so that ‘future generations can
develop into resilient, confident adults, equipped to go as far as their talents will take them’ won’t become a reality
until mental health education is made mandatory.

Evolution of a child FINALWe are doing our children an injustice if we don’t teach them about something that will
potentially affect them. We need to begin the process of normalising mental health issues so children feel confident
enough to open up to each other and to those who care for them. Compulsory mental health education will foster a
more aware and proactive society, equipped for dealing with mental illness. Over half those who experience mental
illness in childhood suffer it again as adults. Children who can open up in childhood will feel confident enough to open
up in adulthood, as they move into the workplace and go on to have their own families.

Compulsory mental health education will help a stretched curriculum become more efficient. It will also reduce the
pressure on teachers, mental health social workers, the NHS and CAMHS. It will avert a mental health crisis and help the
UK economy to prosper. Without good mental health, we have nothing.

This is one of the most important issues of our time, so let’s lead the world in ensuring the next generation understands
the importance of mental health. Mental health education lasts a lifetime, and it starts in our schools.