Essay Sample On Mental Illness In Schools

According to the Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago, “37% of students with mental illnesses are dropping out of school.” Clearly, mental health gets in the way of many students’ lives, but are they asking for help? One first year at Senn was asked who they lean on to most support them. Their response was, “mainly myself.”

There are many sources of pressure that are being put on students, such as the issue of getting into college, making your guardians proud of your accomplishments, and the overall issue of perfectionism. All the while, many students are in a transition period of their lives, making many tasks more stressful than they would be at another time. All of this is considered normal to go through. Do you find yourself thinking this is normal? Do you find yourself going through these stressful problems as a student? Now, do you find yourself asking someone for support? Change needs to be in order, because it is important that you value your mental health, and you need to be confident to ask for support.

To further my point, the same first year who answered the question about support also stated, “School though in general makes me stressed so negatively.” How are students supposed to go through the pressures of school while not being able to ask for help and support?

Therefore, steps for normalizing asking for help need to be made. The program called Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago raises awareness by using education. Many students such as yourself will be able to create signs that issue positive messages. Statements that will relieve pressure might be, “Grades do not define you,” “you are doing amazing,” and “Succeed only for yourself.” Other signs can provide resources for asking for help, such as Hotlines, and contacts for counselors. It is also crucial that you can send a message to people who are not currently struggling with their mental health. This can happen by creating signs with resources for becoming educated on mental health. The Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago has many resources and programs to become educated. Many of these resources also focus on specific issues, such as PTSD and trauma.

While some of these programs may not be available to younger people, you can still do your part to spread the information to parents and guardians so that they might be able to educate themselves.

Mental illness has become very normalized in students. Why do we need to change the norm now? Many people believe that younger students are becoming more sensitive to the conditions of our world, and we just need to get through it.

While this may be true, this does not mean that the wellness of everyone should be brushed off. Students are being held at very outdated standards. Now that current students are becoming more aware of their mental health, the standards and systems need to change with them. Have you ever tried to talk to your parents about an issue, and they brushed it off by saying how they went through so much more, and they were able to handle it? Students like you have their own issues right now, and you need to be validated.

Now is the time to speak up for your and your peers’ mental health. If you want to focus on giving support to other students, you can create flyers and posters that have ways for them to reach out. If you want parents and teachers to know how to support students, you should make flyers that refer to educational resources. Keep in mind that change needs to happen in order to truly feel successful.