NIMH also supports non-clinical trial research that aims to develop and evaluate performance feedback systems, decision support tools, and quality improvement projects that optimize the delivery of effective mental health interventions in schools and other non-specialty care settings (PAR , PAR ; US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 2021c, 2022b). NIMH priorities in school-based mental health research are focused broadly on addressing these challenges through the iterative development and testing of optimized, scalable, and culturally responsive school-based interventions. Studies have indeed shown that youth are more likely to receive mental health interventions when they are provided at school, and they have greater levels of adherence and engagement with these interventions when compared to youth who receive prevention and treatment in other settings (Evans et al., 2023; Langer et al., 2015; Sanchez et al., 2018). With an estimated 49 million youth attending a public primary or secondary school in the US (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024), there is great potential within school systems for identifying youth in need of mental health support and connecting them with appropriate interventions.
Helpful Tools for Teachers, Staff, and Students
Schools can put together a listof mental health professionals that their students and families can access and display iton their websites and notice boards and even include such information in routineparent-teacher meetings. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools have provided avenues to discussmental health issues online, but this is still very rare. Getting mental health professionals to speak to children and parentsduring annual day programs or parent-teacher meetings may also serve the purpose ofsensitisation. The stigma willalso be far less if a pediatrician is involved in sharing information, sensitisingchildren and their parents, and even giving talks in schools including mental healthaspects to general physical health. There are school health programs in India that use school health nurses for generalhealth awareness and intervention and these have been varyingly successful. Child and adolescent psychiatristshave an important role to play in developing human resources and training laypersons andother paraprofessionals to do the onerous job of identifying, treating, and alsopreventing mental health issues in the school-going children.
How schools deliver mental health education
However, schools are increasingly being recognized as central to solving the problem. “And most importantly, where should policymakers be prioritizing their limited resources to help our youth in this time of crisis?” The report highlights states that have invested in building a culture and system Health departments and school contact tracing of care at schools that reduces the risk of emotional problems and ensures kids who are struggling don’t fall through the cracks. Among other troubling signs, children’s hospitals across the country have seen more kids showing up in their emergency rooms for mental health reasons, seeking care for everything from severe anxiety and eating disorders to suicide attempts. Educational programming that destigmatizes mental health disorders, corrects misinformation, and promotes help-seeking can prove a valuable tool for educators.
Curriculum teaching and learning
It is possible that information on mental health was gained from an external event such as a mental health initiative in the school or community or communications from the school counseling staff. Gains in mental health literacy affirm Hypothesis 1 and offer agreement with earlier research that demonstrated increases in mental health literacy following other mental health program presentations 9,10,11. The percent of students seeking help for a friend was statistically significant only for the main effect of grade level, with partial eta squared indicating a moderate effect size. A Tukey post hoc analysis of COVID-19 date revealed statistically significant differences between pre- and post-COVID-19 dates, with post-COVID-19 reporting a greater percent of students seeking help. The percentage of students seeking help for self was statistically significant for both the main effects of COVID-19 date and grade level, with partial eta squared indicating a moderate effect size.
When administrators actively promote mental health services in schools, they foster a climate that not only improves morale but also strengthens the resilience of both students and staff. Research overwhelmingly demonstrates the efficacy of school-based mental health services for improving student emotional well-being and behavioral problems. Implementing youth mental health programs in schools has far-reaching benefits that go beyond improving student mental health. The expansion of school-based mental health services are essential to increase access and equity across diverse populations, especially in underserved school districts. Yet, even though early intervention and treatment is the best chance to improve youth mental health, sadly, the majority of students (over 60%) do not have access to services and treatment.
- “We’ve seen a 40% increase in students seeking help and a noticeable improvement in overall school climate.”
- The Texas School Mental Health website strives to provide districts and campuses with the resources and tools needed to develop a comprehensive school mental health system.
- Partnering with Talkspace to implement mental health support for your students and faculty is one of the best gifts you can give your school community.
- Rates of youth mental disorders have been steadily worsening over the past decade, and today the need for mental health treatment greatly exceeds the capacity of the mental health care system.
- Mental health and behaviour guidance is available to help schools support pupils whose mental health affects their behaviour.
- Has the UK has been getting young people’s mental health wrong for years – by not following the evidence?
Stigma is often cited as a reason for not seeking mental health treatment or fullyparticipating in it. Thereasons may be many, such as the lack of personnel for such activities and a conflict forthe school across the different roles it sets for itself. The Indian mental health system has an acute shortage of trained mental healthprofessionals to deal even with severe mental illness. Itrecommends that there is an acute need to work on the existing setup and available resourcesby enriching SMH activities.