2024 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Bronze
Out in the Open: A Conversation About Mental Health
Iro, Pennsylvania
Mental health is just as important as our physical health, yet it is often overlooked and passed off as a joke. Young people tend to bottle their emotions up because of the stigma around this topic. Women are told they are too emotional, and for men, it is frowned upon to talk about their feelings because they would be seen as weak. Uneducated people often treat you differently because of your mental illness, and define you by that rather than who you are as an individual. Some examples are with BPD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, where people label those individuals as “crazy” rather than someone dealing with a manic episode or experiencing psychosis. The way to deal with this stigma is to have open conversations about it without judgment, and educate students and teachers on how to deal with mental health.
As someone who deals with depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia, I try to distance myself from people when I start feeling overwhelmed or blue. Social isolation is a common coping mechanism for many, but it also increases loneliness and doubt. I have personally sought out a therapist outside of school because I felt as though I was not seen. A practice schools should implement is to have individuals share their experiences anonymously, so others can hear that they are not alone in their dilemma. The Association for Children’s Mental Heath states that, “1 in 5 children and youth have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder and 1 in 10 young people have a mental health challenge that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, school or in the community”. School administrators and guidance should not immediately jump the gun and call for support, because that makes students put up barriers and fear that they are going to get discipline or forced into counseling. Getting a call home should also not be an option unless the student’s situation is serious because parents don’t always believe their kids. Schools should offer mental health days where students are allowed to stay home as long as they talk with a school’s therapist. Taking breaks is essential to the mind and body and is a mandatory part of healing, and clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, Jerry Bubrick, PhD, advocates for those days as long as they are not abused and used in avoidance.
While being competitive and expressing teamwork and resilience is required for gym, being forced into contests in unrelated classes can lead to issues with self-esteem. For example, my current art class made us join art competitions that should have been voluntary and never enforced as a grade. Otherwise, your value is defined by what you’ve won rather than what you’ve done. With standardized testing, both teachers and students are treated as numbers. This ties into another practice done by teachers that should be eliminated: unconsciously showing favoritism. Teachers have been trained to take care of bullying, but they have no training associated with mental health. It’s easy to forget how a compliment could brighten someone’s day, especially if they weren’t confident in themselves beforehand. When you hear praises thrown at one person alone and in return you only get critiqued, it makes you lose confidence. The UCLA Center confirms that, “Students who are not favored may perceive the teacher’s attitude toward them as a negative judgment and develop negative attitudes about themselves related to classroom learning”. The school implemented actions to give out tickets to those presenting good behavior and being respectful towards others, but I have never gotten one for helping another in need or complimenting someone for their work. In schools, reputation matters more than the students’ emotions, which is why we need to push further for action of equality in order to balance a healthy mental state.
Schools should have a mandatory mental health class that lasts a marking period and is separate from the health class they currently provide. My school’s health classes were more focused on the physical aspects and teen pregnancy, which admittedly are also important to be informed about, but it barely touched upon the mental health spectrum. California State PTA suggests that “Mental health education is one of the best ways to increase awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues”. Of course, there are so many disorders and illnesses that you can’t cover all in one base, but for those who are undiagnosed or feel secluded for being different, lessons on mental health should be provided for better understanding and how to respond.
Everyone’s way of coping is different, some are healthy while others indulge in addictive substances. Vapes are regularly confiscated at my school, but the administrators forget that students still need a way of coping with their surroundings. Some healthy coping mechanisms that work for me are expressing myself through art, writing, and working out. What the school can start is a writing club where students journal their thoughts and opinions in a creative form which would also enhance their skills in learning and writing. The National Center for Education Statistics addresses how since Covid-19, “69 percent of public schools reported that the percentage of students who had sought mental health services from school had increased”. Simply taking away a source of comfort will only worsen a student’s state of mind, but by providing healthier alternatives, the student might feel less inclined to continue down the path of nicotine addiction.
Speaking out from personal experience, dealing with mental health is a dulling task that exhausts both the mind and body. The suggestions I made towards changing policies could help those struggling with manic or depressive episodes, as well as reduce the stigma surrounding mental health as a whole.
NIH recognizes these talented essay winners for their thoughtfulness and creativity in addressing youth mental health. These essays are written in the students' own words, are unedited, and do not necessarily represent the views of NIH, HHS, or the federal government.
Page published May 31, 2024
