How Education Needs to Tackle the Rising Mental Health Crisis by Tara

How Education Needs to Tackle the Rising Mental Health Crisis by Tara - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

Each generation faces their own set of struggles; warfare, discrimination, and worldwide pandemics are a few examples among many. But our younger generation is experiencing an issue that will very likely follow all other generations: declining mental health. The factors that have led to this, such as social media and social isolation, are changing the way students perform academically, which is why education must work with students and adapt to these challenges.
Social media is advancing at an almost frighteningly fast rate. Body image and self-esteem issues are among a handful of deteriorating mental health problems that plague the new generation in ways our predecessors couldn’t have imagined. Another newfound thing that our youth have to navigate is something that can easily be continued undetected: cyberbullying. Students are developing depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments at unprecedented rates, discouraging their ability to learn. Pre-pandemic, these dilemmas were difficult to tackle in and of itself, but once COVID-19 hit, the mental health of school-age kids and teenagers truly took a turn for the worse. In a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “37.1% of students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic.” It’s astounding that over a third of the students who participated endured these issues, which can allow for further presumptions that a large portion of all students experienced mental health issues during the pandemic. Thankfully, free therapy sessions were implemented in some areas to combat this epidemic. But new problems are emerging as most schools have returned to in-person learning.
Over 2 years into the pandemic, there aren’t enough treatments, consultations, or other forms of instruction to improve mental health among school facilities. The state of a student’s mental health is worsening having to deal with the effects of social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other unfamiliar issues that have emerged from contemporary society. If anything, the coronavirus pandemic only emphasized the voices of many healthcare professionals who say that the mental health of students must be an active interest that takes a top priority. As noted earlier, some steps, like free therapy, have been taken to improve mental health among students. But for students to really thrive in any field of education, mental health resources must be more accessible. The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students assigned to 1 counselor. Meanwhile, the national average is a staggering 415 students per counselor. Developing a bond with a one’s counselor is crucial in case of a mental health emergency; students are more likely to reach out to a trusted adult than a stranger who can’t even remember their name. In the next 10 years, it would be amazing to see this ratio fulfilled. Furthermore, another hindrance towards better mental health is a zero tolerance mandatory attendance. There are some days when a student can feel so anxious about going to school and interacting with their peers that they feel physically ill. A couple of “wellness days” in which students can choose to take the day off should be allocated to relieve unnecessary mental stress. This doesn’t mean that students should be able to skip class whenever. In fact, most students won’t actually want to skip school often out of fear of missing important material. A reasonable amount of days should be given to each student, and if they need to miss more, then a counselor should consult with them on a case-by-case basis. This will also send an important message: faculty members trust their pupils enough to evaluate their own mental health. Moreover, an increase in competent counselors and wellness days are examples of objectives that benefit mental health.
I genuinely hope that within the next 10 years, education shifts to prioritize the wellbeing of students instead of test scores. Any progress is welcomed during such a tumultuous time, and I’ve personally felt that people are becoming more aware of mental health care. Society is advancing, and education should advance with it.