What+can+we+do+to+help+teachers+become+more+aware+of+these+mental+health+issues+amongst+students?


 * By: Alexa Mattiello **

Sifferlin, A. (2014, October 7). Why Schools Should Screen Their Students' Mental Health. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://time.com/3479351/mental-health-schools/
 * __ 1.) EDITORIAL __**

This article pushes for the implementation of in-school mental health screenings for all students. The author states that “schools should be a first line of defense for catching young people at risk for mental health issues” ranging from depression to ADHD. Since young kids and teens spend a large amount of their time in school, it would make sense that this would be the place where screenings can occur. Dr. Mina Fazel, a child psychiatrist at the University of Oxford says that “we need to think about how to embed mental health services so they become part of the culture in schools.” In addition, the author believes that schools should conduct school-wide screenings by asking teachers to identify at-risk kids for further evaluation. Training should be implemented so that these people know what signs to look for such as weight fluctuation or bullying. Dr. Fazel believes that if treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy were included in school’s health offerings, mental health issues in children could be caught early on and treated before it gets worse. Also according to the article, in high-income countries, only 25% of kids with mental health problems get treatment. I think that both the author of this article and the doctor who is often referenced, Dr. Fazel, have the right idea. Obviously something needs to be done at the school level to diagnose these problems early so that children can be treated at a young age. The article reiterates the need to make mental health more “normal” in the school system so that people aren’t so afraid to talk about it. This idea of screening students and training teachers and staff to know common signs of mental health disorders is a great first step towards bettering this issue. Mental health, especially within the school system is barely ever acknowledged. People just tend to ignore it so that they don’t have to admit that there is an issue. I think it would be great for teachers all over the country to at least be trained on how to detect some common signs of these issues so that they can get the needed help for their students before they’re too far gone.

Rossen, E., & Cowan, K. C. (2014). Improving mental health in schools. //Phi Delta Kappan//, //96//(4), 8-13. doi:10.1177/0031721714561438
 * __ 2.) MAGAZINE __**

This magazine article starts off by stating some of the common mental disorders found amongst students in schools. They stress that “addressing student mental health is a prerequisite to learning and achievement, not an add-on or extracurricular luxury.” The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is devoted to raising awareness of the need for improved school-based mental health services. This group states that more than one of five students at some point experiences a serious mental health disorder and this doesn’t even include those with an unofficial diagnosis. Also according to the National Center for Education Statistics, in a high school of 750 students, about 150 of those students will experience a mental illness that will interfere with their learning at some point in their high school career. In many towns, schools are the only source of mental health services for students. The article suggests that educators are a great resource due to their ongoing relationship and daily interaction with their individual students. They also suggest tapping into other resources including school-employed mental health professionals, working collaboratively and engaging student’s families. I definitely think this article is going in the right direction. I am a firm believer in the idea that issues with students start at home. Without the support of the family, teachers can’t always do what they need to to help their students if it’s not being reiterated at home. I like what the magazine said about tapping into other resources because while I do think that teachers have a responsibility to identify these issues in their students, they can’t do it all on their own. Not only is it important for the entire school community to come together to address the issue of student mental health, but it is essential to their well-being. I think schools all over the nation could really learn a thing or two from reading this magazine article.

Montañez, E. m., Berger-Jenkins, E., Rodriguez, J., McCord, M., & Meyer, D. (2015). Turn 2 Us: Outcomes of an Urban Elementary School-based Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Program Serving Ethnic Minority Youths. //Children & Schools//, //37//(2), 100-107.
 * __ 3.) SCHOLARLY ARTICLE #1 __**

Many students dealing with social, emotional and behavioral problems usually go untreated according to this article. In order to improve this, programs are being implemented in schools. The article follows a school-base mental health promotion and prevention program (SBMH-PP) in northern Manhattan, New York City. The program followed students and analyzed pre and post teacher reports, attendance rates and academic scores. All aspects were improved in students who participated in the program as compared to those students who were not involved in the program. The article says that “schools can play a critical role in mitigating such problems because they create a familiar, nonthreatening, and accessible environment for service delivery. In this particular program, teachers received training at the beginning of the academic year on identifying at-risk students. They were then asked to complete a Student Referral Form to identify the students that they believed were showing some signs and needed additional support. Staff attended six workshops throughout the school year that were aimed at strengthening teachers’ ability to identify at-risk students, destigmatize mental health issues, manage student problem behaviors, and create a positive classroom climate that allowed for effective learning. Over the next 2.5 years, 90% of the classroom teachers participated in an 18-hour training session. I was completely impressed after reading about this program that some schools have already implemented. I think it would be extremely beneficial for schools all over the nation to incorporate programs such as this one in their districts. At the very least teachers could attend sessions to learn about the signs to look for and how to make their classroom a positive environment for all students to learn in. Any school looking for ways to improve student mental health should seriously consider this program.

Koller, J. R., & Bertel, J. M. (2006). Responding to Today's Mental Health Needs of Children, Families and Schools: Revisiting the Preservice Training and Preparation of School-Based Personnel. //Education & Treatment Of Children//, //29//(2), 197-217.
 * __ 4.) SCHOLARLY ARTICLE #2 __**

According to this article, between 5 and 9% of children can be classified with a diagnosis of a serious emotional disturbance requiring substantive mental health support in the school setting. Because of this, students with these issues are placing increased demands on both special education and general education teachers. Therefore, teachers not only have to teach the academic curriculum required by the school district, but they also have to create a classroom environment where all learners’ needs are being addressed. Currently teachers and administrators are receiving little, if any, training on how to identify a wide variety of mental health issues commonly faced by students. According to the National Board for Professional Teaching in 2003, a teachers’ mission extends beyond academics, meaning they are also concerned with student development in other areas such as positive development of mental health and character. The article then goes on to talk about how a lot of teachers are only required to take one psychology course and have no other background in student mental health. Therefore, many teachers feel unprepared when dealing with students who are dealing with something as common as anxiety. The article states in conclusion that in addition to implementing these teacher training programs, education students should take more psychology courses to prepare them before they get into the classroom. I think that requiring education students to take more psychology classes is a great idea so that they feel more prepared to deal with these issues before entering the classroom. It would be extremely beneficial for college students to have more of a background in the field of psychology before entering their field of work so that when issues arise in the classroom, they won’t feel as panicked. In addition, taking some of these psychology classes could allow future teachers to be able to identify the signs of at-risk students without having to take any additional training once they begin working within the school system.

Mantel, B. (2014, September 12). Teen suicide. //CQ Researcher//, //24//, 745-768. Retrieved from []
 * __ 5.) CQ DATABASE __**

This article talks a little bit more about the effects of mental health and how we can prevent the most devastating effect: suicide. According to this report, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 13 to 19 year olds. Suicide-prevention programs in schools may raise awareness, the article states, but the evidence that they increase mental health referrals and reduce suicide rates is mixed. It then goes on to discuss the topic of school-based suicide-prevention programs and if they really work. In a study, principals said they felt more comfortable educating students with these programs instead of conducting these screening tests. A randomized study of a suicide prevention program in five high schools found that the program significantly increased students’ knowledge about suicide but made no difference in suicidal thinking or help-seeking behavior compared with the control group. However, the program did reduce the number of self-reported suicide attempts. I was sort of surprised to hear that principals felt more comfortable implementing programs rather than screening students. The principals in the study said they feared that parents would object these screenings. However, I believe that as long as the school has parental permission, why not screen these students? Obviously these programs, at least according to this article, really aren’t that helpful. Sure they inform students about suicide, but they’re not changing the behavior and mindsets of these students.