Kids grow mentally until the age of twenty-five years old. But in that process, there’s a lot that goes on, especially during the adolescent years, that could potentially impact a student’s success–positively or negatively. And believe it or not, school has a lot do with a student’s mental health.

What is mental health? The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

Mentalhealth.gov further explains that “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.”

Relationships with friends and family, stress, self esteem, and a sense of belonging all contribute to mental health and can all be impacted by what happens at school.

MMS takes steps to support students’ mental health. There are adults in the school building that are specially trained to address mental health: guidance counselors and school psychologists. But resource officers, assistant principals and principals, school nurses, teachers, and even friends can have a positive impact too.

Mayfield Middle School recently started a WildKATS program (Kids and Adults Together Succeed.) An adult is paired with a student to be a supportive role model in the building. Teacher Mrs.Golem said that “a student knowing that they have a caring adult in the building that will support them no matter what can no doubt positively impact a student.”

Mrs. Borden, one of the four guidance counselors, says that her goal is to provide a student with a safe space where they know they are learning in a safe environment and have people that are always willing to help and talk to them. Learning in a safe environment is very important for a student’s mental stability; feeling emotionally or physically threatened can disrupt a student’s learning.

Mrs. Kowalski, the school psychologist, says that her goals when helping a student are for that student to learn how to accept the problem or situation he/she is currently in and to also learn to have tolerance toward others. Accepting and tolerating different people and situations is an extremely important skill in middle school, because students will come across a variety of new challenges during these times.

Learning effective coping skills is also an important part of positive mental health and wellness. When a student is upset or angry, he or she can cool themselves down using a variety of coping strategies; examples include deep breathing, thinking positively, and taking a walk.  Mr. Paydo, guidance counselor, says that there are different strategies for solving different types of issues but that some strategies can be unhealthy. For example, beating up one’s bag/belongings because of the fact that a friend got a better grade. The healthy strategy would be to congratulate the friend, calm down, and encourage oneself to do better on the next test. Mr. Paydo says, “Don’t use a hammer to cut wood”–this means that while a coping tool can be useful, it may only work in certain scenarios. Some strategies can be unhealthy: violence and self-harm, for example. Using unhealthy strategies can have long-term negative consequences.

Another common issue that can disrupt students’ mental health is social media. Internet socialization can be a good way to connect, but it can also be  destructive to a student’s mental health. Internet socialization can lead to an obsession over “likes,” which can divert teens’ focus from being alert and active in academics to being upset or to investing their time into seeking online acceptance from friends, family, and even strangers. Social media can therefore create stress, isolation, and competitiveness.

Professionals and staff members want to help students when problems arise in their lives that impact their mental health and therefore their learning. These might include arguments with peers, relationships with parents and family, dealing with a loss of a pet, being upset due to a financial crisis occurring at home, and so on.  But there are times when it is beyond a teacher, guidance counselor, principal, or school psychologist to console or help and that is when a referral comes into play. A referral occurs when a staff member, who knows a student and the issue he or she is dealing with refers that student to a community source/professional.

Mrs. Borden believes that recognizing a student’s need and making a referral is an important job because this decision can affect the student beneficially by getting them the services he or she needs.

Due to biological factors, environment, or family history, some teens are diagnosed with mental health disorders (mentalhealth.org).

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “In 2016, an estimated 3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. The number represented 12.5% of the U.S. population aged 12 to 17.”

Also, According to Teen Mental Health.org, “1 in 5 young people suffer from a mental illness.”

Some mental illnesses that teens and students deal with are anxiety disorders, mood  disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, behavioral disorders, addictions, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

There are various ways schools help a student who is facing mental health issues and one of them is an Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan. Mrs. Kowalski, the school psychologist, explained that these plans are developed by schools and are “aimed at removing barriers to learning.” A plan for a student makes sure accommodations are made to ensure the success of that student’s academic learning and to ensure access to an appropriate learning environment. The student has to be currently studying/admitted in an academic institute (elementary or secondary), and also has to have a confirmed diagnosis that is documented to impact learning.

Mayfield Middle School’s counseling department has a page where students who are suffering from a mental health disorder (or their families) can visit for resources. From the Mayfield Middle School page, click on School Counseling Department, then click on Mental Health Resources. There, students can find many links that offer help with different targeted mental health issues. Students and parents can find information, solutions, and prevention tips. For example, there are resources for eating disorders (www.anad.org), Attention Deficit Disorders (www.chadd.org) and depression (www.familyaware.org).

In addition to the school, the community also makes efforts to raise awareness about mental health disorders and their consequences on the human body. One of the ways is the Mental Illness Awareness Week. This week in October invites people to learn what mental illness is, how they can help raise awareness about it to other people, how it affects the body and brain, the warning signs, and the consequences.

A local Mayfield organization that really helps bring awareness to students about mental health disorders, bullying, suicide prevention, and signs of depression is called Let’s Talk Jenna. According to their website, “Let’s Talk Jenna’ was started to get people to speak up regarding issues of mental illness, depression, bullying, and thoughts of suicide and to reach out for professional help.” The Let’s Talk Jenna organization has a local helpline number that is set up for Mayfield and it is 800-41VOICE (ext 359).

However, many believe that more needs to be done. Teenmentalhealth.org notes that while 20% of our population suffers from mental illness, only 4% of total healthcare budget is spent on our mental health. Even though people at school and people outside of school are willing to help students with their mental health issues, a lack of affordable access to mental health services remains a problem.

And despite the current efforts of schools and educators, some believe that awareness and education are still limited. An anonymous parent says, “Schools are currently under-equipped to deal with students with significant mental illnesses. Students come to school every day suffering from depression, anxiety, and a variety of other diagnoses, yet they are treated as if these diagnoses have no impact on their learning.”  The parent also expressed concern that many schools may not have the funding for the necessary staff to handle the needs of this population.

A staff member of Mayfield Middle School, Mrs. Golem, an eighth grade math teacher, expressed her opinion that teachers could benefit from more training on how to deal with students who have mental health issues. She says that when she earned her degrees, “Teacher training programs in college did not include classes that discussed mental health disorders…Any training that would help to better serve students would be welcome.” She added, “Optimal learning can only occur when student’s emotional needs are met.”

In conclusion, school affects students’ mental health in a variety of ways. Schools are making efforts to foster positive mental wellness in all students as well as to help students who have mental health issues. But at the same time, there is more work to be done in raising awareness, building empathy, and supporting the learning of those who silently suffer from mental illness.