Mental health crisis is a silent epidemic that is often neglected. There are over 50 million high school students in the United States and it was mentioned that one out of five high school students show signs of mental health issues, yet most of them are taken for granted.
Mental health problems are not limited to depression and anxiety alone. There is a wide range of mental health disorders which includes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and even Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
NPR mentioned that almost 80 percent of the students that are suffering from mental health crises are not getting help and proper treatment. It was mentioned that these children won't get appropriate counseling, while some won't get medication.
On worse cases, some children are not even diagnosed, thus they were raised to believe that there is something wrong with them. Not getting these students the proper diagnosis and treatment they deserve can possibly magnify their disorders, thus they suffer in silence.
Children who were diagnosed with mental health disorders are finding it hard to cope with their class requirement. High School students who were undiagnosed with autism, dyslexia and other mental health problems may be referred to as slow learners, when the truth is, these children are struggling to balance their daily tasks. Even the simplest tasks can be really complex for children struggling with mental health disorders, thus proper diagnosis is greatly needed.
There are, indeed, children who show signs of mental health disorders, David Anderson, expert on schools and mental health at the Child Mind Institute stated, "[They] inevitably miss out on opportunities for learning and building relationships. Mental health is all too often one of the last things that we pay attention to, even though we know how immensely important it is."
Mental health problems should be attended to as it can cause a longer effect on the child, which can even result to suicide. Teachers and parents should be keen when it comes to observing their students as they might have been suffering in silence for the longest time.
