The Rise of Mental Health Awareness in Our Schools
- Billion Shines
- Sep 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 23
By: Chloe Ko
Mental health– it is a concept so vital, yet often misunderstood. In today’s quickly revolving world, a growing number of students are facing mental challenges in silence. Anxiety, depression, and behavior/ conduct disorders. These are only a few of more mental diagnoses that, according to the National Survey of Children's Health, have increased since 2016. Especially for teenagers in the age of 13 to 19, this is more than just data– their reality. The teenagers in their Adolescence are already a whirlwind of change, and when academic pressure, self identity, and external shifts. When all these start colliding, the mental load can become too overwhelming for one to handle. However, these aren’t enough for the teens of the newer generation to handle; exposure to social media, and the problem deepens. The constant overstimulation, comparison, and digital isolation are becoming more normalized. This eventually leads us to find an urgent solution– what can we, as a community, do to help these teens?
Noticing the unspoken
“Looking tired” or “Quieter than usual” are some traits we notice in a person that might be going through a struggle, but often brush it off, thinking that they are just having a bad day. However, these slight changes that they might be showing could be just an indirect way of them seeking help. In fact, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), it is estimated that over 60% of individuals with mental illness in the United States go undiagnosed and untreated. This translates to approximately 43 million people. They often try to hide their symptoms and struggles due to lack of awareness, and fear of treatment. The fear that their symptoms and struggles are often stigmatized, leading to fear of being judged, discriminated against, or labeled as "crazy”/ “lazy” is also a big reason why some individuals try to hide their mental illness, especially for teenagers, as they are more sensitive to their reputation to their peers. By taking even the smallest, slightest changes in one's behavior more seriously could be the simplest yet the best way of showing support to people, allowing them to open up and eventually seek for more help. At school as well, where teenagers spend the majority of their time, noticing each other and where they are coming from is very crucial for improving overall mental health scuffles.
The strength of asking
This ties up to the second solution to help resolve this concern of teenager mental health: shifting our society's view on seeking for help. Even if people might be putting in the effort to help those just beneath the surface, the fear of the judgement they will get by opening up and asking for help as they might be considered “weak” or “needy” could be what is holding them back from receiving the help. This is a problem in our society overall, not just the teens, as it can be challenging to seek help due to widespread social judgment rooted in cultural values, gender norms, and a lack of understanding of mental and emotional health. Our society often demands for a constant 100% from a person, but that is not how humans work. Sometimes one's 40% might be their 100% and we shouldn't be judging them for it. This fear of being perceived as weak or inadequate creates a significant barrier for many people. Letting more people know that it is necessary to ask for help when needed is the first step of breaking the vicious cycle of our society judging others for not being able to do something that is impossible.
The small steps we take in our daily lives can eventually grow into a meaningful change, improving teens' mental health and giving them space to breathe. After all, we are all human. We don’t have to be perfect, but as social beings who thrive on connection, we should continue to support our peers and teens through their struggles. Together, these efforts can build a stronger, healthier community.
Citations: