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Thesis Question:

Why Mental health Education should be included in Secondary

Education Curriculum

Introduction

Mental health awareness is an important issue for all educators,

who are often the first line of defense for their students. Education

professionals have recognized the impact that a student's mental health

has on learning and achievement, and they realize that there's a great

deal that can be done to help students with mental health issues.

Body

Health education builds students' knowledge, skills, and positive

attitudes about health. Health education teaches about physical, mental,

emotional and social health. It motivates students to improve and

maintain their health, prevent disease, and reduce risky behaviors.

Untreated mental health conditions are among the leading causes of

suicide, and this alarming increase is more proof that young people are

an increasingly vulnerable group when it comes to mental health, say

experts. Teen depression rates are on the rise, yet obstacles prevent

students of all age groups from getting the help they need.

If mental health education are taught in school , With this

knowledge, students and teachers alike can learn how to identify

warning signs, whether within themselves or those around them. Once

these signs are recognized, students and staff will have the skills and
knowledge they need to reach out for help. When suicide prevention

resources are enabled, the risk of suicide amongst teens will decrease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in

12 teenagers attempted suicide in 2012. By the next year, 8% of all high

school students had actually acted on their suicidal thoughts. When

students learn suicide prevention in school, they’re given the resources

they need to address their own suicidal feelings, or those of a friend. As

such, proper education could lead to a dramatic decrease in suicidal

thoughts and attempts amongst teenagers.

Unfortunately, however, most students are not adequately taught

about suicide prevention in school or at home. This means that the

majority of teenagers are unable to properly handle suicidal feelings.

As many of us know, one’s teenage years can be tumultuous. What

many don’t fully understand is what could lead teenagers to consider or

attempt suicide. The answer to this, however, can be complex, and often

involves both environmental and emotional factors. Depression: Up to

20% of teenagers report incidences of depression. This can include

feelings up worthlessness, hopelessness, loneliness, or helplessness.

Often, teens feel that the only way to end these feelings is through death.

Stress and Anxiety: Much like depression, teens experience stress

and anxiety at high rates, and cannot find healthy coping

mechanisms. Mental Illness or Family History: Teens who experience

mental illness or have a family history of mental illness are more likely to
attempt suicide. Physical Illness: Teens with physical illnesses often see

themselves as different from their peers, which can be devastating during

youth, leading to suicidal thoughts and actions. Brain Development: The

human brain is still developing during teenage years. As such, many

students do not have the capacity to handle feelings of sadness,

depression, anxiety, rejection, or hurt. Bullying: With the rise of social

media and technology, bullying has become more prevalent than ever.

Teens who experience bullying often see no way out of the situation other

than suicide. Abuse, Neglect, or Trauma: Teens who experience parental

abuse or neglect, or those who have experienced trauma at home (such

as the death of a loved one) are more likely to commit suicide. Substance

Abuse: Often, substance abuse, other mental illness, and suicide go

hand in hand in the teenage community. Access to Means: Teenagers

with the means to commit suicide (including access to weapons) are

more likely to actually make an attempt.

Proper access to resources is key to preventing and treating any

disease, whether physical or mental. As previously stated, teenagers’

brains and bodies are still in development, and as such, they need

guidance and counseling to properly cope with negative feelings,

emotions, and situations.

Whether students are experiencing a poor home life or an

undiagnosed mental illness, a suicide prevention program could help

guide them in the right direction. Important aspects of any suicide


prevention program should include:Risk factors associated with

suicide;Resources for help;Facts and statistics about suicide; and How

help yourself or a loved one.

Few studies, however, have looked at whether these services

improve students’ emotional well-being.

Researchers sought to fill this gap by comparing the prevalence of

depressive episodes and suicide risk among students in 168 schools in

Oregon. Twenty-five of the schools had SBHCs, and 14 of them added

mental health services in 2013. Authors also compared mental health

risks among demographic groups.

Students in grades eight and 11 took part in the Oregon Healthy

Teen Survey in 2013 and 2015. Depressive episodes were assessed by

asking students if in the past year they ever felt so sad or hopeless

almost every day for at least two weeks that they stopped doing their

usual activities. They also were asked if they seriously thought about

attempting suicide and how many times they attempted suicide in the

past 12 months.

Results showed students at schools that increased mental health

services were less likely to report depressive episodes, suicidal ideation

and suicide attempts than students at other schools. There was a 26%

relative decrease in the prevalence of suicidal ideation and 32% decrease

in the prevalence of suicide attempts from 2013-’15 among students in


schools with SBHCs that added mental health services compared with

other students.

No differences were found in the associations between increased

availability of mental health services and mental health indicators among

demographic subgroups.

“This study suggests that increasing availability of SBHC mental

health services may have a beneficial effect on the emotional health of

adolescents,” the authors concluded.

Conclusions

Teens are a vulnerable population of individuals and to maintain

proper health, both physically and mentally, they must be given the

proper resources. By adding suicide prevention to a school’s curriculum,

students are better able to handle and address suicidal thoughts or

intentions. Prevention can save lives, especially those of younger

populations who are at higher risk.

And therefore mental health education should be include in

Secondary education in the Philippines.

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