Title: Is mental health neglected in our children’s schools?
Headings: Is mental health neglected in our children’s schools?
Is mental health neglected in our children’s schools?
Learn more about mental health disorders in children and teens.

Content: The mental health crisis in our schools is a result of a lack of education on the matter, and a lack of resources to properly mitigate it. Teachers, who are the most hands-on with these students the majority of the time, aren't trained in mental health. And on top of that, they have 25+ other students in that class and dozens of other responsibilities on their plate. They are not equipped with the time, resources, or training necessary to give students with signs of mental health issues the unique attention they deserve. Moreover, mental health education is seldom part of the student’s curriculum, even though parents recognize the importance of the subject. And then there are the school counselors. With each counselor responsible for an average of 500 students, the chances of them recognizing symptoms of mental health issues in a portion of those students are slim. They are also employed to focus primarily on academics, so unless this student is seeing them on a regular basis for matters of academia, the counselor is unlikely to notice changes in behavior or attitude that would signify an underlying disorder. A school psychologist would be ideal, but it's rare that public schools have full-time specialists in this field on staff. So what can be done?