I obviously don’t know the situation in every school across the country so I will focus on my school. I have been going to my all girls grammar school for just over 4 years now and mental health has never been mentioned. I think that it has made my journey with anxiety has been made by much harder by the lack of understanding by myself and others. I found it difficult to talk to people because it had never been openly talked about so I saw it as a taboo subject.
None of my friends understood what anxiety was as we hadn’t been taught about it, therefore they only had stereotypes of mental health patients in their heads. I just found that no one understood what anxiety really was which made it hard for me to really open up about it. I also suffer from bad panic attacks which often strike at random meaning I need friends to help me. However, I was actually quite surprised at the number of people who didn’t actually know what a panic attack was. I knew that a lot of people would not know how to deal with it but some people were really helpful during them. I hated the fact that a lot of people would crowd around although I knew sometimes they had the best intention. I also experienced a lot of negative attitudes towards anxiety with people making negative comments about wanting attention and using anxiety to get out of things. I don’t think this would be the case if they were properly educated about mental health issues.
I’ve also experienced a lack of understanding from teachers. I’m not saying that this is the case with all of them because most have been understanding and gone out of their way to help me but sadly, this is overshadowed by the few who haven’t understood. I’ve had negative comments made towards me, been told to deal with it myself and been left in the dark when I missed work. I also found that many teachers didn’t recognise or know how to deal with panic attacks but most have asked me what I want and need them to do.
Most schools teach first aid training and how to keep health but nothing about mental health problems. This is just another example of physical health being seen as more important than mental health. 1 in 10 teenagers will suffer with mental health problems which is around 3 in every class. It’s almost guaranteed that you will have to help someone suffering from a mental health problem at some point but when was the last time you, or anyone you know, needed CPR? I know it can save someone’s life and is important to know but by helping someone with a mental health problem, you can also save their life.
The pressure that schools put upon students, especially high achievers, can be quite detrimental to a child’s mental health. In my school, expectations are very high so teachers put a lot of pressure upon students to achieve. Anything below an A grade is seen as a failure by many even though C is a pass. Being told all of the time that they are failing can make someone feel very low which could contribute to a mental health problem. The constant pressue to do well and the abundance of work students are meant to complete will inevitably take its toll on their mental health if they feel that they cannot do it.
Surely schools are the best place to teach about mental health because it’s much harder to teach adults. If we break down stereotypes at a younger age then this generation will carry the education about mental health with them through their lives so in the future, mental health will be more understood and less of a taboo subject which many sufferers see it as. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have mental health problems if it was recognised in school or if we had received education about it. Instead, what I am saying, is that I don’t think it would have got to the level it did before being recognised and I think I would be able to open up more if other students and teachers understood the problem fully.
I would be interested to know your experiences of mental health problems in schools; being a student or a staff member. You can contact me through the links on the contact page or submit a feedback form on the same page.