Schools are sounding the alarm about a growing mental health crisis affecting America’s children

The national survey by Effective School Solutions, an organization that implements mental health care in schools, released Wednesday, found the country’s school administrators, parents and students continue to grapple with an adolescent mental health crisis. Almost all (90%) administrators and almost 60% of parents reported that the crisis is increasing. About 60% of administrative officials say that the mental health of young people has remained the same or worsened compared to a year ago.

“Amid the isolation and trauma of COVID-19, this deterioration has only worsened,” said Duncan Young, CEO of Effective School Solutions. “It is very likely that the echoes and trauma of the pandemic in adolescent mental health will linger long after the pandemic itself is behind us, which speaks to the urgent need for better solutions for our children.”

The survey of 200 school administrators and 1,000 parents who have children from kindergarten to 12th grade was conducted in the autumn.

The survey found that addressing mental health in the early stages of schools is difficult, and educators say they face staffing and financial challenges. COVID relief funds have helped address school districts’ mental health issues, but they’re likely to be phased out in the next few years, Young says. He draws attention to the need for more sustained funding for school districts to continue prioritizing mental health care.

“Districts will soon be largely left to their own devices to receive the additional support that is still badly needed,” says Young. “We cannot afford to go backwards. Our children and their future depend on it.”

The survey also found that 40% of parents and 50% of educators are concerned that schools do not have enough staff to address students’ needs, including mental health; over 80% of parents believe schools should play a role in treating adolescents’ mental health; Administrators who say they have no information on funding resources for mental health programs exceeds 50%. 40% of school leaders report a high level of confidence that their school is adequately addressing adolescent mental health, compared to 16% of parents.

Mental health care in schools relieves parents of the obligation to address mental health issues exclusively at home, Young says, especially given that children spend most of their time within the confines of a classroom. Effective mental health care includes various behavioral interventions for people with different needs. For example, individual, group, and family therapy can take place during a student’s school day, Young says. Effective School Solutions works with districts to integrate these programs directly into everyday school life.

“It serves as recurring mental health care, like an elective built into the student’s curriculum,” he says.

Educating yourself about what to look for is the starting point. Young provides the following acronym, in his own words, to help parents and administrators recognize the signs and symptoms of a potential mental health problem: SIGECAPS

• S= Sleep disorder, such as For example, a student who falls asleep in class becomes overly tired.
• I= decrease from interest in previous interests or activities.
• G = Excessive feelings of fault and hopelessness.
• E=increase or decrease in energy – Lethargy, which differs from fatigue.
• C=Decrease concentration and the ability to stay focused, which can often be reflected in lower grades.
• A = decrease or increase in appetitesuch as a change in eating habits
• P= psychomotor Retardation is the slowing down of your mental or physical activities. Students typically see this in the form of slow thinking or slow body movements.
• S= Tired of life Thoughts, plans or intentions. Of course, this is the most serious of all symptoms that require immediate action.

Any one of these symptoms alone or in combination with another is not uncommon for students, but Young says they should monitor if they persist for a long time. Operating in 9 states to serve over 90 districts, Effective School Solutions implements mental health care in schools so students do not have to be removed from the classroom for nursing care.

“The question is no longer whether our students need support, but what the most effective mental health services are and how districts can best implement them,” says Young. “In short, the conversation for school districts has shifted from ‘should we provide these services’ to ‘how do I implement these services in an effective way?’

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