Better School Programs for Mental Health

One of the many health problems affecting children or adolescents today is bullying. Children who experience bullying reported that they got bullied by their looks, body shape, and/or race (Bullying 2015). One out of every four students (22%) report being bullied during the school year in the United States (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). About 46% of children or adolescents in Kentucky are victims of bullying in schools. Bullying is most commonly described by three characteristics: it is intentionally harmful, it is repetitive in nature, and there is a power difference between the bully and the victim (Oleweus, 1993). Almost 64% of children who are bullied do not report it; only 36% report the bullying (Petrosina, Guckenburg, DeVoe, And Hanson, 2010). It is impossible to determine the exact number of bullying incidents that occur in our primary and secondary schools each year. While there is some evidence to suggest that students now find schools safer that they were ten years ago, but bullying still occurs every day somewhere in someone’s life.

The article "Gay Teens Are at Risk," was written by Paula Schleis and Kim Hone-McMahan and was published in 2004 in Teens at Risk. This article describes how society is forcing the adolescents in the LGBT community into depression and causing them to attempt suicide. According to the article, gay teens risk loosing friends and loved ones if they 'come out of the closet' and thus either try to fruitlessly hide their sexuality or attempt suicide. Additionally, the article states that one-third of teen suicides are committed by homosexuals because of homophobia. With this article's use of pathos and heart-string-pulling language gain empathy and attention from their readers. Though neither authors have a personal background or connection to the

Bullying is the cause of many suicides and deaths (Home n. pag). In McCormack’s article, he explains how many students are bullied each day and harassed to the point where they question their own self-esteem. They are no longer

Mental health is vital in every stage of life. It heavily influences the way people think, communicate, and handle difficulties. The absence of mental health services, especially for a person who really needs it, can be detrimental to lives. To best assist an individual in becoming a contributive citizen, these services must be accessible at an early age. I firmly believe that P-12 schools should integrate comprehensive mental health services due to being essential factors in the emotions, attitudes, and behavior of students.

Bullying is known as the use of strength and intimidation to get a desired action or object from a person. There are many different forms of bullying. Name-calling, hazing, and starting rumors are a few examples of modern bullying techniques. Although bullying is prevalent in many aspects of today’s society, most attention is being turned to bullying in schools. Bullying in schools has been a leading cause of depression and suicide. Because of this, many schools have begun to implement new anti-bullying programs to discourage bullying and offer support to victims. Despite these efforts, teens are still harboring depression and committing suicide. Bullying it still prevalent in today’s youth community, despite

Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide, and its impact on education can be profound: Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied. In addition, bullying can cause mental and physical stress,

Countless parents look at bullying as a part of growing up. The parents who have this mindset, do not realize the effects it has on the kids who are bullied, and how devastating it can be. Bullying does not happen with just one or two incidents, it can continue daily with a demeaning and barrage of incidents. According to the Center for Disease Control in 2014, “suicide is considered the third leading cause of death with the results consisting of about 4,400 deaths per year” (Bullying Suicide Statistics, 2014). Also, a study conducted by Yale University shows that the victims of bullying are 7 to 9% likely to consider suicide. In another study by the ABC News, every day over 30,000 children are staying home because of fear of bullying at school. In Britain, studies have discovered over half of suicides among teens are the result of bullying.

Bullying affects children and teenagers because it can lead to low self esteem, isolation, depression, and even self-harm or worse, suicide. There are many websites that are not conclusive because they contain anecdotes without statistical evidence or case studies and research. “Bullying Is a 'Serious Public Health Problem,' Experts Say” by Ashley Strickland’s audience ranges from parents to teenagers. Strickland provides credible information on bullying because she includes essential content, statistical evidence, and solutions, which makes this article as an important and valuable source to use for a cause-and-effect essay.

Bullying is defined as a physical or mental victimization of a person by another person or group. Bullying is a major problem among teens in the United States today. During the 2007 -2008 school year over thirty-two percent of the nation’s students had reported a case of being harassed or abused by a fellow peer. Bullying causes a rapid declination is the victim 's mental health. They suffer drastic, and dangerous behavior changes, mental issues that are similar to these could result in physical self-harm. As of 2007, suicide is the third-leading death cause for young people ages twelve to eighteen. The SPRC (Suicide Prevention Resource Center) said that children who are victims of bullying are at a higher risk for suicide. Not only are they at risk for suicide, in some cases people who are subject to bullying suffer from mental problems such as interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic symptoms. Issues, as such, do not just fade away with time. In most cases, people who suffer from one of these mental issues carry it into their adulthood. Chronic bullying can have long-term effects on suicidal risk and mental health that often persist into adulthood and affect everyday life. Bullying can cause rapid declination a person 's mental health, which causes them to develop chronic mental issues that can carry into adulthood and affect everyday life.

Over recent years, school bullying has become an important issue and underlying factor for more serious circumstances like school shootings, suicides, and countless student dropouts. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 160,000 kids per day do not attend school for fear of being bullied (A, 2013). With such a high number afraid to attend school, it’s not hard to see how this behavior drastically affects their quality of education and overall school experiences. Bullying can also produce physical responses such as headaches, stomach pains, anxiety, and possible depression, which in turn can affect the student’s self-esteem and sense of belonging. An issue causing such extreme emotional and physical pain is often addressed by schools

While some high school students think that being bullied isn’t a big deal, it is a proven fact that “victims of bullying are more than twice as likely to contemplate suicide and about 2.5 times as likely to try to kill themselves as students who have not be bullied”. This study was done on students that have been teased, harassed, and even beaten up while they were in place such as their own school. Students who are being bullied can even begin to have physical symptoms that range from headaches to sleeping problems. These students try to push through the pain physically, but mentally they are falling apart.

Bullying occurs most frequently on school grounds rather than as often believed. It is important that parents pay close attention to their children in order to pinpoint the signs of bullying. For instance, researchers show that bullies are more likely to engage in antisocial and criminal behaviors in there adolescence and adulthood (Batsche & Knoff 1994; Farrington, 1991; Olweus, 1993). In fact bullies are more likely to be convicted of a crime in their early 20s. We may not understand why people choose to bully others, but we can try to putting an end to it by acknowledging the warning signs; of the bullier and the victim. There is a strong connection between bullying and suicide-related behaviors, but this behavior is usually mediated by other factors, including depression, violent behavior, and substance abuse.

As adolescents try to understand and figure out their true self, they are subject to a lot of hate and ridicule. Being a homosexual male or female comes with an abundance of health risks and suicide is the main one. Substance abuse and depression are minor health risks accompanied with being a homosexual adolescent. Sexual orientation has developed as a much debated risk variable for adolescent suicide lately. It is usually trusted that the troubles of managing the disgrace of homosexuality may prompt depression and even suicide among homosexual men and women; this might be especially elevated among youth, while developing sexuality turns into a focal issue in young people lives. “LGB youth are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide as their straight peers”(CDC 2011). It is important for these individuals to have all the help and support to prevent any of the health risks from happening. Those “who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection.”(Family acceptance project 2009). Family is the main unit of support needed for adolescents who are finding or living their sexual identity.

Advocating for LGBTQ students in the school would reduce suicide rates and acknowledge the validity of their identities. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens aged 10 to 14 (CDC, 2010). The suicide rate for LGBTQ people is so high that there is a need to find a way to prevent these suicides. People in the LGBTQ community are discriminated against, therefore leading to a high suicide rate. We must find a way to make it so they do not think suicide is their only option because they are as human as their heterosexual counterparts. Doctors Katherine Schreiber and Heather Hausenblas, state that, “Generally speaking, factors that protect against suicide in youth include having a positive relationship with one or more parent, feeling positively connected to and

As a result of being bullied, the victims may experience mental or physical health-related issues. As research has it, the victims become more anxious, sad, experience sleeping difficulties, low self esteem, headaches, and general tension as compared to their non-bullied peers. Many victims require counseling to come in terms with the bullying and help rebuild their lives owing to the fact that bullying can lead to panic attacks, depression, and physical ailments such as ulcers. The psychological stress can further cause the victim’s body to weaken and become less resistant to diseases and infections, thereby getting sick more often. More to this, children who are bullied are likely to suffer academically as they start fearing to go to school which is the source of their stress. The bad thing about bullying is that it is continuous and can last a lifetime in the victim’s mind. In some cases it may be so severe that the victims begin having thoughts of suicide whereby they may end up committing it if not well looked at. And since it lowers their self-esteem, the victims feel isolated and believe they are not even worthy to have friends. Worse still, some of their friends withdraw from them in the fear of becoming the