Mental Health: Is It More Or Less Important Than Stigma

In American society there are children and adolescents who commit suicide and it has become a major concern. According to the world health organization, suicide is the second or third cause of death among young people in many countries worldwide among those 10 to 14 years old and the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 years old, stated from CDC/NCHS in 2011. Suicide must be prevented. There are three articles that show us the study of how school programs and connectedness can prevent suicide from occurring. Article one called “Connectedness and Suicide prevention in Adolescents: Pathways and Implication” by the Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior from the American Association of Suicidology. Article two “Preventing Child Suicide: The Elementary School Death Education Puppet Show” by G.R. Bernhardt and Susan G. Praeger. Article three “Suicide prevention in adolescents: a controlled study of the effectiveness of a school-based psycho-educational program” by Gwendolyn Portzky and Kees Heeringen.

In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide, 13.6% made a suicide plan, 8.0% attempted suicide, and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way mental illness is handled in today’s society. Also, approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009).

7. Lt Col Chris Karns, "Eliminating Stigma: A Leadership Responsibility," U.S. Air Force, 02 September 2014,

The disparity in treatment has been attempted to be remedied over the eras. Bills and Acts put into place in the 20th and 21st centuries have seeked to improve care and reduce stigma around those with mental illness. This began in 1942, when Harry Truman signed the National Mental Health Act, which requested the formation of a National Institute of Mental Health. Shortly after this, in 1949, the National Institute of Mental Health was established (“National Institute of Mental Health”). During the company’s 60 year lifespan they have focused on research about mental illness, educating the public, and improving the lives of the mentally ill by working to pass laws. One law that seeks to reduce the stigma of mental illness is the Mental Healths Service Act of California. "California 's Historic Effort To Reduce The Stigma Of Mental Illness: The Mental Health Services Act" from the American Journal Of Public Health illustrates how the Act will make improvements. Families and individuals who have experienced stigma had a big role in the process, specifically with developing a 10 year plan, the California Strategic Plan on Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination. One component of the Act discussed is the work plan developed by California Mental Health Services Authority, which has three components: stigma and discrimination reduction, student mental health, and suicide prevention. Organizations such as the NIMH have made efforts resulting in the evolution of mental

One of the biggest contributors for poor healthcare is the stigma against mental health. This stigma allows healthcare providers to view those with a mental illness as having low relevance, thus creating disinclination towards providing adequate resources and/or care. This negative stance, based on misinformation and prejudice creates those that have a mental illness to lose their self confidence. Because of this loss, people with mental illness decide not to contribute to their health or livelihood. In the past fifty years, many advances have been made in mental healthcare. However, with the attached stigma, many people choose to not seek out treatment.

Depression- the most diagnosed mental illness in the world- is also the most misunderstood. Depression?a sad or discontented mood?can leave a person feeling lethargic, unmotivated, or hopeless, and in some cases ? contemplate suicide. Unfortunately, depression usually begins as high levels of anxiety and with exposure to trauma in children. Higher levels of anxiety or exposure to stress-inducing and traumatic situations as a child could mean an increased risk of depression as an adult. Although a serious mental illness all over the world in

However, some of these coping strategies have been found to be maladaptive (Utsey et al., 2000). Maladaptive behaviors are actions or tendencies that hinder an individual from adjusting to situations (Weiss, 1999). Maladaptive behavior can range from minor to severe behaviors that are tolerable and safe to behaviors that are disruptive, dysfunctional and harmful to the individual (Weiss, 1999). Additionally, maladaptive behaviors are formed as a way of coping with emotional and mental discomfort as well as anxiety, but the actions typically result in a compounding of the problem. Examples of maladaptive behavior include substance abuse, attention seeking behavior, perfectionism, materialism, and sex addiction (Weiss, 1999; Rice & Lopez,

My purpose is to educate people through the ages of 15 to 24, about suicidal awareness and the help that is readily available. according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, suicide has now reached the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds, (Suicide). As an applied example of developmental psychology, suicide has researched studies that have linked teenage suicide to issues with development or other problems that occur over a person's lifetime. Some developmental issues have been recognized as anything from abuse, bullying, family problems, to mental health disorders. Studies tend to focus on lifestyles of the specific group being studied, home environment, social environment, medical history, mental

Before the age of eighteen nearly a fourth of all young persons will deal with mental illness (Shirk and Jungbluth 217). Only around a third of these children will receive professional treatment (United States Public Health Service qtd. in Shirk and Jungbluth 222). Because of the risk of suicide in mentally ill young people, it is crucial that mental health services are readily available to our youth in school settings. Therefore, schools should administer mandatory mental health screenings because mental illness often affects academic performance, and the majority of young persons that commit suicide have a treatable illness.

The problem that will be addressed in this proposal is the growing number of student suicide cases and the thoughts of committing suicide by students. Suicide is the second leading cause of deaths among people age 15-24 (Garraza et al. 2015). That statistic makes it imperative for all educators to develop a solution to this epidemic.

Day to day, teens suffer from peer pressure, problem from home, and stress from academics. Despise their status in the environment, majority of high school students refrain from acknowledging the presence of their reality. The problem in most situations in that students feel shut in, trapped in a never ending misery. How do they cope? What are their ways of dealing? Most students live in denial. Others have friends to confide in. For the devastating part, most students are not as open to these ideas and it leaves them with this alternative: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause in teens the ages 14 to 19 within rural underserved areas. Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared with peers or even adults in the pursuit of receiving help or support (Pisani, 2012). Because a student spends most of their day at school, it is ideal for schools to provide realistic opportunities and school-based programs to assist with the suicide among the youth. The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program designed four 50 minute session or each high school student. This presented information in regards to factual information about depression, suicidal warning signs, suicidal risk factors and myths associated with suicide (King, 2010). The program provide coping strategies for everyday life, referral sources if feeling suicidal, and how to recognize

If left untreated, the condition may lead to considerable worry or limitations in other areas of the child's life. Peer relationships, school functioning, and family functioning all may suffer. Depression may develop. In some situations, in response to the extreme anxiety, social isolation, and limited activities, a child may develop thoughts of

Teenage mental-health severely impacts a developing child's success in school and their day-to-day lives. Issues like depression and suicide need to be explored in our education because many are being affected.

Kids will become isolated. Some kids will turn to someone for help. While others will act out against each other. So when there is no one to turn to for comfort there will always be things that can fill that empty space, though they aren’t the best choices because it can be very harmful to them and to others. They say that drugs help ease the pain but it can also kill you. Most believe that when depressed or just extremely sad, that killing themselves may be the best option or that a