Mental health should be a focus in schools

As a society, we overlook how powerful perception is for a human’s experience in life. We don’t give mental health the credit for being a factor in happy relationships, resiliency in dayto-day life skills, being in a satisfying job, having a sense of purpose, and being able to make good decisions in life. We see a rise in divorce rates and we look at incomes and stresses couples face, but do we look at how we raise people to deal with themselves and others?

People talk of having available mental health services, and there’s no doubt that it’s needed and can help. But it’s not just the rising rates of suicide or violent acts that makes mental health an important subject. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in ages 10-24 in the United States, and many people who commit suicide do not meet criteria for a mental disorder. We must look at mental health in a different way than before.

There are physical health classes to fight the growing rate of obesity, but where are the mental health classes to fight the rise of depression, suicide, anxiety and violence? There are debates on sexual education and one side fights that people need to be educated to make healthy decisions. But what about how our mental health affects all the decisions we make? We as individuals need to learn how to be assertive, resilient, listen to others, communicate, cope with stress and deal effectively in relationships and life.

I’m not talking about intro to psychology that can be taken at the college level where the formation of that field of science is explored. I’m talking about classes that teach people how their perception affects their bodies, how to be assertive, how to know your own self-care and basic inter- and intrapersonal skills.

Mental health is a huge aspect of the outcome of people’s lives. Having strong mental health can affect all decisions that guide a person’s life, so why do we not teach aspects of good mental health in schools? KATI STREET Fayetteville