Student Wellness: A Focus on Mental Health First Aid
Blog by Bebe Zazzaro
Many of us have a family, friend, student, child, or know of someone who struggles with ADHD, ADD, anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, or addiction. We may recognize that they are struggling in their daily lives, but are not sure what to do or are afraid of what others will think or say if they found out.
The reality is that mental challenges are more common than cancer, heart disease, or lung disease combined. In the United States, approximately 50 percent of the population will meet the criteria for a mental disorder at some point in their lives, many with their first onset during childhood or adolescence.
Many children and young adults experience a mental health challenge or disorder that interferes with their development and daily life activities. Some of these challenges are mild and may only last for a short period of time, while others will last a lifetime. Early intervention is key, yet research shows that there is often a long delay between when symptoms first occur and when people seek treatment, and that only about a third will get help.
For this reason, many children and teens suffer and turn to harmful behaviors to try to cope. In 2012, suicide was the second leading cause of death among people age 10-24 in the U.S. Many young people with mental health challenges can be helped with early identification, appropriate support, and intervention. The more people are aware of what effective supports and treatments exist, the more people will get the appropriate help they need.
Here at Darlington, we are committed to staying attuned to issues that impact student wellness. We recognize that teacher training is an impactful way to ensure students’ well-being. Our entire faculty and staff has participated in Darkness to Light training, a sexual abuse prevention program, and last fall, the committee looked for a program to address mental health concerns with youth. In our research, we discovered the Mental Health First Aid program, which aims to educate the community about mental health and mental illness and to teach adults how to recognize the signs of mental health distress and how to respond in a mental health emergency. We wrote a grant proposal and were awarded a Thatcher Grant last spring, which allowed our faculty to take the eight-hour Mental Health First Aid course this summer. During the year, Upper School Counselor Chris Allen and I plan to take the Mental Health First Aid instructor course so that we can become certified instructors. This way we can continue to educate new faculty and staff each year as well as offer classes to parents and the community.
We want Darlington and Rome to be a place where mental health and illness is understood and supported -- where people can talk about what they are going through and get the help and support they need. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in hearing more about our wellness initiatives at Darlington.