Ryan Rayos
EL CAJON, CALIF. — Ryan Lin recently presented on mental health issues for high school students. Lin, speaking on behalf of the Student Advisory Board of Education in Sacramento, expressed concern for poor mental health practices in younger students related to schoolwork. “Throughout high school,” he said, “ I too struggle with mental health problems… and anxiety became my best friend.” Lin, a senior at Irvine High School, goes on to provide research that “one in six youth have mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.”
School is a heavy workload and at such a young age, some students cannot handle time management when so many things are piled into their schedules. Lin urged the California Department of Education to promote a best practice program that built mentors into the system. If integrated, he projected that students would have someone to help guide them through time management issues and bigger mental health concerns.
The way that education is structured in our country has always led to mental health issues in students at such a young age“Approximately 1 in 5 adolescents (ages 12-17) experiences a mental health condition” according to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Additionally, the Mental Health Foundation continues to research this claim of mental health issues beginning at a very young age by stating that, “20% of adolescents report having experienced a mental health problem in the past year” and that “50% of mental health conditions begin by the age of 14.”
Grossmont College offers mental health services including the Student Health and Wellness Center on campus, which provides mental health counseling services to all currently enrolled students. The website includes the phone numbers to crisis and suicide hotlines that are available 24/7. Grossmont also offers a wellness vending machine on campus.
Mental health issues can often lead to self-harm or suicide. According to a study conducted by Kansas State University, “Half of all youth who suffer from depression will attempt suicide at least once. Emily Ingco, a student and worker at Grossmont College and Southwestern College, “lost her older brother to suicide.” The stress that he had to deal with from juggling family duties, work, and most importantly, school,” Ingco said, “was too much for him to handle with his depression.”
Lin’s proposal, or other similar proposals, might aid students in finding a healthy balance. Only then will mental health for students improve in America.
Grossmont Mental Health Services: https://www.grossmont.edu/student-support/health-and-wellness/mental-health-services/index.php
Grossmont Student Health and Wellness Services: https://www.grossmont.edu/student-support/health-and-wellness/
211 San Diego: https://211sandiego.org/
Kansas State University: https://www.k-state.edu/counseling/services/resources/self_help/teensuicidestats.html#:~:text=Over%20half%20of%20all%20youth,more%20frequently%20than%20young%20men.
Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/children-young-people-statistics#:~:text=20%25%20of%20adolescents%20may%20experience,4
