by Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
Prior to the epidemic, which has placed unique strains on youngsters, it was obvious that the figures on mental health were as depicted. It is also emphasized that our educational system is entering a new phase as it relates to how to cope with student mental injuries in the post-pandemic environment.
Recent years have revealed a new trend of allowing students to miss school for mental health care. A “valid excuse” for a student’s absence will now include “mental or behavioral health,” broadening an earlier definition that referred to mental illness as part of school safety. As a human right, it is crucial to the sustainable development of this world, so much so that within the UN’s 17 SDGs, the third one emphasizes ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages.
Uncertainty is brought on by hazardous amounts of stress that can be produced when a lot of things happen quickly. These days validate that the community and society are saying, “We understand and we’re supporting you in this way,” and they encourage mental health so that students can put their health first.
Students in competitive programs are asked why they would take a day off when everyone else is experiencing worry because it is regarded as so common. Standardized examinations are apparently undermining students’ awareness of mental health, which leads them to fear being penalized for taking a break. This has produced a world in which a person’s value is determined by meaningless numbers.
With students who are adversely affected by the consequences of social issues, these mental sick days are a way to at least end the silence and talk about the problem.
Some schools struggle to identify which pupils are having difficulties before it’s too late and a crisis scenario develops. Even if they do get back to the students, the scarcity of human resources has caused their attention to be divided among 100 different ones.
Our understanding of mental health has far too many blind spots. All of us are constrained to make decisions based on only 50% of the available information. Particularly, non-communicable illnesses have become some of the leading causes of death worldwide, since they represent an alarming trend at the moment.
Others experienced skepticism and opposition from legislators who were concerned that students would use mental health days as a justification to skip school or that such a bill would coddle children; nonetheless, it was better to be concerned about them being negatively impacted by taking time off. So that their children can’t take a wellness day, parents must set a boundary and prepare a legitimate mental health day.
Aristotle—“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
This generation is aware that telling someone who is struggling mentally to “toughen up” may only push them over the brink. Every generation believes that their time is much harder than the one before, and the medical industry is contributing to this belief. It can change a young person’s life if they feel confident in asking for assistance.
The Every Student Succeeds Act, a federal education law, is exerting pressure on schools to reduce high rates of chronic absenteeism. Some educators might be reluctant to invent a new excuse for absences in light of those constraints. Chronic absenteeism has an impact on graduation rates here, and it occurs at a time when the law is being applied to schools across the country.
To recapitulate, there is still much work to be done to destigmatize mental health, but there have been a lot of improvements in the last few decades. A world where every student has a toolkit of abilities to help not only themselves but also others going through a mental health crisis goes beyond just eradicating the stigma surrounding mental illness or assisting kids with their mental issues in a more preventative way.