Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate?
By Tim Walker
A recent Duke University study involving more than 10,000 American teenagers revealed that more than half of adolescents with psychiatric disorders go untreated. For those who do receive treatment, schools are the most likely source. That’s good and bad news. While schools play a vitally important role, budget cuts – and misplaced priorities – have been undermining their ability to provide these services.“It’s still the case in this country that people don’t take psychiatric conditions as seriously as they should,” said Jane Costello, associate director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy. “This, despite the fact that these conditions are linked to a whole host of other problems.”
U.S. schools have by default become the mental health system for the nation’s children, a role that was magnified in the wake of the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. Trained and licensed counselors, however, are not the regular presence at schools they used to be. Mental health professionals are rotated among schools, if available at all.
The National Education Association supports a comprehensive approach to making schools safer that includes addressing mental-health needs. “We must dramatically expand our investment in mental health
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Is Mental Health Still Struggling for Attention in the School Safety Debate?
By Tim Walker A recent Duke University study involving more than 10,000 American teenagers revealed that more than half of adolescents with psychiatric disorders go untreated. For those who do receive treatment, schools are the most likely source. That’s good and bad news. While schools play a vitally important role, budget cuts – and misplaced priorities – have been undermining their ability to provide these services. “It’s still the case in this country that people don’t take psychiatric conditions as seriously as they should,” said Jane Costello, associate director of the Duke Center for Ch
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