Persuasive Essay

This essay was done in conjunction with my advocacy project. I discuss the issue of youth mental illness in society. I will outline the reasons for early involvement, the specific actions I advocate, and the benefits that society may see from these actions. 

 

Youth in Society: The Reform of Mental Illness Treatment

Audience: The ideal audience for this essay is school administrators. It is important for school administrators to hear this message because they have the opportunity to improve the health of youth in their area. They can also improve their school’s reputation through the actions outlined in this essay. Theoretically, this essay would fit well in School Administrator, which is a monthly publication by the American Association of School Administrators. This magazine is delivered in every school administrator in the country who is a member of the AASA.

 

Introduction

 

On the outside Ally appeared to be a happy, healthy little girl. On the inside, though, she was in a nearly constant state of turmoil. At the age of seven Ally began having severe anxiety attacks, but she will not be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder for another fifteen years. Throughout her life, Ally would wake up in the middle of the night panicked in a hot sweat. She compulsively worried about everything, and as she entered high school and college her condition worsened. Why did it take so long for Ally to be diagnosed? Partly because “mental health wasn’t something we were educated about in school” (“Ally’s Story”). Ally’s story is heart-breaking, and sadly she is not an anomaly. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 13% of youth live with a serious mental illness (“Facts on Children’s”). Thirteen percent cannot be overlooked, and there are practical solutions available. In order to provide support and treatment for individuals afflicted by mental illness it is vital to implement programs into early education.

 

Before I dive into the specifics of my proposal, it is important to give some background about the issue of mental illness affecting the overall population. Mental illness is commonly defined as any “medical condition that interferes with a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning” (“Facts on Children’s”). There are many kinds of mental illness, from Schizophrenia to depression to Attention-Deficit Disorder. Unfortunately, there is a stigma around mental illness, so many individuals are disinclined to seek help when they need it. Mental disorders affect about one in four adults, so it is shocking that this issue does not receive more attention considering how many people it concerns (“The Numbers Count”). Because of these unnerving facts, I will first set forth why we need to get involved with children at a relatively young age. Then I will outline the actions that I believe will be the most beneficial. Finally, I will move into the benefits that society will see following specific actions taken to address this problem.

 

Importance of Early Intervention

 

Let’s face it: our system for the treatment of mental illness is flawed. For example, in a Texas newspaper, a mother reported on the downfalls of the public school system with regards to youth mental illness. The author’s three year old son was scolded by teachers for his inability to sit still so often that his classmates started referring to him simply as “bad” rather than his name. Because of the school’s failure, “his self-esteem plummeted causing him severe anxiety and increased behavioral concerns that escalated into impulse-control issues” (Whittington). This unfortunate shortcoming is the core of why I believe that the best way to improve the system is to focus on youth with mental illnesses. Instead of treating adults who have developed severe emotional disorders, we should intervene at an early age. In effect, we have the opportunity to diminish the number of adults who need treatment for severe disorders in the first place. In other words, the best place to begin is at the beginning. If we implement programs to increase awareness and diagnosis of youth mental illness, then more young adults can get the help they need. Children with emotional disorders can be treated early, effectively cutting out years of suffering (“Facts on Children’s”). For every year we choose to ignore this issue, the number of children suffering from mental illness increases.

 

If childhood mental illnesses are left untreated then they can compound over the years. The average timespan from when a person starts exhibiting symptoms and when they are first diagnosed is eight to ten years (“Facts on Children’s”). During these years their condition progressively worsens, until they are forced to take action. In order to prevent people from developing debilitating emotional disorders, we need to act when they are young and their illnesses are less severe; “since children develop rapidly, delivering mental health services and supports early and swiftly is necessary to avoid permanent consequences and to ensure that children are ready for school” (“Achieving the Promise”). Based on research done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “intervening early can interrupt the negative course of some mental illnesses and may lessen long-term disability” (“Facts on Children’s”). Middle school constitutes a significant change in how adolescents are treated and educated. By this point in their education they have enough self-awareness to consider these problems relevant to their own lives.

 

Course of Action

 

Because of the tremendous impact of youth education, programs raising awareness should be implemented in early education. The goal of this program is two pronged. First, to raise awareness of the issue of youth mental illness. Second, to foster diagnosis and treatment of youth suffering from emotional disorders. One method would be to mandate that all students complete a module regarding mental illness during their first year in middle school. These modules could take a variety of different forms. For example, I would recommend include basic interactive descriptions of the most prevalent forms of emotional disorders. For each disorder, the students should learn the symptoms, the statistics about the demographics of the disease, the treatment options available, and a story about a real person who has suffered from this disease. Making students work through these four components will greatly increase their overall knowledge about mental illnesses. I believe that raising awareness about many issues is half the battle. Once a basic level of awareness has been reached among students, then students can think about the more personal level of mental illnesses.

 

In addition to educating youth themselves, it is also vital to inform parents. Because parents will ultimately be the one getting help for their children, they need to be fully aware of the prevalence of mental illness in youth. Therefore, any program should include a component that would require children to talk to their parents or guardians about the issue. For example, encouraging students to talk to their parents about mental illness in their family history could have beneficial results.

 

In conjunction with these programs there should be a few faculty members at every school who are well educated in mental illnesses. These faculty members could then identify warning signs and notify the child’s parents to consult a physician. Without educated faculty, the program as a whole would be very unlikely to reach its potential success rates. Parents may be in denial of a child’s condition, and faculty intervention would be beneficial.

 

Societal and Local Benefits

 

Implementing a program in early education could give rise to a multitude of benefits. One major benefit for school administrators would be the opportunity to lower the dropout rate. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness around 50% of youth living with mental disorders drop out of high school, this is the highest dropout rate of any disability group (“Achieving the Promise”). Early intervention in the lives of afflicted youth could help them manage their disease. Additionally, early diagnosis and treatment of mentally ill youth has the potential to allay the amount of disciplinary actions taken at the school. Based on national studies conducted by United States Department of Education, students with mental illnesses have suspension and expulsion rates around three times greater than their peers (“Facts on Children’s”). These children are often misunderstood, which can lead to them acting out. Providing counseling and care to these individuals could help them feel more socially adjusted in school.

 

This effect also carries over outside the school system. Around “70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have mental disorders, with at least 20% experiencing symptoms so severe that their ability to function is significantly impaired” (“Facts on Children’s”). Because youth with mental illnesses make up a high proportion of juveniles in the justice system, focusing on youth will alleviate this problem to some extent. Also, by lessening the need for youth to attend juvenile correction centers, we can foster a larger and more productive workforce. Furthermore, the mentally ill comprise one third of the homeless population in America (“Consequences of Non-Treatment”). These individuals should be receiving treatment in order to re-integrate into society. If our society could rehabilitate the homeless suffering from mental illness, then they would be able to greatly affect the social landscape of society. The mentally ill homeless population currently stands at around 200,000 people. Imagine the societal progress we could make with 200,000 more active contributors. By effectuating comprehensive mental illness models in early education, we could set up a path to alleviating numerous societal problems.

 

When we think of mental illness, many people picture something along the lines of insane asylum where a bedraggled person paces in a corner muttering incomprehensibly. What we often do not realize is that mental illness afflicts the young as well as the old, and it is not always easy to spot. In order to combat the effects of mental illness, both societal and personal, we need to take down the problem during childhood. By implementing informative and interactive programs into the education system we can raise awareness for youth mental illness, thus taking the first step in diagnosis and treatment. Getting early treatment for youth with mental illnesses can prevent their disease from spiraling out of control later in life.

 

Works Cited

“Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America”. President’s New Freedom: Commission on Mental Health. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Web. 1 April 2014.

“Ally’s Story”. Young Minds. The Helplines Standard. Web. 2 April 2014.

“Consequences of Non-Treatment”. Eliminating Barriers to the Treatment of Mental Illness. Treatment Advocacy Center. Web. 7 April 2014. “Facts on Children’s Mental Health in America”. Child & Adolescent Action Center. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Web. 2 April 2014.

“The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America”. National Institute of Mental Health. Web. 2 April 2014.

Whittington, Rebecca. “Mental Health Issues Ignored in Public Schools”. My San Antonio News. 6 December 2013. Web. 6 April 2014.