THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN OUR SCHOOLS

Mental Health In Schools: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Millions Of Students

Experts say schools could play a role in identifying students with problems and helping them succeed. Yet it's a role many schools are not prepared for. Educators face the simple fact that, often because of a lack of resources, there just aren't enough people to tackle the job. And the ones who are working on it are often drowning in huge caseloads. Kids in need can fall through the cracks.

"Up to one in five kids living in the U.S. shows signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder in a given year...And yet most children — nearly 80 percent — who need mental health services won't get them."

The reality: If you sense a pattern here, you're right. In the U.S., there is just one school psychologist for every 1,400 students, according to the most recent data available from the National Association of School Psychologists.

WHY I CHOSE THIS ARTICLE

After my own emotional struggles to develop beyond the cycles of thinking I inherited from my family, I find it comforting to know that practically everyone is dealing with the exact same feelings. It was only with the very overcritical thoughts I used against myself that led me to wondering what I was doing wrong. Stuck in cyclical thinking that pit me up against the world day in and day out was severely draining of my time, energy and self-growth. The key difference I realized was that my emotions hindered me from making any choices and truly living life. Understanding that the cause of my inaction and stagnancy gave me the motivation I needed to start making changes. I learned to be careful with what I say externally and internally because words have a lot of power when they become beliefs.