How much do you really know about your students? How do you know if they’re lying to you or not? A deep dive into what students really want for their mental health might help.

Providing mental health support in high school is one of the best ways to catch problems when and where they are likely to arise. Fifty percent of individuals who struggle with mental health conditions will show symptoms during their adolescent years and tend to keep it to themselves. Childhood brain development research indicates that puberty is especially an important time for monitoring the onset of mental illnesses; a period where individuals are most vulnerable. There is so much you can do to help people especially change what you can do for building resiliency and respect throughout your school community.

Lately, teachers are taught to be more involved in students’ lives because of the recent increase in teen depression. Despite their efforts, most teens don’t reach out for mental help when they are struggling with it. Teachers are told to ask questions and try to be a support system as well, but that is somewhat hard to do if you’ve never been in their shoes. It is hard reaching out when a lot of adults don’t see it as serious as it really is. There are so many things to do to prepare for cases like this. Teens and parents need to be educated about mental health. Thus, they will be better equipped to help others, save lives, and best offer support.

So how do you know, teachers, if your student is struggling? You won’t know unless they come to you and let you know they need help. Have you ever been asked by a teacher or friend, “How are you, really?” and your generic answer will always be “Great! Thank you,” because you don’t want to get into the matter? I know a lot of us have! Being open is a lot harder when pressure is put on you, especially in high school, the most formative years of your life.

You may be scared of the way these resources are going to be used in the future because the world is an evolving place and many different people have many different ideas about the progress of mental health awareness. What is the future of mental health resources? How can the world collectively change they way they perceive mental health?

Some say that something as simple as being honest about feelings could change everything. Going back to teachers being involved in whether their students mental is good, would you allow your student to be forced to tell the truth? For example, many polygraph companies advertise using the test for school-related issues, mostly criminal, but could you use it to help the future of mental health?

It seems like a good conclusion, right? Polygraph tests are accurate between 80% and 90% at a time. Using them would change the way that mental health is seen, but is it an invasion of privacy? We could use them for good, asking adolescents if a resource actually improves their mental state over a period of time.

These are one of the many things that could be applied for future generations. This is a topic that many people have different opinions on.

Do you think it is something that should be allowed or not? Given that we are all one community striving for peace and love, remember that if  you need help, there is help. Reach out, and most importantly, be kind to one another.