READ
Is education
harming ur
O
mental health? Thousands of young people in education are suffering with their mental health, but what are they actually coping with? AIMEE SMITH investigates the mental health issues that spawn from our own education. Photographs A I M E E S M I T H
C O S M O P O L I TA N
. 96
C O S M O P O L I TA N
. 97
A The Pressure Is On
whopping one in eight five to 19 year olds were recorded as having at least one mental disorder in 2017 by the NHS. With there being a lack of funding, support and awareness, it’s not surprising that many children and young people are suffering with mental health difficulties. But by approaching these issues at an earlier stage, this could be the route to combating the increasing numbers of young sufferers with mental health problems.
One of the many pupils who struggle with their mental health is Mairead Casey, a 17-year-old student who is currently tackling her A-levels. Every day she is expected to arrive at school at 9am and stay till 3pm, to complete a total of six hours of school to carry out her studies. But the pressure is on, as studying at an all-girls grammar school means that expectations are set above the norm and competition between her peers is raging. This weight on her shoulders leaves her mental state at risk. “I’ve found dealing with stress from school work and the general school environment the hardest as it is quite high pressured all the time and there is quite a lot of drama with it being an all-girls school,” she says. ‘My mental health started getting bad in Year 8 and it’s been going downhill since, as I’ve had quite a few panic attacks and I cry quite a lot.” Mairead also touches on the lack of support that her school offers for pupils like her who are dealing with similar problems. She informs me that her school has a counselor but she has a waiting list of over eight weeks long, “and even when you do get to see her she is not the best,” she says. And with private counseling costing about £40 an hour and a waiting list that’s even longer, looking elsewhere is usually out of the question.
The Pressure Is On
struggling, campaigning: “literacy and numeracy are seen as the key markers of success. Yet young people are facing unprecedented pressures in life, leading to anxiety, depression and eating disorders. This needs to change.” There has also been a push for the government to make mental health education compulsory in schools, as there is very much a lack of teaching of this subject too. Young pupils are vulnerable to mental health problems, so by educating students about these issues could be a stepping stone towards creating more awareness and allowing students to be honest with their problems and find help. The Shaw Mind Foundation begs that we achieve this, as they recognise: ‘Maintaining good mental health is an absolute life skill. It is just as important a tool in understanding the body as physical education and biology.”
"It's been going downhill since"
The battle for change
Many mental health issues can evolve from schools, as young people are judged only on their academic performance which disregards any issues they face outside of school that lead to issues with their mental health. There are many charities and organisations who are pushing towards fighting against these issues as they recognise the scale of the problem, such as the Mental Health Foundation. This is one example of a charity who are using their website as a platform to support those who are
C O S M O P O L I TA N
. 98
An Educated Insider
Solicitor Sarah Woosey works in the Education and Community Care team at Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors, and has first-hand experience with families who have reached breaking point and are looking to find the appropriate educational support that these children with mental health problems deserve. “It is very apparent in the work that we do that there is a lack of specialist support for mental health difficulties, as we will sometimes fight for access to services whether that be counselling or some sort of specialist support and it’s just not readily available at all,” she says. “With access to the Children and Adults Mental Health Service, their waiting lists are huge so it’s not uncommon to find families waiting months and sometimes years for just assessments of difficulties to determine whether they need help rather than even actually just giving the help.” As Sarah manages children who have mental health problems, she witnesses
The Pressure Is On
their behaviour and mental state growing worse because of the way that schools deal with these situations. She says: “Something we see quite a lot of is a high number of exclusion rates particularly where there are either mental health and or problems with behavior which I think go hand in hand.” Her work involves confronting these problems, as she adds: “We will challenge exclusions as well as make sure that appropriate support is in place in school or for when they return to school depending on the facts of the case.” While children and young people are struggling and dealing with these problems on a day to day basis, there is a lack of care and support by those that can make a difference. This causes disputes over the support that is or isn’t in place for these people in terms of schools, local authorities and GPs. However, the most important problem that should be challenged is the reason why we are having these problems in the first place, and how we will make a positive step in the right direction. “Ultimately it is a funding issue as well as an awareness issue, but if proper funding is put in place to ensure that support is actually available for these students and more readily available so that it can be done at a more earlier stage, then I think that would massively would help the situation and would reduce some of the more serious cases” says Sarah.