Source: NPR
Mental health disorders affect one in five children in the United States, through depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Yet 80 percent of those children remain untreated.
These disorders are manifested in the classroom to affect performance, grades, and attendance, among other things. In many cases teachers and schools are not prepared for offering adequate services to students facing these obstacles, and the result is that many students will go years without receiving treatment.
As researched and reported by NPR, there are many influences in youth’s lives that can impact how these mental health disorders are determined, addressed and treated. A combined effort between parents, teachers, staff, school psychologists and nurses, school counselors, and social workers could help drive the necessary approach needed to expand services to more youth in need. Something as simple as choosing to not dismiss behavioral changes in a child could help a student receive help to diagnose depression, anxiety and other disorders.
Read full story at: NPR