Supporting student mental health is important

There are many different struggles that people face in the world. One of those struggles can be with mental health. This is a big problem especially for students. “Why is mental health important for students?” you may ask. Well, mental health can affect students in a variety of ways.

One example of this is with their grades. Student grades depend on whether or not students pay attention in class and understand the work. However, mental health issues can get in the way of that. If a student has too much on their mind they can get distracted, which causes them to lose focus on their work. Some early signs of mental illness in a student can be poor concentration, overly anxious or fearful feelings, and angry or aggressive behavior.

Mental health can also affect student social interactions. This means that students facing a mental health issue may start to become more silent when in class or not want to participate in activities with other classmates. These can lead to developing anxiety or depression. Students need the ability to speak with others, especially their teachers. If a student cannot communicate with a teacher then they will be left behind and not understand any of the work that is being assigned to them. According to Nancy Barile in her article, The Importance of Mental Health Awareness in Schools, “Underlining the seriousness is the fact that 60 percent of high school students with mental illness don’t graduate.”

This means that this issue can also cause students to not pass the grade. Overall, mental health problems can affect a student’s future. Even though it might not seem like it, there are plenty of students who have mental health issues. According to, Accredited Schools Online, “Anxiety disorders have been on the rise in K–12 children since at least the 1950s and studies show that numbers are expected to continue rising in the coming years.” This shows that anxiety has been rising and is becoming more even common amongst students.

Given the challenges that students with mental health problems face and how mental health disorders are becoming more common, it is important for student mental health to be addressed in school.