UNPRECEDENTED: New York introduces a new mental health curriculum for schools across the state.
By Roman McCree, Staff Writer
New York becomes the first U.S state to require mental health education as a part of health class curriculum for students over the age of three. The law ensuring that mental health education will be input into school curriculums across New York went into effect July 1, 2018. The law was passed with the support of the Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc (MHANYS), a non-profit organization that works to promote mental health wellness in New York. “This groundbreaking law lays the path to better health for all New Yorkers,” Glenn Liebman, CEO of MHANYS, said. The law, shaped by the ideas of MHANYS, will attempt to erase stigmas associated with mental illness and expand everyone’s knowledge of mental health. Although many people may not struggle with mental illness, this is a huge step towards altering how people perceive mental illness and encouraging future generations to be more accepting and understanding of them. The law will immensely advance the progress of expanding mental health literacy to young people.
To tackle the stigmas associated with mental illness, we must become educated on the topic and be able to normalize it the same way we’ve normalized other issues in life. The classes mandated by this new law would include exercises such as describing feelings and understanding symptoms of mental illness, with the goal of developing increased emotional intelligence regarding one’s self and peers.“Empowering young people with the knowledge will have a powerful impact in helping them protect and preserve mental health and wellness for themselves and their peers,” Liebman explained. To create a stronger impact on the world, we will have to collaborate in raising awareness for these issues just as if it were a physical illness. Just as all parents, teachers, and supervisors would have a student report or bring to attention any physical problem they deal with, students need to be able to communicate the issues and problems they may be experiencing due to struggling with their mental health.
If other states were to follow New York, and enact laws that require these courses, larger portions of future generations would possess heightened knowledge regarding mental health. Although the law does not mandate a specific curriculum, MHANYS is taking action to help schools apply their own mental health curriculum as well as provide support to schools that adapt to this health education program. On the MHANYS website, they claim that many health professionals expect other states to follow New York’s lead, and pass similar laws of their own. If we were to have mental health curriculum mandated nationally, the poor stigmas linked to mental illness might eventually be eradicated.
Although not as mainstream as many other issues in today’s news, mental health is a rising issue around the world. If we don’t begin to address the problem at the source, people will continue to be oblivious to the effects that mental illness may have on those around them. More schools offering the option of taking a mental health class would greatly impact local communities. Although not everyone is personally affected by mental illness, it is important to understand how our emotions can cause problems, and how just by recognizing certain signs or symptoms, we can ease the ailments of someone dealing with a mental illness. The issue of mental health is bigger than just those who are affected by the condition; unaffected people can advocate and raise awareness for the issues that mental health patients are plagued with.