Emergency drills are mandatory in every school, from taking cover in designated storm-safe classrooms to getting to an exit in case of a fire. Schools are equipped with preemptive, detailed plans for countless crises.
But they fall short for one: mental health.
The Suicide Crisis Center determined suicide to be the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24, yet few schools truly prioritize the mental health of their students. Whether it be a lack of resources or simple ignorance, schools struggle with tackling suicide prevention efficiently.
This spring in Pleasant Valley High School, juniors gathered in their school-mandated College Career & Readiness course, expecting the standard lessons about college, finance and their futures in the workplace. Instead, these students were met with a presentation, seemingly unrelated to career and college readiness, projected on the board: suicide prevention.
Although PV attempted to address the topic head-on, the presentation left some students feeling more confused and even uncomfortable about the execution of the discussion, which involved role-playing and largely pinned the responsibility of preventing a suicide onto students.
Alika Cho was one of the many juniors who were perplexed and saddened by the lesson. “It was hard to sit through that presentation, especially since it occurred after a tragedy. I think the information was necessary, but it should have been taught a lot sooner and not in the manner it was conveyed,” she explained.
It is crucial for teenagers to learn about the urgency and pain surrounding suicide awareness. This education can help students recognize their emotions and destigmatize mental health issues. By including these lessons in the curriculum, schools can provide resources and supportive communities for those in need.
To fulfill the requirement, many schools teach about suicide through videos and scenarios. These docu-dramas show teens who survived an attempt or use shocking statistics to ‘scare’ viewers. Other districts, however, take a more interactive approach, as Pleasant Valley did. In an evaluation of these programs, Dr. David Shaffer, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, found that most commonly-used suicide awarness programs did more harm than good, just as Cho had indicated.
This topic should be taught to students covering the ups and downs and the reality of mental health without sugar coating or dramatizing. Depression and other disorders are real illnesses that need to be dealt with care, respect, and most of all, importance. Schools should be implementing these curriculums and presentations taught by experts in suicide prevention and mental illness, instead of cramming material into just one day of teaching to simply get their point across and move on.
Rather than stressing the prevention of suicide and changing the stigma surrounding mental health, people tend to only react to the problem once it happens — once it’s too late. Advocacy and support are only available for a short period of time, but mental health resources for students fall short when one may need it most.
“There are always flowers and posts, but it’s never shown when it’s needed,” Gray Matters Collective member Ella Hurst said. “We always say how much we love and miss them, but it’s too late.”
