In the article, “A Day Off for Mental Health” (Upfront, Caron, 2022) it is emphasized that many students have very busy and stress-filled school schedules. Even with the high levels of anxiety and stress that this may cause, students still feel obligated to continue with these kinds of schedules because it is the “bare minimum” and they see it as the only way to be successful in school. Additionally, there is a rising mental health crisis among teens, ultimately causing higher suicide rates. Because of this fact, some states are allowing a mental health day. Bills have been passed that will allow students to be away from school for mental health reasons. People have debated though what a mental health day should consist of and one psychiatrist warns that they should not be used to avoid anxiety-inducing situations that happen at school.
I think it is a good thing that some states are considering adding this to their schools and that some have already enforced it. Mental health is often pushed to the side and it is reassuring that schools are acknowledging how greatly stress from school can affect students’ mental health. If more people would talk about the subject of mental health I believe students would be more comfortable with it, making their mental health better overall since they wouldn’t have to keep their feelings in.
Do you think that allowing students to have mental health days could have negative effects?
