Schools Struggle to Manage Student Mental Health Issues

(various sources) With the school year underway, various news sources are reporting on students' mental health issues and their implications for educational institutions. This New York Times article involves a class-action lawsuit accusing Stanford University of discriminating against students with mental health issues by coercing them into taking leaves of absence — which can isolate students, derail their studies and exacerbate their depression — rather than trying to meet the students' needs on campus. Other universities including Princeton, Western Michigan and George Washington have also faced challenges to theri mental health leave policies.

Separately, the Nonprofit Quarterly reports on Tennessee schools and districts that are struggling to meet the recommended national guidelines of one psychologist for every 1,000 students, the minimum ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists. Nationally, up to 60 percent of students do not receive the mental health treatment they need, according to the organization. A  consequence is a recent surge in youth suicides. In 2016, roughly 436 youths in the U.S. between the ages of 10 and 14 died by suicide, up from 216 in 2006, according to the Denver Post. The most recent case involves a nine-year-old boy in Denver.

More at the  New York Times, the Nonprofit Quarterly and the Denver Post.

Related on NetAssets.org: 

• Creating a Healthy Environment to Reduce the Risk of Eating Disorders
• School-Led Suicide Prevention Efforts
• Bullying Rises as Risk Management Concern
• More Demand for Mental Health Counseling