Why Schools Should Teach Kids About Depression

The number of children and teenagers in public schools who attempt suicide, or who die by it, keeps climbing. That alone is reason enough to put depression on the curriculum: what it actually is, and what a young person can do once they spot the early signs in themselves or a friend. Below are five arguments for making this a regular part of what schools, public and private, teach.

Start with the simplest point. Depression can be treated. For a long time it was a subject people buried, something to hide from everyone around them. These days far more people are living with it, and one of the things it does is push a person inward, away from company and conversation. That is exactly why the people nearby need to understand the illness, so they can offer an ear when someone needs one. A person who feels buried under it, once they say so out loud to another human being, has a path to treatment and a far better chance of climbing back out.

Second, it often runs in families. If a teenager is dealing with depression, there may well be a parent, grandparent, or sibling who dealt with it too. Kids deserve to understand what they might carry and one day pass to children of their own. We already teach genetics and basic science in school; the heritable side of mental health belongs in that same conversation.

Third, depression rarely travels alone. When students understand it early, they can make sense of the other difficulties that tend to follow. Trouble concentrating on the work in front of them is a common one. So is pulling back from other people and turning withdrawn. Given how many incidents of violence in schools have involved students who were isolated and cut off, this kind of awareness could help teachers know which kids might need a closer, gentler eye.

Fourth, a student who already lives with depression needs a plan for the hard moments. When the urge to cry arrives, or anxiety starts closing in during class, they should know it is fine to step out for a few minutes and collect themselves. A short break to clear the head and then a return to the room, back to the task, can keep a bad moment from becoming a bad day.

Last, kids have to hear that talking to a teacher or another adult at school is allowed, and normal. Plenty of students cannot bring themselves to open up to a parent or a brother or sister, so they need someone else. Usually they will gravitate toward whoever they trust most. If that person happens to be a teacher, the student should feel free to go to them, say how heavy things have gotten, and ask what might help lift it.

Related