Stigma in High Schools

Published on May 2016 | Categories: Types, School Work | Downloads: 34 | Comments: 0 | Views: 246
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Document exploring a study of the stigma surrounding mental health in high schools in Ontario.

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Stigma In School-Based Mental Health: Perceptions Of Young People And Service
Providers
A recent article by members of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental
Health explores the stigma surrounding mental health through the eyes of high school students and mental
health providers. The article explores the statistics of young people with mental health disorders, the
barriers of seeking mental health services and the consequences of unmet mental health needs. The article
also explains the results of a survey completed by high school aged students and mental health service
providers to give a more in-depth look at the emphasis of the need for young people’s involvement in
mental health initiatives.
Researchers estimate that one in five adolescents will suffer from a mental health disorder. Half
of adult disorders will emerge before the age of 14 and 70% before the age of 18, making adolescence a
critical time to identify and seek mental health services for their disorders. However, research suggests
that up to 70% of young people who have mental health needs do not access mental health services for a
myriad of reasons.
Many barriers are associated with mental health disorders and seeking services for mental health.
Two themes emerged when a earlier study was conducted to identify the prevalence of stigma as a barrier
of seeking mental health services: family perception and school environment. If there was a negative
perception towards mental health in the family, young people tended to feel more shame related to their
illness. In the school environment, young people were concerned with the behaviour and attitudes of their
peers and teachers in respects to expressing their mental health disorder. If young people felt that the
attitudes and behaviours from their peers and teachers were discriminatory or stigmatizing, the young
persons would then become more secretive, feeling more shame about their illness and withdrawing from
social contact more frequently. The stigma behind mental health disorders and receiving help is more
related to males than females. Males are significantly less likely to seek professional help than females.
Another barrier identified in the article was the stigma surrounding the mental health service
sector. Service providers reported three main reasons behind the unfortunate existence of stigma in their
sector; a lack of value for clients by professionals, a high staff turnover rate and a lack of support for staff
from their organizations.
Without appropriate help, mental disorders can be detrimental to a young person’s relationships,
school and future life goals. The stigma becomes dangerous when it interferes with young people
connecting to mental health service providers. An unfortunate common consequence of not accessing
mental health services for a mental illness is suicide. It is suggested that up to 90% of adolescents who die
by suicide had an unmet mental health need.
The survey’s participants were made up of two groups: young people in high school and schoolbased mental health service providers throughout all of Canada. The young people in this study were 1320 years of age, currently attending a Canadian high school at the time of the study. The students
presented an array of personal experiences including some with self-reported mental health concerns. Of
the students who conducted the survey, 82% were female, 80% were white, 74% were from Ontario, and
58% identified having a mental health concern. The survey for the youth consisted of 35 questions that
examined young people’s perceptions of the available mental health problems in schools, resources

available for young people and the impact of stigma on young people and their use of services. The data
from mental health service providers came from the School-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse
project all across Canada through an interview that was designed to gain insight on any challenges and
enablers associated with implementing mental health programs, and barriers the program leader has in
implementing the programming.
The results from the survey done by the high school students showed that young people perceive
stigma as the number on reason barrier to accessing mental health services, however, the second barrier
was identified as not knowing where to get help for those who identified having a mental health problem.
Those who did not identify as having a mental health” problem’s results identified that “peer pressure”
and “not knowing you have a mental health problem as the second barrier. Overall, young people reported
being “very concerned” or “concerned” with mental health and substance abuse problems among their
peers at their school. The results also showed that young people are strongly not aware of the resources
available to them either at their school to help them with mental health concerns. Additionally, the survey
found that the majority young people do not think their teachers are well prepared or prepared to deal
with and identify mental health needs.
Insignificant results were found when the perception of stigma as a barrier by service providers
was compared to the type of program they represented. When the perception of stigma by service
providers was compared to the involvement of young people in the program and design of the program,
insignificant results were found.
As a child and youth worker, this article is beneficial in identifying the needs of young people in
today’s high schools. Providing programs that provide positive brief contact with someone with a
disorder, including education regarding their disorders and providing an opportunity to protest has been
proven to be successful in a reduction of stigma with an individual.

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