Today’s youth are experiencing a mental health crisis that needs dedicated attention. According to the CDC, many students are at risk of facing the harm that comes from struggling with mental health concerns.
“In 2023, female students and LGBTQ+ students experienced more violence, signs of poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their male and cisgender and heterosexual peers.”
—CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023
As NPs work to support their community, it is important to also consider providing accessible care for students struggling with mental health.
Helping to Identify The Warning Signs
It is crucial to identify mental health concerns among young students as early as possible. As this population spends most of their time in school, that puts educators at the forefront of identifying the warning signs. However, educators may not have all the information necessary that would help them to identify students in need of extra support.
In these cases, NPs can partner with school staff and provide resources that would help them recognize the early signs in the different ways that they manifest. In cases where mental health struggles are suspected, it would also help to share validated mental health screening tools with schools.
When providing educators with the necessary information, NPs can also look into offering crisis response and de-escalation strategies as sometimes responding to mental health concerns can lead to outbursts.
Building Strong Partnerships
Educators, school counselors, and NPs can all play a significant role in supporting the mental well-being of students without overlapping their duties. NPs can work together with school staff to create a streamlined response process. For example, teachers who identify the warning signs in their classroom can refer students to the school counselor. From there, school counselors can determine if the student needs support from a medical professional. Additionally, NPs work with schools to create streamlined referral pathways to ensure students are connected with the right resources in a timely manner.
Of course, one of the most important factors regarding mental health care among the youth is the involvement of the student’s parents. NPs try to work with families to create care plans that are tailored to the student’s individual needs. These plans can feature strategies that are meant to support the students whether they are at home or at school. Parents may also need support in these scenarios. It can be helpful to provide them with resources and guidance that can help them understand mental health struggles and which are the best response strategies for their children. By creating a collaborative care environment that includes the parents, NPs can ensure that the students in need of support are receiving well-rounded attention and care.
Expanding Mental Health Resources
Unfortunately, not every school has the resources to support mental health programs in their school. For these schools, there are additional ways to help them provide their students with care. For instance, NPs can partner with schools to implement school-based telehealth programs so that students can access medical professionals remotely. This is especially helpful in underserved areas.
Schools can also benefit from collaborations with other nonprofits and universities that can also help bring mental health support into schools. That way, schools that don’t have the resources to hire more school counselors to work in collaboration with NPs can receive assistance from partnerships with academic institutions.
Addressing the youth mental health crisis requires a collaborative effort from NPs and the schools in their community. By equipping school staff with the knowledge to identify early warning signs and providing them with resources to enhance care, NPs can play a vital role in supporting student well-being and mitigating the youth mental health crisis.
