For those of you who are interested in numbers, these mental health statistics are staggering.  To see what NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has compiled in terms of stats, please click here.

Most notable to me is this statistic: 
Over 50 percent of students with a mental disorder age 14 and
older drop out of high school—the highest dropout rate of any
disability group.

Fifty percent?  That's unbelievable.  And mental illness is a treatable condition.  Why are they dropping out?  In my opinion, it is due to two things: 1) lack of good treatments and supports available in schools and 2) stigma. 

When I worked in a school, my collegues had little knowledge on how to treat it, or what treatments were available in the community to make referrals.  Additionally, children and their parents were afraid of being judged if they sought out treatment.  This needs to change. 

So, how do we change it?  With dialogue about mental illness at all levels.  Dialogue about mental illness with school personell, dialogue with parents, dialogue with the kids themselves.  The more we talk about it, the less people feel like they are alone, and the more likely they are to seek treatment. 

Please, don't stay in silence!

Be Well
~ Emily