Why we need to make mental health education compulsory in all schools

Why we need to make mental health education compulsory in all schools

Right now, everyone’s talking about the brilliance that is Netflix’s latest show, 13 Reasons Why.

That’s a great thing. Finally, we’re talking about the very real epidemic of teenage suicide on a huge scale. Finally, we might start taking young people’s mental health seriously, instead of dismissing issues as ‘just a phase’ or ‘teenage hormones’.

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It’s great that we’re talking about the show, analysing how the characters’ actions, and inaction, pushed Hannah Baker to suicide.

But we need to take what we’ve learned into the real world, so we can actually help the real people going through what Hannah Baker represents, feeling incredibly low, alone, and considering suicide.




A big part of that – as shown in 13 Reasons Why – is down to schools.

Schools are where young people spend most of their day. It’s where friendships happen and where relationships form. It’s where teens find their self-worth – in popularity, in sports, in achievement.

And it’s where mental health issues can become obvious – and exacerbated.

Every teenager will invariably have to deal with stress. It’s likely they’ll also encounter social exclusion, conflicts, and bullying.

These things are preventable, and it’s incredibly important that schools are doing as much as possible to crack down on bullying and ensure it isn’t happening – especially now children and teens are able to use social media to spread rumours more quickly and destroy people’s social lives with painful swiftness.

But what’s equally important is educating children and young people about mental health as a whole.

There’s a growing emphasis on schools providing mental health support. But in the majority of cases, this comes in the form of support only for children who directly ask for it.

My only experiences of mental health discussion during my time at school were overviews of different mental illnesses in my Psychology A-Level class.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

There was no mention of what to do if we were experiencing any symptoms, no notes on how to help our classmates going through struggles, and no words of wisdom on how to look after yourself.

Mental illness was only mentioned under the framework of knowing as much as you could to pass exams and perhaps study Psychology at university.

That may have played a huge part in how long it took me to admit that I had a problem – and to finally ask for help at age 23, seven years after my first panic attack, and nearly a decade after first experiencing symptoms of depression.

The truth is, we’re still not accepting that mental health is as important a part of life as physical health.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

PE lessons are compulsory in schools, because we view physical health as a crucial thing our children need to know about. We teach them about eating healthily, staying fit.

But we ignore the mental side of things – and it’s killing kids, who feel so lost and unable to get help that suicide feels like the only option.



Everyone has mental health. Sometimes people become mentally ill. Or their mental health isn’t in tip-top shape and they’re having a rough time.

Mental health is something that everyone will have to deal with at some point in their life, whether in terms of getting help with mental illness, helping someone else, or dealing with stressful moments and challenges.

Schools need to be portraying mental health as equally important and crucial as physical health (because it is) – and that starts with making mental health education a compulsory part of education across all schools.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Sarah Brennan, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, a charity working to improve the wellbeing and mental health of young people, told metro.co.uk: ‘Children and young people today face a huge range of pressures, from exam stress to cyberbullying, and all the evidence suggests that the situation is getting worse.

‘Children should learn about mental health from a young age, and wellbeing should also be a fundamental priority in every aspect of the education system.

‘Schools are critical in helping prevent mental health problems escalating, in building wellbeing and resilience and helping young people learn the skills they need to cope in today’s world.’

That’s what schools have a responsibility to do. It’s how schools can work to prevent teenage suicide.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Lessons need to discuss mental health as something we all have to work on, teaching children relevant skills such as dealing with stress and change, understanding their own moods and thoughts, and recognising when to ask for help.


Schools need to be discussing mental illness in terms of more than just symptoms read off a worksheet (although even that would be better than nothing), breaking down stigma and misconceptions, explaining treatment options, showing young people that there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with struggling – that they’re not weak, or stupid, or failing because they’re finding things difficult – and creating an environment where students actually feel able to not only recognise when they’re dealing with mental health issues, but to ask for help, too.

It’s not just about tackling children’s mental health issues. It’s about equipping them for adult life.

It’s about educating children, teaching them that while something may seem like ‘not a big deal’ to them, it could be a tipping point for someone else.

(Picture: Ella Byworth)

Without being taught about the reality of mental illness – how dark, scary, and alone it feels – kids won’t understand the impact that ‘just being kids’, whether that’s bullying, slut-shaming, or spreading rumours, can actually have. They won’t understand that our empathy, kindness, and care can have life or death consequences.

It’s entirely unacceptable that people of all ages are dying because they’re not being given the support they need to get through mental illness.

It’s embarrassing that as a culture, we’re still stigmatising mental illness, failing to take it seriously, failing to provide proper help, and dismissing those who ask for support.

We need to be working towards a culture where mental illness is no longer the leading cause of illness around the world, where mental illness is no longer pushing people to suicide, and where mental health is something everyone’s aware of and able to work on to improve.


That kind of culture shift starts early. It starts with young people.

And the only way kids are going to learn to treat mental health better than we’re currently doing is to educate them.

Make mental health a priority. Take it seriously, because the teenagers dealing with mental illness, pressure, and bullying are taking it seriously enough to end their lives.

Need support? Contact the Samaritans For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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