Persuasive Speech on Mental Health Awareness in Schools

Although widespread, mental illness afflicts only about 6% of the population (NAMI, 2012). This translates to 1 in every 17 Americans or approximately 57.7 million Americans who experience a mental disorder in a given year. The World Health Organization reported that mental disorders account for 4 out of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed countries. In addition, the US Surgeon General's report stated that 10% of children and adolescents in the US suffer from these disorders. These, in turn, severely affect their lives at home, in school and with

The beginning of my paper focuses mainly on the problems of mental illnesses on a college campus. I intentionally laid out the problem to allow my audience to realize it’s seriousness before I wrote the solution to this problem was in the hands of the high school students. Because the Board of Education’s main focus should

Today, 42.5 million Americans suffer from a mental illness. There are many different types of mental illnesses that affect over half of the population. Some are more severe than others, but still equally important. Two of the common disorders you hear about today are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

26% of the US population is affected by a type of mental illness or disorder and more than half of that 26% are teens around 14-18. People with mental disorders or illnesses exhibit specific behaviors and symptoms that are sometimes overlooked by the general population. Mental illnesses are not something to take gently. Doctors say that 26% of the US population is affected by mental illnesses that will most likely lead to self harm or suicide which can greatly affect people's lives if they don't seek help.

Mental diseases and disorders were once a topic that individuals avoided talking about, mostly because of the stigma associated with them. However, with the rise of mental diseases and disorders in the world, the discussion of these topics has been ever more popular, especially in that of college settings. On college campuses one can find multiple organizations, support groups, and advocacy groups which represent the different types of disorders and diseases one may face during their college years. Not only are there organizations and groups that support these different topics, but there are multiple classes in which the discussion of mental diseases and disorders occurs openly amongst professors and students. For example, at Iowa State University I have learned about these different topics in Dr. Behnken’s Deviance course, Dr. Madon’s Psychology & Law course, and in Dr. Hessling’s Motivation course. As college students often face multiple struggles during their schooling and may find

As many as 450 million people in the world are plagued by mental illnesses such as

Serious mental illness (SMI) among citizens 18 or older is at 4.2% in the U.S. Individuals with SMI will die 10 years earlier than the general population. “Suicide in U.S. is 40,600 which is twice the annual rate of AIDS or homicide. Mental illness is the third costliest medical condition in terms of overall health care expenditure,” ("NIMH," 2015).

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four adults and one in five children have diagnosable mental disorders and mental disorders are the leading cause of disability among ages 15 to 44. The cost of lost earnings alone due to major mental disorders in the US is around $193 billion each year. Research on mental health epidemiology shows that mental disorders are common throughout the United States, affecting tens

It is estimated that about one in six of the adult population will have a significant mental health problem at any one time (more than 7 million people).

Millions of adolescents have diagnosable symptoms and are left in a completely helpless situation. A lot of teenagers feel afraid to say anything especially with the negative stigma surrounding mental health; teens remain quiet and suffer in silence which can allow the issues to become chronic. In 1985, the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA began asking freshmen if they felt ‘overwhelmed by all I had to do’ the first year only 18% said yes, but this past year 41% did (Warnke). The pressure that is put on teens to keep good grades, maintain a social life, do extracurriculars, sports, get a job, and still carve out time to be with family is overwhelming. Teens face the expectation that all of these things take priority over one’s mental and physical well-being, which can send an already burnt out teenager down an inescapable dark spiral. While its non-debatable that mental illness rates are increasing it’s a wonder that no one is doing much about it, not by the government, not in schools,

Mental Health plays a very important role in everyday life and the way that we go about our life. However, there are problems that concern themselves with mental health as well. What we choose was to not focus on a specific point in mental health, but rather to provide you with the information that will give you knowledge about mental health and its complications. However, the problem that our group is focusing on is the fact that too many people are ignorant or have assumptions/stereotypes about mental health and mental health problems. There are also others who discourage talking about the subject of mental health because they believe mental health problems are too private and can almost be considered taboo to talk about. Discussing mental

According to the Association for Children’s Mental Health website, “addressing mental health needs in school is critically important because 1 in 5 children and youth have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder and 1 in 10 young people have a mental health challenges that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, school or in the community” (ACMH). There are many mental disorders that are overlooked in school and should be addressed to avoid problems in the future. Each that can affect not only the individual student, but also can impact other students and create a ripple effect and influence far more than just one person. Mental health conditions need to be addressed because they could lead to future problems. As claimed by a brochure by National Alliance on Mental Illness, “approximately 50% of students ages 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school” (NAMI). If these children are not getting the help they need at a young age, it could lead to them quitting school. The amount of teens with mental health conditions is a great number. For example, there are many children who suffer from anxiety. As stated by Elements Behavioral Health, “anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses and affect 25 percent of all teens” (Elements Behavioral

School can be stressful. It can cause anxiety or extreme stress. It can even end in mental breakdowns. I think that mental health should be a more recognized thing in schools. I feel as though it is often overlooked and should be addressed. We should be focusing on making sure that students are mentally well and able to do work than if they got their homework done.

Mental health disorders affect 1 in 5 American adults, according to a report published in U.S. News & World Report.

Mental illness is a controversial subject. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (2015), 1in 5 adults in the USA suffer from some form of mental illness. That’s roughly 40 million adults. You probably know someone who suffers from a mental illness, or you yourself