This week many of our children went back to school. A number of changes from the past Texas legislative session have already gone or are slated to go into effect soon. One of these new bills concerns mental health and the related services our children receive through their school campuses.
Unfortunately, mental health is an issue Texas knows all too well. In 2011, Texas ranked last in access to mental health care for children, and in terms of funding for mental health (think money for screenings, support for professionals, school counselors, etc.), we have ranked dead last as a state for many years. To give you an idea of what that looks like, Texas spent about $39 per capita on mental health in 2010; compare this to states like Arizona, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, all of which spent over $200 per capita – more than five times that amount. These minimal expenditures are not reflective of our actual need for mental health services in Texas, and this is especially true for our children. Suicide is the third most common cause of death for 15-17 year olds in Harris County, and the most common among 10-14 year olds. A survey administered to Houston ISD high school students found that 3.6% reported attempting suicide. It is also important to realize that mental health is not just an issue for students who have actually attempted suicide. Sometimes, mental health needs are not so visible. The same study on HISD high school students revealed that 14.2% had seriously considered attempting suicide, while 25% of males and 36% of females reported feeling so sad or hopeless at times that they stopped participating in their usual activities. Some of these mental health issues may need less intensive interventions – if caught early, they can be easier to treat and manage. Since children spend so much of the year in school, the campus is a perfect place for these services to start.
The new legislation that passed this session – Senate Bill 460, by state Senator Robert Deuell – addresses a number of issues surrounding mental health in schools and introduces new curricula on effective strategies for teaching and intervening with students who have behavioral or developmental disabilities. More importantly, under this new law, school districts will now be required to provide training to the people that see our students every day: Starting September 1st, teachers, administrators, and staff will receive training on constructive interventions and suicide prevention. This will provide a first line of defense for children that may really need help. While these adults are not mental health professionals, and are not expected to treat or diagnose mental health disorders among students, they will now be able to identify and respond in a way that will help students and families receive appropriate support, in order to prevent extreme situations. This is a good start to addressing mental health issues in school. One major barrier to prioritizing mental health is the stigma it receives as an issue. If a child suffers from a mental health disability, they aren’t always treated because family members don’t see it as an issue that is treatable by a professional, or the student may be too afraid to talk about it. By making mental health a common topic among school staff, teachers, and administrators, it is not only potentially saving a life, but also helping to remove this stigma.
The Texas legislature allocated $1.77 billion to mental health care this session – an increase from last year. The problem is that Texas’ population is growing, and the need for services is increasing. Distributing more funding will not make up for the current gap in services we have here in the state. There is still a lot of work to be done in Texas in and around mental health. We’ve started to chip away at some of the issues, but we are still a long way from providing the funding and services that our children need.
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