Forget The Flu: Students Now Missing School For Mental Health #MySillyLittleGang #depression #parenting
Both my oldest and I suffer from depression. So I know how hard it can be to get through a school day sometimes. There are lots of students who are in the need of missing school for mental health reasons. I hope you find this article useful. Also please share it as you may not know how many people you can help.
Forget The Flu: Students Now Missing School For Mental Health
Will This New Law End the Silence & Open Up Conversation?
With social, political, and educational pressure on the rise, students now, more than ever, are feeling like the world is crumbling around them. This immense stress can lead to depression, suicide and self-medicating abuse with alcohol and drugs.
The rate of suicide increased by 56 % from 2007 to 2017 among people ages 10 to 24. Suicide has become the second-most-common cause of death among teens and young adults.
Schools nationwide, in states like Florida, Utah, and Oregon, are pushing for a law that would allow students to cite the need for a mental health day as an excuse to miss school.
“We need to make the conversation of mental health in schools a priority, and with this new change, I believe it’s a step to end the silence…“
…says Ethan Fisher, who knows the struggles of depression and suicide in teens all too well. He encourages every state and school to allow mental health as a valid excuse for absence.
From the outside looking in, Ethan Fisher had the world at his feet. A popular high school student-athlete, he was the captain of his basketball team and a fun-loving friend who loved to party. But years of untreated depression, peer-pressured substance abuse, and negative self-talk enveloped his impressionable mind and led him down a destructive and tragic path. Sadly, this is something all too common.
Growing up in a family and at a school that did not speak openly about mental health, Ethan spent his teenage years secretly battling clinical depression while he publicly received accolades for his uncommon talent on the basketball court. He began to self-medicate, leading to a years-long battle with alcoholism and substance abuse. After failing out of several college basketball programs, several attempts with suicide, and one horrific car accident, Ethan found himself in prison with a daunting 3-year sentence. While in prison, surrounded by negativity, he just knew he had to make a change when he got released.
“Mental health was not a topic of conversation when I was in high school…if it was then maybe I could have taken a smarter, safer path… “
…says Fisher who is now an alcohol, drug, and mental health awareness keynote speaker. Sober since 2004, Ethan went on to become the first athlete in Colorado to play college basketball on inmate status and was recognized as an All-Conference and MVP. He graduated summa cum laude, was awarded the entrepreneurship student of the year award and was the recipient of the President’s award. Ethan’s experiences became a catalyst for his devotion to inspiring others.
ETHAN IS ON MISSION TO INSPIRE CHANGE WITHIN LEGISLATION & SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS ENCOURAGE KIDS TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.
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Thank you for speaking out about this! My boyfriend of over 10 years has suffered with bipolar depression his whole life. We were childhood friends and I have watched his struggle and tried to be a supportive person in his life. We now have four children together and I can see early signs in our children. I hope to be the best mom I can be and help in anyway possible. Thank you for sharing!
It is a hard situation to deal with in the school department. Mainly because it’s invisible, but my son has an amazing therapist that helps with the school department so my son can take mental health days without being penalized. As moms who have seen it before we know how to find the best ways to help our kiddos. Hugs 🙂
Both the social and family pressures placed on young people these days can be overwhelming, so it’s no wonder so many of them are struggling with depression. Thanks for sharing!