Although there is stress in schools, stress is not a mental illness. Everyone has stress, often because there is too much work in too little time. If students are extremely stressed, parents should support them taking courses at a lower level, and reducing their extra curricula activities.
Mental illness is not caused by school. Many people suffer from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc., because of genetics and their brain function. It has nothing to do with school. Some mental illnesses first appear in adolescents, or young adults.
The National Institute of Mental Health says that in 2013, there were an estimated 43.8 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. with any mental illness in the past year. This represented 18.5 percent of all U.S. adults.
Based on 18.5 percent of adults, and 3200 students in the two high schools there should be about 592 high school kids with mental illness. In fact, many of those kids are now seeing psychiatrists and the school is completely unaware.
The number that Superintendent Aderhold reports as alarming of 120 students referred for mental health assessment actually seems low.
Because of HIPAA privacy laws, there is no way Aderhold knew last year that these 120 students had depression or anxiety. Actually, many of them possibly had one or several other mental health issues.
The district spokesperson states that the number 120 came from conversations with staff, and that there is no documentation to support that number.
This year is the first time these numbers are being logged by the schools. Thus we do not know if there is a change in the number, or if this is normal. Without historical data, or looking at the total number of students in the district, or allowing for all the kids the school doesn’t know about, there is no context to the number. Therefore the 120 Aderhold quotes is completely meaningless.
Sadly, Aderhold incessantly uses this meaningless number to justify his extensive cuts to programs. On February 12 in the Wall Street Journal, Aderhold said again that last year: “District staff had recommended mental-health assessments for more than 120 middle and high-school students for depression and anxiety … a pronounced increase from the previous year.”
Aderhold was told that 120 is a meaningless number, low and out of context, in early November. By continuing to use this number, he shows his ignorance of statistics, as well as his willingness to make statements unsupported by facts.
Mental health is a serious issue. It is separate and distinct from stress.
Another real issue is hyper competitiveness among some students. Competition is motivating, but too much is rude and distressing to others. Students don’t need to ask each other what grade they got on a test, or how many AP courses they are taking, or brag about their grades. Better to be supportive of each other, appreciate each person’s talents, and enjoy talking about the fascinating concepts they are learning. Counselors, teachers and parents can all help with this.
Our students are precious and should be treated with care and thoughtfulness.
We need a superintendent who respects our students, and does not use misinformation with utter disregard for students’ dignity, and the reputation of our schools.
Carol Herts
West Windsor
