A needed break
A needed break
Students in Oregon can now take days off of school for mental health reasons in an effort to combat rising teen mental health issues.
The stress-filled life of a student can be overwhelming.
Juggling academics, sports, social life and sleep feels like a balancing act at times — one false move, and everything falls.
Students can feel like they have too much on their plate while trying to simultaneously impress teachers, colleges and friends, pursue their interests, study for tests and go to sports practices, all while trying to get enough sleep after hearing how important it is for their mental health and wellness.
In July, an Oregon law went into effect giving students in public schools the ability to take “mental health days” off from school, just as students would take a day off for a physical illness. These students can take five days off for physical or mental reasons every three months but can only exceed this limit through a written excuse from their doctor.
The bill was passed in response to high suicide rates among teens. The law is one of the first examples of states instructing schools to treat mental illness and physical illness equally.
At 10600 Preston Rd., students should feel confident about taking days off for mental health reasons at any time, according to Headmaster David Dini.
“If a student is in a compromised position or state for any reason — physical or mental — or if [he] ever felt like [he was] in some sort of jeopardy, we want [him] to immediately reach out to any appropriate resources on campus: [his] advisor, division office, the counseling office, directly to a teacher if there is a question,” Dini said. “But certainly if there are serious questions, he should reach out to somebody in a position of authority.”
Dini believes the school houses a supportive community with the resources to help any student who feels he needs outside assistance, where no student should be afraid to ask for help.
“There's always somebody that you can turn to here,” Dini said. “There are a lot of resources around you, so sometimes it's just a matter of making sure you avail yourself of those resources. Even if you feel like you are afraid to ask or aren’t sure who you should ask [for help], I always encourage people: raise your hand if there's a question.”
Students can hesitate to ask for help if they feel embarrassed or guilty or can attempt to play down their symptoms. But, according to Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie, students should not feel guilty about missing school for mental health reasons. For some people, taking a small break from school is crucial for their well-being.
“I just don't think anything that's happening at school is that important or more important than your health — physical or mental health,” Van Drie said. “It's just not that important.”
The school wants to stress the importance of mental health and well-being. According to Dini, the school’s Health and Wellness Initiative encompasses many policies that affect physical and mental health in one way or another.
“The Health and Wellness Initiative encompasses mental health, as well as physical, social, emotional and relational health,” Dini said. “All of those pieces are a big part of the work that was identified in Goals IV (the school’s most recent statement about the strategic goals and framework of the school’s future).”
The school’s Medical Advisory Committee — a group made up of physicians, pediatricians, orthopedics, neurosurgeons and members of the school’s faculty — routinely meets to talk about prevalent mental and physical health issues to better the well-being of the entire campus community. The presence of two clinical psychologists on the committee further emphasizes that mental health is just as important as physical health.
“I think there's certainly a growing awareness that mental health is of equal importance to physical health,” Dini said, “and that mental diseases are like any other disease and need to be treated with a similar level of seriousness.”
Griffin Holtby, a former Marksman, took days off regularly for mental health reasons during his time at the school — about one day every month or two. Having attended the school from sixth grade until ninth, Holtby never received a written excuse from his doctor. He found the breaks in his normal routine to be rejuvenating.
“I did find that when I went back to school the next day, my mental state and mindset were often much more positive and agreeable,” Holtby said. “The stress of so many consecutive days of school in a row can turn going to school into something that students dread rather than something that they look forward to.”
While taking a day off can be a relaxing break, it also means make-up work, which can lead to a stressful situation that could’ve been avoided by staying in school.
“In some ways, taking mental health days did make my life more stressful,” Holtby said. “Catching up on work is never fun, especially when you know that you could’ve just powered through the day and done the work but chose not to.”
As with any privilege, there are those who abuse it. There are those who use mental health reasons as an excuse to miss school even though they aren’t suffering from stress, anxiety or depression.
“I think that for every four or five kids who take advantage of [mental health days], there are one or two kids who are struggling through issues that often times begin to surface in middle school and high school like depression, anxiety and problems in their home,” Holtby said. “For those one or two kids, these mental health days could be the difference between them graduating or dropping out.”
In the end, mental health days are meant to benefit the student who does need a break from school so that he can perform at his highest level.
“Teachers and students should both want school to be a lively, positive place for everyone,” Holtby said, “and mental health days could be the solution.”