Comprehensive outline
The paper examines some of the socioeconomic inequalities in mental health educations at primary school. It also explores some ethical and moral implications the recent debate has had on primary training in a democratic society.
Approach outline of the discussion
- Introduction
- Main discussion
Possible ethical and moral issues
The implications for primary education
- Conclusion
Main texts/literature that support the essay
Inequality in mental health
Unmet Mental health needs
Stigma and discrimination
Demographical background and mental disorder
Integrating mental health into primary education
Introduction
Mental health in primary education has been a heated topic at the national level for many years. The burden and inequalities in mental healthcare throughout the world are critically essential to support around primary education in a democratic society, as can be witnessed in various the journal outlined. Mental health support is vital for educators who are often at the forefront in defense of primary education students (Weist et al. 2017, p.86). In a given year, it is approximately that 30% of the world’s population is affected by the psychological, emotional, and social disorder, and a third of those affected do not receive the support as desired (Howard and Denisse, 2019). In the USA alone, an estimated one out of eight children between five and 19 years old had at least one mental disorder (Heaven, 2017, p.30). Thus, I welcome the fact that enough support has not been put in place around mental health in primary education, and more efforts need to be put in place in a democratic society. To help in supporting this idea, the paper will look at some of the ethical and moral issues raised by the journal outlined and some of the implications on primary education.
Possible ethical and moral issues
Still, mental disorder symptoms and behavior for these young groups may cause distress or interfere with personal functioning, which may result in poor performance in school. Most often, this will revolve around anxiety, depression, and obsessions that results from conducting disorder, including aggressive or antisocial behavior, conduct disorder, and hyperactive disorders. Still, the journal, practitioners of mental health, agreed that educators of mental health work together in support of a common goal, which is the well- being of their students (Marryat et al. 2017, p.29). Although, initially, this was an issue given it had never been done before. For instance, at one of the schools that were used as a sample in by the author, the headteacher outlined that the concept of having trained mental health practitioners as part of the school was a privilege to the student’s well-being (Marryat et al. 2017, p.29). Therefore, it can be concluded that early interventions could help in attaining a positive outcome in which wind intern ensure that a progressive impact on primary education (Howard et al. 2017, p.60).
However, besides reasonable mental health practices for these young people, additional support is required, especially for those that come from disadvantaged backgrounds at primary schools. The reason is that already these pupils started their education on a mental health difficulty as compared to their peers, which calls for particular measures to address such individuals (McDougall, 2016, p.58). As such, children’s demographic background has a significant effect on the mental health of primary school children. Children who live in most deprived areas when they started school are more likely to have an abnormal SDQ score at the age of four compared to children that come from affluent regions (Glazzard and Mitchel, 2018, p.48). However, a democratic society should ensure that although both of these children are put under the same mental health program, more emphasis should be made on those who are more affected. Thus schools should have a significant contribution towards theories of psychological trajectories (Holt, 2019, p.49). Observing this ethic is essential in developing trust between patients and teachers for a successful program. Consequently, the interactions between the caregivers and these children should be at a personal level to get to the root cause of the patient, hence addressing them appropriately.
Ethical issue identified in the journal is that even though the average aged of early signs of mental illness is three, most individual fails to seek the much-needed help until adulthood. One out of ten children is reported to have mental health issues, including anxiety, depression of any other diagnosable mental health problem. However, in most cases, these young people feel to get the much-needed help to ensure their well-being (Marryat et al. 2017, p.28). As a result, an estimate of 60 percent of primary school children with mental health ends up dropping out of school due to one reason or the other (Slawson, 2020). This can have an advance effect on primary education as an educator’s struggle to ensure the welfare of students is maintaining but becomes difficult to achieve due to unwillingness by young people to share on their issues (Erasmus, 2019, p.22). Nonetheless, having an insight into how schools work and how health and education can be used to support mental health in primary education in a democratic society.
The implications for primary education
Inequality if mental health exists and is pervasive and often ignored, as illustrated in the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018, p.17). Unjust mental health practices can trigger a sense of discrimination in young people, which can, in turn, affect the performance of a student in the class. Inequality in mental health can be witnessed where gender, socioeconomic status, ethical background, among other factors, are not considered in the process (Glazzard & Bostwick, 2018, p.28). Consequently, a child may develop emotional and behavioral problems that canceled school avoidance, which may lead to school dropout. It is estimated that 60 % of children with mental health problems end up dropping out of school is they are not listed to and helped appropriately (Barile, 2020, p.4). Thus, mental disorder, if not well implemented, can lead to learning disorders, which may cause a drop out of school entirely. Here the main purpose of primary education, which is to educate young people, is not achieved.
However, if mental health issues are well addressed in the primary level, this can help enhance both social and learning interactions, which is critical for the success of an individual. The article also found out that as much as enough efforts have not been put in place to ensure complete integration of mental health in primary education, some countries have made significant efforts to ensure that children have the best care. Such findings are supported by studies done by Atkinson & Hornby (2015, p.92), which demonstrate that among those who receive a formal mental health diagnosis, about 10% of young people in primary are likely to receive a service. Besides, the integration of mental health in primary education is known to have the best outcome in terms of the performance of learners (Heaven, 2017, p.7). Thus, a sound mental health system should ensure that pupils are well diagnosed and helped in a personalized manner that will provide the development of positive emotion towards learning.
Conclusion
To conclude, there is not enough support around mental health education in primary education, and more efforts are necessary for ensuring the success of these programs. Although numerous attempts have been put in place to integrate mental health in primary school, these efforts have failed to meet the requirement, and thus a change in strategies is required. Also, children with high levels of behavioral, emotional, and social problems are those that come from deprived backgrounds, and extra support is needed in primary school to help reduce the effect of mental disorder. Due to the difference in the background when starting school with great mental difficulties as compared to most affluent peers. The disparity widens as the children move up the primary education school, and thus routine monitoring of the impact of this diversity on mental health is warranted. Mental health is also known to have both a positive and negative impact on primary education, depending on how it is handled. When handled appropriately, it can assist a student in having positive emotions towards school and thus may lead to excellent performance. However, when they’re controlled inadequately, it can raise mistrust, which can lead to school dropout. Therefore, measures need to be put in place to ensure that children are handled individually to help them recover from mental disorders appropriately.