Mental Health Days in Irish Second-Level Schools

 

Your brain is an organ inside your body. And just like any other organ, sometimes those brains can get sick, especially during a person's youth due to stress, underlying mental conditions, and/or a number of other factors you probably have not even considered. And that's okay. What isn't okay, however, is our authorities' way of dealing with this, drilling it into our heads since childhood that mental health and illnesses to do with it are nowhere near as valid as physical ones.

We can't sit on our hands while watching young people harm themselves and take their lives all while wondering it's bothering them so much, well, since their feelings are not valid unless they've got a broken arm or leg. This way of thinking is taking us back to the Middle Ages, instead of growing, developing, and modernising to fit the 21st century world in which we live. It's wrong, and it causes damage. You can't defeat an issue like this by ignoring it. 

The first baby step to reducing the ridiculously high amount of teen suicides Irish Second-Level schools face, is something very simple, which I know if put into action, could be a vast improvement.

I propose the idea of Mental Health Days in Irish Second Level Schools.

These will include:

  • The right for students to take one day off school (outside of the regular holidays and days off), once per term, on a day of their choice
  • This absence will be communicated to the school via phone call, email, text message, a note or letter the day before, or explained the next day the student is present
  • These mental health days will enable students to take better care of their mental health, giving them a break the exact moment they feel like they need it, thus lowering stress levels and suicide risks
  • Should a student take advantage of a mental health day, the next day they are present, they will be offered the help of a school counsellor or psychologist to ensure they are given all the help they require 

While this idea is just a stepping stone towards the fully modernised mental healthcare and services around Ireland that I, and I hope many others too, desire, I am certain it will be a great leap forward, and a huge development. If we stand together, we can make Irish schools a more positive and mental-health-friendly place. Sign my petition, and please share it with your friends and families to spread the word about this important cause.