The case for student mental health days
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0:04 - 0:06When I was a kid,
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0:06 - 0:08my mom and I made this deal.
-
0:08 - 0:12I was allowed to take three
mental health rest days every semester -
0:12 - 0:14as long as I continued
to do well in school. -
0:15 - 0:17This was because I started
my mental health journey -
0:17 - 0:19when I was only six years old.
-
0:20 - 0:23I was always what my grade-school teachers
would call "a worrier," -
0:23 - 0:27but later on we found out
that I have trauma-induced anxiety -
0:27 - 0:28and clinical depression.
-
0:29 - 0:31This made growing up pretty hard.
-
0:31 - 0:34I was worried about a lot of things
that other kids weren't, -
0:34 - 0:36and school got really
overwhelming sometimes. -
0:36 - 0:38This resulted in a lot of breakdowns,
-
0:38 - 0:40panic attacks --
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0:40 - 0:41sometimes I was super productive,
-
0:41 - 0:44and other days
I couldn't get anything done. -
0:44 - 0:45This was all happening during a time
-
0:45 - 0:48when mental health
wasn't being talked about -
0:48 - 0:49as much as it is now,
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0:49 - 0:50especially youth mental health.
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0:50 - 0:54Some semesters I used
all of those rest days to the fullest. -
0:54 - 0:56Others, I didn't need any at all.
-
0:56 - 0:59But the fact that they
were always an option -
0:59 - 1:02is what kept me a happy,
healthy and successful student. -
1:02 - 1:05Now I'm using those skills
that I learned as a kid -
1:05 - 1:08to help other students
with mental health challenges. -
1:08 - 1:12I'm here today to offer you some insight
into the world of teenage mental health: -
1:12 - 1:15what's going on, how did we get here
and what can we do? -
1:16 - 1:18But first you need to understand
-
1:18 - 1:22that while not everyone has
a diagnosed mental illness like I do, -
1:22 - 1:23absolutely everyone --
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1:23 - 1:25all of you have mental health.
-
1:25 - 1:28All of us have a brain
that needs to be cared for -
1:28 - 1:31in similar ways that we care
for our physical well-being. -
1:31 - 1:35Our head and our body are connected
by much more than just our neck after all. -
1:35 - 1:38Mental illness even manifests itself
in some physical ways, -
1:38 - 1:42such as nausea, headaches,
fatigue and shortness of breath. -
1:42 - 1:44So since mental health affects all of us,
-
1:44 - 1:48shouldn't we be coming up with solutions
that are accessible to all of us? -
1:48 - 1:51That brings me to my second
part of my story. -
1:51 - 1:52When I was in high school
-
1:52 - 1:55I had gotten pretty good
at managing my own mental health. -
1:55 - 1:57I was a successful student,
-
1:57 - 2:00and I was president of the Oregon
Association of Student Councils. -
2:00 - 2:03But it was around this time
that I began to realize -
2:03 - 2:07mental health was much a bigger problem
than just for me personally. -
2:07 - 2:10Unfortunately, my hometown
was touched by multiple suicides -
2:10 - 2:12during my first year in high school.
-
2:12 - 2:15I saw those tragedies
shake our entire community, -
2:15 - 2:17and as the president of a statewide group,
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2:17 - 2:19I began hearing more and more stories
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2:19 - 2:22from students where this had
also happened in their town. -
2:22 - 2:25So in 2018 at our annual summer camp,
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2:25 - 2:27we held a forum with about
100 high school students -
2:27 - 2:29to discuss teenage mental health.
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2:29 - 2:31What could we do?
-
2:31 - 2:34We approached this conversation
with an enormous amount of empathy -
2:34 - 2:36and honesty,
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2:36 - 2:38and the results were astounding.
-
2:38 - 2:39What struck me the most
-
2:39 - 2:41was that every single one
of my peers had a story -
2:41 - 2:44about a mental health
crisis in their school, -
2:44 - 2:46no matter if they were
from a tiny town in eastern Oregon -
2:46 - 2:48or the very heart of Portland.
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2:49 - 2:51This was happening everywhere.
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2:51 - 2:52We even did some research,
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2:52 - 2:57and we found out that suicide
is the second leading cause of death -
2:57 - 3:00for youth ages 10 to 24 in Oregon.
-
3:00 - 3:02The second leading cause.
-
3:03 - 3:04We knew we had to do something.
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3:05 - 3:07So over the next few months,
-
3:07 - 3:11we made a committee called
Students for a Healthy Oregon, -
3:11 - 3:15and we set out to end the stigma
against mental health. -
3:15 - 3:18We also wanted to prioritize
mental health in schools. -
3:18 - 3:21With the help of some lobbyists
and a few mental health professionals, -
3:21 - 3:24we put forth House Bill 2191.
-
3:24 - 3:27This bill allows students to take
mental health days off from school -
3:27 - 3:30the same way you would
a physical health day. -
3:30 - 3:31Because oftentimes that day off
-
3:31 - 3:34is the difference between
feeling a whole lot better -
3:34 - 3:35and a whole lot worse --
-
3:35 - 3:38kind of like those days my mom
gave me when I was younger. -
3:40 - 3:42So over the next few months,
-
3:42 - 3:45we lobbied and researched
and campaigned for our bill, -
3:45 - 3:48and in June of 2019
it was finally signed into law. -
3:49 - 3:55(Applause and cheers)
-
3:59 - 4:02This was a groundbreaking moment
for Oregon students. -
4:02 - 4:04Here's an example
of how this is playing out now. -
4:04 - 4:07Let's say a student
is having a really hard month. -
4:07 - 4:10They're overwhelmed, overworked,
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4:10 - 4:13they're falling behind in school,
and they know they need help. -
4:13 - 4:16Maybe they've never talked about
mental health with their parents before, -
4:16 - 4:20but now they have a law on their side
to help initiate that conversation. -
4:20 - 4:23The parent still needs to be the one
to call the school and excuse the absence, -
4:23 - 4:26so it's not like
it's a free pass for the kids, -
4:26 - 4:27but most importantly,
-
4:27 - 4:30now that school has that absence
recorded as a mental health day, -
4:30 - 4:31so they can keep track
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4:31 - 4:34of just how many students
take how many mental health days. -
4:34 - 4:36If a student takes too many,
-
4:36 - 4:39they'll be referred
to the school counselor for a check-in. -
4:39 - 4:42This is important because we can
catch students who are struggling -
4:42 - 4:44before it's too late.
-
4:44 - 4:47One of the main things we heard
at that forum in 2018 -
4:47 - 4:51is that oftentimes stepping forward
and getting help is the hardest step. -
4:51 - 4:54We're hoping that this law
can help with that. -
4:54 - 4:57This not only will start teaching kids
young how to take care of themselves -
4:57 - 5:00and practice self-care
and stress management, -
5:00 - 5:02but it could also literally save lives.
-
5:03 - 5:06Now students from multiple other states
are also trying to pass these laws. -
5:06 - 5:10I'm currently working with students
in both California and Colorado -
5:10 - 5:11to do the same,
-
5:11 - 5:13because we believe
that students everywhere -
5:13 - 5:15deserve a chance to feel better.
-
5:15 - 5:18Aside from all the practical
reasons and technicalities, -
5:18 - 5:22House Bill 2191 is really special
because of the core concept behind it: -
5:22 - 5:26that physical and mental health
are equal and should be treated as such. -
5:26 - 5:28In fact, they're connected.
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5:28 - 5:30Take health care for example.
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5:31 - 5:32Think about CPR.
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5:32 - 5:36If you were put in a situation
where you had to administer CPR, -
5:36 - 5:38would you know at least
a little bit of what to do? -
5:38 - 5:40Think to yourself --
-
5:40 - 5:44most likely yes because CPR trainings
are offered in most schools, workplaces -
5:44 - 5:46and even online.
-
5:46 - 5:48We even have songs that go with it.
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5:48 - 5:50But how about mental health care?
-
5:50 - 5:54I know I was trained in CPR
in my seventh-grade health class. -
5:54 - 5:57What if I was trained in seventh grade
how to manage my mental health -
5:57 - 5:59or how to respond
to a mental health crisis? -
5:59 - 6:03I'd love to see a world
where each of us has a toolkit of skills -
6:03 - 6:05to help a friend, coworker, family member
-
6:05 - 6:07or even stranger going through
a mental health crisis. -
6:07 - 6:10And these resources should be
especially available in schools -
6:10 - 6:13because that's where students
are struggling the most. -
6:13 - 6:16The other concept that I sincerely hope
you take with you today -
6:16 - 6:19is that it is always OK to not be OK,
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6:19 - 6:22and it is always OK to take a break.
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6:22 - 6:23It doesn't have to be a whole day;
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6:23 - 6:25sometimes that's not realistic.
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6:25 - 6:28But it can be a few moments here and there
to check in with yourself. -
6:29 - 6:31Think of life like a race ...
-
6:32 - 6:34like a long-distance race.
-
6:34 - 6:37If you sprint in the very beginning
you're going to get burnt out. -
6:37 - 6:39You may even hurt yourself
from pushing too hard. -
6:39 - 6:41But if you pace yourself,
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6:41 - 6:43if you take it slow,
sometimes intentionally, -
6:43 - 6:45and you push yourself other times,
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6:45 - 6:47you are sure to be way more successful.
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6:48 - 6:49So please,
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6:49 - 6:51look after each other,
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6:51 - 6:53look after the kids
and teens in your life -
6:53 - 6:56especially the ones that look
like they have it all together. -
6:56 - 6:58Mental health challenges
are not going away, -
6:58 - 6:59but as a society,
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6:59 - 7:02we can learn how to manage them
by looking after one another. -
7:02 - 7:04And look after yourself, too.
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7:04 - 7:06As my mom would say,
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7:06 - 7:08"Once in a while, take a break."
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7:08 - 7:09Thank you.
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7:09 - 7:11(Applause)
- Title:
- The case for student mental health days
- Speaker:
- Hailey Hardcastle
- Description:
-
School can be rife with stress, anxiety, panic attacks and even burnout — but there's often no formal policy for students who need to prioritize their well-being. Hailey Hardcastle explains why schools should offer mental health days and allow students time to practice emotional hygiene without stigma. Follow along to learn how she and a team of fellow teens transformed their advocacy into law.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:24
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for Why students should have mental health days |