Mental illness, mental wellness New legislation, education may bring concerns into mainstream

As their children grow, most parents do an excellent job of teaching them how to recognize and deal with physical problems. Got a cut? Treat it with antibiotic and cover it with a bandage. Got a cold? Drink lots of fluids, rest and cover your mouth when you cough. It's fairly easy to teach someone how to stay physically healthy.

But when it comes to mental health, it can be a whole different story. There is a history of stigma. In some families, mental illness remains a taboo topic. Until a few years ago, many health insurance companies wouldn't even cover treatment for mental illness. And few school health classes even mentioned mental health issues.

That is changing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation earlier this month that makes mental health education mandatory alongside the material on critical health issues such as tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse. The legislation is something the Mental Health Association in New York State Inc. has advocated for over the past five years. "By ensuring that young people are educated about mental health," said MHA-NYS CEO Glenn Liebman, "we increase the likelihood that they will be able to recognize signs in themselves and others that indicate when help is needed and how to get help."

Many school districts have already recognized the importance of teaching youngsters about mental as well as physical health. Perry Central, for instance, has offered mental health instruction as part of its health curriculum since 2004. In Orleans County, not only is mental health part of school curriculums, but schools have mental health personnel available in satellite offices. A similar clinic is planned for Robert Morris School in Batavia once final approval is given by the state.

"We had a strategic plan to go where the kids were," said Orleans County Mental Health Director Mark O'Brien. "It makes the services more accessible and reduces the stigma. We partner with the school psychologists, administrators and teachers ... the reaction has been nothing short of phenomenal." The services include help with mental health disorders and also other issues such as eating disorders and depression from bullying.

Education is important for several reasons, noted Nancy Balbick, Wyoming County director of Mental Health Services. It not only can help the students who know they're depressed, for example, but can also help the students who don't understand why they are feeling the way they do - who may be experiencing symptoms but can't recognize them for what they are and so can't deal with them.

This kind of education takes mental illness out of the realm of mysterious unknown and into the mainstream where young people can learn how to take care of themselves mentally as well as physically. The state hasn't yet released a new curriculum containing a mental health component, but the ideal curriculum would focus as much on mental wellness as it does on mental illness, in much the same way that current health education emphasizes wellness.

"I hope they teach not only 'This is what your mental health is' but also 'This is what mental wellness is,'" said Ms. Balbick.

That is a worthy goal. If this legislation brings about such a curriculum, it will have brought light to a dark place where too many young people have been lost.