Why our bill? an overview
In today's society, mental health has become an extensively discussed and increasingly prevalent issue, particularly among children and within our communities. Here in NYC, suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15-19, with a disturbing focus on black teenagers. Furthermore, we witness a distressing surge in violence not only within our cities but across the entire United States, exemplified by the alarming frequency of school shootings. Sadly, firearms have become the leading cause of death among children in America.
How can we effectively address these critical challenges? How can we proactively protect our children from debilitating mental disorders and prevent future acts of violence? We strongly believe that the solution lies in providing mental health treatment and evaluations for our youth. Regular mental health check-ups not only help prevent future mental health disorders but can also contribute to preventing physical ailments according to research.
Recognizing that today's youth will become the future leaders of our world, it is crucial to equip them with the necessary skills to process and regulate their emotions in a non-destructive manner, both towards themselves and others. By doing so, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of them developing mental health problems both in the present and the future. When individuals function better emotionally, we create a better world for everyone. Therefore, there is no better time than now to take action and prioritize the mental well-being of our children.
Reasons Why to Sign
Scientific Evidence
"There are considerable changes in the brain during adolescence, specifically in the hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex. Stress exposure during the development of these two structures may make adolescents especially susceptible to depression". From ages 7 to 16, the frontal lobe experiences an increase in white matter volume .The frontal lobe is responsible for the functions of concentration and emotional expression and in the frontal lobe consist of the pre frontal cortex that is responsible for cognitive control and dopamine production in that aresa modulate cognitive control. At such a sensitive time for brain development its important for children not to be under alot of stress and emotionally/mentally damaging states, not only will our bill ensure children to have a space to combat these issues to encourage healthy childhood development it also will teach them how to correct behavioral and emotional issues they may suffer with during this time so it doesn't carry on into adulthood harming them or others.
37% of high school students report suffering poor mental health during pandemic. After the pandemic suicide rates sky rocketed even in children and they may still be affected today. With the bill they would be guven a safe space to share whats going on inside of their head and treatment if needed to go on to become bright individuals.
Depression and anxiety can be spread throughout classrooms. Especially unhealthy coping mechanisms like finding relief from problems in drugs, addictions and or unhealthy sexual relationships. Other children can see this in class or their school enviornment and be influenced by these actions and or behaviors. Our bill would be able to identify this issue during evaluations and get treatment for the student and teach them how to healthily deal with complications.
Our bill is different than the Mental health bill for students in 2020 becuase ours is for every student not only for students dealing with traumatic experiences or at risk of committing suicide
Present day example of benefits
In light of recent events, we can see school shootings are at an all time high in America. Even kids who have wittnessed school shootings in the US are not getting psychological evaluations or being seen by professionals after being exposed to such atrocities. With this bill, kids who have expirenced school shootings, attempted school shootings or even kids living in fear of their school being shot up can get help to ensure these sad events do not traumatize them. Addditionally, if kids were being evaluated and treated way before things like this even happen we would be able prevent it all together. Not only would the evaluation be able to notice alarming behavior exhibited by a child who could become a potential danger to other kids, we have the ability to give the child proper treatment where dangerous thoughts can be stopped all together.