To the Teacher
Many young people face mental health challenges that too often go unaddressed because of stigma around the topic. According to the World Health Organization, roughly one in seven teenagers experience a mental health condition across the world, with depression and anxiety listed as among the most common forms of mental illnesses. Different cultures deal with mental health differently, and in the United States ours has historically placed shame around those who experience such challenges. This can make people fearful of talking freely about their struggles and discourage them from finding the help that they need. Fortunately, we are seeing progress towards a more open discussion—and one that encourages people to seek out support without feeling shame.
This two-part lesson consists of two readings on the efforts to confront mental health stigma in the United States. The first reading follows the trend of public figures speaking out about their experiences with mental illness, a development which has had the effect of helping to normalize these types of conversations. The second reading documents students who are both raising their voices and organizing supportive communities to break down stigma around mental health. This is followed by a post-reading microlab activity where students discuss mental health issues in their own lives with their peers.
Reading One: Artists and Athletes Help Break Down Mental Health Stigma
Many young people face mental health challenges that too often go unaddressed because of stigma around the topic. According to the World Health Organization, roughly one in seven teenagers experience a mental health condition across the world, with depression and anxiety listed as among the most common forms of mental illnesses. Different cultures deal with mental health differently, and in the United States ours has historically placed shame around those who experience such challenges. This can make people fearful of talking freely about their struggles and discourage them from finding the help that they need. Fortunately, we are seeing progress towards a more open discussion—and one that encourages people to seek out support without feeling shame.
One part of the changing conversation on mental health has come in the form of high-profile public figures, such as artists and athletes, coming out and talking about their own experiences openly. Forbes magazine has described this trend as a “wave of mental health advocacy in popular culture.” That wave does not appear to be cresting anytime soon. In an August 2024 blog post for Psychology Today, Associate Professor in the School of Management at RMIT University Ying (Lena) Wang Ph.D. discussed how elite athletes have used their platforms to candidly discuss their mental health experiences. Wang wrote:
With the Paris Olympics now behind us, there is an important lesson we can all learn from our athletes, one not just about winning but also about overcoming.
A highlight of this year’s game was Simone Biles—now officially the GOAT of gymnastics—winning three gold and one silver in Paris, including a career-defining individual all-around. This all happened after she abruptly withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics three years earlier, citing a mental health breakdown at the time….
Other top athletes have been open about their mental health challenges over the years including swimming great Michael Phelps, four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, and, more recently, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel….
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Biles found herself in the new role of mental health advocate, where she shares her own experiences, especially with young athletes.
Her courageous coming out in Tokyo encouraged the entire Team USA, as well as many across the world, to put mental health as the priority when going into Paris 2024, culminating in a significant cultural shift in the way mental health challenges are viewed and discussed.
Olympic athletes are not the only public figures being more open about their challenges. Well-known musicians, actors, and evenpoliticians have come forward to share their struggles and to help normalize conversations around mental health. In a June 2023 article for The Washington Post, freelance journalist Eric Adelson covered the role that such public figures have played in promoting the cultural trend of increased mental health awareness. Adelson wrote:
As demand for mental health help has vaulted higher, celebrities ranging from musicians to TV stars to athletes have used their platforms and public profiles to discuss their own mental health challenges. It is both reflective of the broader societal shift that has destigmatized the discussion of emotional and mental health, and a trend that has made an impact in encouraging people to speak up about or address issues in their own lives….
[W]hen stars such as Demi Lovato and Kelly Clarkson speak up about their own emotional well-being, as they did during a 2020 interview on Clarkson’s talk show, it can help inspire others to do the same.
“I’ve had some people talk to me about suicide and mention Demi Lovato,” said Anna Bell, a Washington-based social worker. “I’ve never heard them say that’s why they come to therapy, but it normalizes it. People can survive [suicidal thoughts] and still be successful and popular in this world.”
Horizontal identification may also expand mental wellness messaging to parts of the population that it doesn’t always reach consistently. Certain demographics deal with more stigma than others. For example: Black men….
Famed radio host Charlamagne tha God is one example of a celebrity reaching out to the Black community. “The Pivot” podcast, hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, has drawn praise for the hosts’ willingness to broach topics like mental health and vulnerability. And the foundation started by actor Taraji P. Henson — the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation — has seen a 200 percent increase in Black men seeking its help in only three years….
The National Institutes of Health reports that about 1 in 4 American adults are now living with a mental illness. This statistic, while certainly alarming, might reflect a sign of a willingness to speak up instead of hiding in shame. There is perhaps less fear of admission — from both celebrities and the rest of us.
“It’s a generation of people more accepting of everything and everybody and needing to move forward in time,” [said Gracie Gold, an American champion figure skater who in 2017 sought help for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder]. “The archaic rules — we don’t need them anymore.”
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/06/21/celebrity-mental-health/]
In a Winter 2022 blog post for Howard Magazine, associate professor GiShawn Mance PhD for Psychology at Howard University noted the positive effect of the shift in public conversation, claiming that “I have observed growing public interest and awareness around mental health over the past decade. Literacy around mental health has increased exponentially, coupled with the rise of public figures speaking openly and candidly about their challenges.” Yet in spite of such advances, considerable work remains to be done to ensure that all those in need of help are able to access the mental health services they require.
Post- Reading Microlab Activity:
Here's how to do a microlab in the classroom.
1. Divide the class into groups of three or four using puzzle pieces, number cards, or by counting off. Ask participants to arrange themselves in their small groups so that each person can easily see and hear everyone else in the group.
2. Before you begin, explain the guidelines for a microlab:
- It's okay to pass if you need more time to think or would rather not respond.
- This is a timed activity. I will let you know when it is time to move on to the next speaker. You will each have one [or two or three] minutes to speak.
- Speak from your own point of view.
- Be your own barometer - share as much as you feel comfortable sharing.
- Confidentiality is important, especially when we come back together as a large group. We need to agree that what we share among ourselves in the small group will stay private.
3. Introduce your first microlab question. (Use the questions below or create your own.) In introducing each question, it's usually helpful to say the question, then give some specifics about the question or model answering the question yourself, and then repeat the question again. This gives participants some time to think about what they would like to say. In between microlab questions, you may want to remind people to try not to interrupt or engage in dialogue.
Microlab Questions:
- What personal connections, thoughts, or feelings did you have about what you read?
According to the reading, one in seven young people across the world are estimated to experience a mental health condition. Does this ring true to your experience or that of people you know? - What do you think contributes to young people feeling anxious and depressed?
- Are there other instances of well-known individuals speaking out that you think have made a difference in the public discussion or that you connected with personally?
- Forbes magazine has described the trend in recent years of more people talking candidly about their struggles as part of a “wave of mental health advocacy in popular culture.” Have you noticed this shift in your life? What do you think the impact has been?
4. Reconvene the full group. Invite students to share how the microlab was for them. Then ask for volunteers to share something they said or felt in their microlab. Remind participants of the need for confidentiality - each person should only speak from their experience.
This sharing may lead to a wider classroom discussion. If the issue is a volatile one, discussions can sometimes get heated. If you decide to open up the topic, it would be a good idea to establish some guidelines for discussion or "community practices" ahead of time.
You may want to end the session by having the students brainstorm about questions they have on the issue that would lead to gathering information and further study.
Reading Two: Young People Speak Up to Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Even as public figures have talked more openly about mental health struggles and helped to lessen social stigma around the issue, young people themselves have started becoming more vocal and proactive in getting the help they need and encouraging their peers to do the same.
This trend had developed in a context of great need. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 exacerbated an already worsening state of mental affairs for many adolescents across the United States. The global pandemic resulted in isolating social conditions, financial difficulties, and lost loved ones for many young people. All of these factors contributed to heightened risk for developing mental illness. The situation prompted the country’s Surgeon General Vivek to issue a rare public health advisory in December 2021 to highlight how young people were experiencing “devastating” mental health effects. The situation was subsequently described by the Pew Charitable Trust in December 2023 as a “youth mental health crisis.”
It is from this challenging terrain that many young people have been raising their voices to advocate for themselves and their peers. In a May 2023 article, the National Institute of Health Medline Plus Magazine summarized the results from their 2022 Speaking Up About Mental Health! essay contest. In this event, high schoolers from across the country described their experiences with mental health in an effort to normalize these types of discussions:
Stigma and a lack of information or access to care [keep] many teens from getting help. But sharing personal stories about mental health can offer encouragement and connection. This can help teens feel like they are not alone. That’s why NIH asked high schoolers to describe these challenges in their own words for the 2022 Speaking Up About Mental Health! essay contest….
In their essays, many students talked about feeling lost, embarrassed, or frustrated by their mental health struggles. Others wrote about going from being confident in early childhood to feeling alone or unseen in adolescence….
Multiple students said when they could not find resources from their schools or communities, they started their own. Some also said their experiences have inspired them to study mental health and treatments after high school.
One student said they began volunteering for a teen crisis hotline after their cousin used the same service for help. The student also joined a youth advisory group for their state governor’s office and offered help as a peer-to-peer counselor at their school.
“My passion towards becoming a researcher on psychiatric disorders is stronger than ever,” they wrote.
The way people talk about mental illness could also be better, one student wrote. They preferred the phrase “living” with a mental illness rather than “suffering” from one. This small change in language signals it’s possible for people with such conditions to live happy and fulfilling lives.
[https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/teens-are-talking-about-mental-health]
By sharing the struggles that they have faced, teens help normalize conversations about mental health and share information in ways that can uniquely reach their peers. Some have gone even a step further to create mental health clubs and other supportive communities. As freelance journalist Jennifer Miller wrote in a February 2024 article for The New York Times:
In recent years, nonprofits that support school-based mental health clubs have found their programs in demand. The increase is the result of two phenomena: the rising number of adolescents struggling with mental health and the dearth of resources to help them. As schools search for solutions, often it’s the students who are leading the effort.
“When we think about mental health, it’s not just about crisis intervention,” said Lisa Padilla, senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation, who has studied mental health clubs. “The peer-based organizations are creating an environment in the school that says, ‘We value your well-being, and we know that’s part of who you are as a whole person.’ That message goes a long way to make students feel safe and empowered to speak up about their own needs….”
Niku Sedarat, a high school senior from San Jose, Calif., and the founder of the mental health organization Unité, said that teens were most receptive to “socially and culturally competent” messages delivered by their peers. Ms. Sedarat has recruited 150 student volunteers from across the country. They come from various backgrounds and are tasked with disseminating mental health resources at their schools. “When students feel their identity is being heard and matched, it’s more feasible for them to take the step to get support,” Ms. Sedarat said.
Some evidence suggests that the presence of a mental health club can benefit school culture. Dr. Padilla led a study of mental health clubs affiliated with the nonprofit Active Minds, another organization focused on destigmatizing mental illness. She found that students who were familiar with the club — even if they were not highly engaged in it — reported reduced stigma about mental illness. Those directly engaged were more knowledgeable about mental health resources on their campuses and were more likely to provide emotional support and connect friends to services.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/health/adolescents-mental-health-clubs.html]
Whether by speaking about their personal experiences or organizing communities of support, young people are working to help break the stigma around mental health. Should this trend continue, the shame that surrounded mental health issues among earlier generations of Americans may finally be replaced with more positive attitudes.
Post- Reading Microlab Activity:
Here's how to do a microlab in the classroom.
1. Divide the class into groups of three or four using puzzle pieces, number cards, or by counting off. Invite participants to arrange themselves in their small groups so that each person can easily see and hear everyone else in the group.
2. Before you begin, explain the guidelines for a microlab:
- It's okay to pass if you need more time to think or would rather not respond.
- This is a timed activity. I will let you know when it is time to move on to the next speaker. You will each have one [or two or three] minutes to speak.
- Speak from your own point of view.
- Be your own barometer - share as much as you feel comfortable sharing.
- Confidentiality is important, especially when we come back together as a large group. We need to agree that what we share among ourselves in the small group will stay private.
3. Introduce your first microlab question. (Use the questions below.) In introducing each question, it's usually helpful to say the question, then give some specifics about the question or model answering the question yourself, and then repeat the question again. This gives participants some time to think about what they would like to say. In between microlab questions, you may want to remind people to try not to interrupt or engage in dialogue.
Microlab Questions:
What personal connections, thoughts, or feelings did you have about what you read?
According to the reading, in what ways did the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to creating a youth mental health crisis? Did you witness any of the risk factors mentioned in the reading? Are there other current events, or events of the recent past, that you feel contribute to the ongoing mental health crisis?
Have you ever experienced shame, or witnessed someone being shamed, about mental health issues? Why do you think this happens? What are ways you think we could shift toward a more positive attitude toward mental health in this country?
In the Speaking Up About Mental Health! essay contest, young people described some of the social stigma that they faced when experiencing mental health issues. What do you think are the most effective ways to reduce such stigma?
- Dr. Padilla lists student mental health clubs as a helpful feature in a schoolwide environment that promotes mental well-being for young people. What do you think of these clubs? Do you know of schools that have them?
4. Reconvene the full group. Invite students to share how the microlab was for them. Then ask for volunteers to share something they said or felt in their microlab. Remind participants of the need for confidentiality - each person should only speak from their experience.
This sharing may lead to a wider classroom discussion. If the issue is a volatile one, discussions can sometimes get heated. If you decide to open up the topic, it would be a good idea to establish some guidelines for discussion or "community practices" ahead of time.
You may want to end the session by having students consider strategies.
–Research assistance provided by Sean Welch.