A new mental health curriculum law was passed in the State of California on January 10th, 2022. How will this law change the mental health conversation? and how can we also contribute to the growing mental health movement. Never underestimate the power of conversation. Press play!
A new mental health curriculum law was passed in the State of California on January 10th, 2022. How will this law change the mental health conversation? and how can we also contribute to the growing mental health movement. Never underestimate the power of conversation. Press play!
Hey guys! Welcome back to Alphabet Soup. It’s been a while but I’m happy to be back and podcasting again. I hope you’ve all had a great holiday season and were able to take some time off for yourself and to spend time with the people you love. Today we’re talking about a new mental health law that just passed in the State of California so stay tuned to find out what it’s all about.
On January 10th, 2022, a new mental health law, Senate Bill 224 was passed, that requires all school districts that offer health classes in the state of California to include mental health as part of the curriculum. Now, the CA Department of education has until January 1st, 2023, to incorporate mental health into the state standards and school districts have until 2024 to put the adjusted material into effect in the classroom. Although health classes are not mandatory in CA high schools, about 60 percent of districts do offer a health course that provides education on nutrition, exercise, substance use, sexual health, injury prevention, healthy relationships, and other health related topics.
Because of the bill, the standards are to be adjusted to also include mental health, and furthermore, to cover more serious mental conditions such as eating disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, OCD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. Under the bill, the curriculum will explore the causes and symptoms of mental illness as well as treatment and how to advocate for friends and family members who need help. All of these things will increase education and awareness of mental illness and how they come about and what we can do to notice it in others and to help them through whatever they may be facing. So that’s about everything that the law covers.
Now I want to talk a bit about the passing of this law says about the society we are living in. We are living in a time on Earth populated with more people than ever before, when life is made easier with the sheer number of technological innovations that are available to help us with tasks and education is more readily available for those who want to learn. Despite all this, mental health is deteriorating. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2019, a third of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Now, after two years of COVID-19 these feelings have undoubtedly intensified for many students, especially those who have been isolated or struggled with distance learning and economic hardship due to the pandemic. Now, what else could have influenced the way these students answered the question about mental health? There are many contributors to this wave of depression and anxiety. It could be trauma, stress, substance and alcohol use, overwork, and even personality can make a person more prone to negative mental health. So, although our quality of life is better now, many new stress-inducing factors have come in to play also. This is why mental health education and awareness is a critical advancement we should continue to strive for.
If you are inspired to start up a mental health conversation, but have no idea how to, here are a few mental health conversation starters that you can make your own. You could ask: how does it make you feel to learn that 1 in 5 people have or will have a mental illness at some point in their life and what are ways that you could talk about this with your friends and family to make a change? You could also ask: have you ever had a time in your life when you have applied a stigma to somebody else and unknowingly contributed or may have said something hurtful to a friend or family member? If you could go back to that time what would you say instead?
You know, for today’s bit I want to read to you a quote about the power of conversation. This is from Linda Lambert and she says, “One good conversation can shift the direction of change forever.” All we need is to start up one conversation about mental health, and you won’t believe how many lives you could possibly reach.
All in all, this law could be the start of a mental health revolution and hopefully it will have grassroots effect on teenagers and other states. We must continue the mental health conversation and inspire others to take part. Anyone can become an advocate in their own way, as long as their purpose is clear. So, let’s keep talking about mental health. 😉
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s episode and are a little bit inspired to take part in the mental health conversation yourself. Make sure to tune in to the next episode, I hope it will be an interesting one that you don’t want to miss out on.
https://www.changetochill.org/mental-health-conversation-starters-about-stigma/