In the United States, a growing number of states have adopted laws that allow students to take mental health days off if they feel anxious, depressed, or need a day to “recharge.”
A dozen states already have measures in place that allow children to be absent for mental health reasons and not just physical health. Such problems are now recognized as legitimate reasons for missing school, along with sore throats, colds, and stomachaches.
So far, Washington, California, Illinois, Maine, Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Connecticut, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Kentucky offer mental health days off.
The move is an acknowledgment of a disturbing trend: In December 2021, US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory declaring a mental health crisis for America’s children, citing “an alarming number ” of youth struggling with “feelings of helplessness, depression, and suicidal thoughts.”
Between March and October 2020, the height of the pandemic, the percentage of children who went to the emergency room for mental health problems increased by 24% for children ages 5 to 11 and 31% for children ages 12 to 17 years, according to the Association of Children’s Hospitals.
In 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide was the second leading cause of death among adolescents, an increase of 31% from 2019.
“I believe that mental health should be appreciated as much as physical health. The kids are going through a tough time and they need a break,” said Christine M. Nicholson, a clinical child psychologist in Kirkland, Washington.
More about the bill that offers days off for mental health
The bill limits the number of days that a child can take, in each state they vary although in all cases parents must sign a note excusing their child.
Some states place limits on the number of days off a child can claim; for example, in Connecticut, students may have two days a year and they may not be consecutive, while others, such as California, do not.
Barb Solish, director of Youth and Young Adult Initiatives for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, explained the benefits of these days off.
“When students don’t feel physically well, there is a universal understanding that they should stay home and take time to feel better,” he said.
He stated that school policies that recognize mental health as an acceptable reason for absence can help students take the time they need to take care of themselves and get healthy.
“Practically speaking, if you have a fever, you’re not paying attention in class, right? You are not learning the lesson. If you feel overwhelming anxiety, you are not learning either,” she assured.
Main news source: The Washington Post.