Make Mental Health Screening Preliminary in Public Schools

Many children are overlooked in our schools' current system of mental health screenings. If a teacher doesn't recommend a student for an evaluation, they usually aren't screened unless their parents intercede. Many parents are oblivious to the existence of the mental health issues a child may have. 1 in 5 people have experienced depression before adulthood. Cutting and suicidal thoughts are not unanticipated among many high school girls. Learning disorders can go undiagnosed as well, due to good grades or a poor teacher in primary school. These can come back to bite if the student was unaware of them. Undiagnosed ADHD can cause debilitating social issues for a person, due to the lack of self control the disorder causes. A thorough annual screening could prevent poor grades and self harm.