Depression, Part Six: The Schools

The vignette about Brenda posted previously (Depression, Part Five) may seem extreme to some readers, but in fact there are many young people like Brenda who are struggling merely to survive. In some cases, school personnel become aware of a student's situation and seek placement in special education, but in many cases the student escapes notice. There are simply too many needy kids and too few professionals to find them all, however. This is what has happened in Brenda's case. Her poor attendance has enabled her to go undetected: Out of sight, out of mind.

There are many kids in schools who are depressed, and the great majority go unnoticed. That is because passivity among students is easily seen as "good behavior" by educators, who are content when students are complacent and minding their own business. Most depressed kids are not defiant, and their occasional irritability is usually written off as typical, teenage behavior. "He's just having a bad day today," teachers will say, "She must have her period." Although such appraisals are often accurate -- for adolescents are subject to emotional ups and downs -- educators often miss the mark.

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There is often little to be done even when school professionals are aware of a student's mental health problems. To find a student "emotionally disturbed," for example, the student must be struggling academically in addition to having significant emotional and/or behavioral problems. As a practical matter, as long as a student is pulling down good grades he or she cannot be classified for special education. That is true even if the student is contemplating suicide . . . or murder. As a result, there are many students who in the eyes of educators are "ticking bombs," and for whom nothing can be done. "Just wait a few years," teachers say, "You'll be reading about Kyle in the paper." The predictions frequently become grim reality.

Even when a student is classified as emotionally disturbed, the services received in school are usually insufficient. A good academic program may help a student develop skills, and even better self-esteem, but core problems typically remain. School counselors may provide some support -- and provide salvation for a few students -- but many lack the time and training to have major impact. School psychologists, who when properly trained can be quite effective, are often relegated to testing roles and see students for counseling infrequently. In nearly all schools the focus is what happens "in house," and not on what happens at home, or in the neighborhood. Few educators risk making inquiries into a student's relationships with parents, for example, and fear repercussions if they dig too deeply into a student's personal life. The bottom line is that in most cases, schools can do little to intervene when students have significant mental health problems.