Common student mental health concerns
In Ontario, an estimated one in five children and youth has a mental health challenge. Early identification and prevention services can make a critical difference for a student who is having difficulty with their thoughts, behaviour, or emotions. As children and youth spend most of their day in school, educators have an important role in helping to identify students in need of more support and reinforcing helpful skills and strategies in the classroom.
Educators’ role in supporting student mental health
The work you do every day to create mentally healthy learning environments promotes positive mental health and well-being and enhances students’ availability for learning. In every class and school, some students will need additional support for their mental health and well-being. Your knowledge of common mental health concerns can help you feel more confident in providing support through everyday actions with your class or with individual students and will help you know when additional support is needed. The ONE CALL Desk Reference can be a helpful tool in this process.
Go deeper: Take our health literacy course for educators to build your knowledge.
Did you know? The Ontario College of Teachers has a Professional Advisory on Supporting Students’ Mental Health.
Struggles with attention, mood, and anxiety are common mental health concerns in youth. These concerns may be long-term and diagnosed conditions. Or, they may be acute reactions to a tragic event or other life situation.
Every student is unique, and what works for one individual may not work for another. Mental health needs can also change over time, requiring more or less support. Knowing each student and routinely communicating with families, caregivers, and service providers (as appropriate, with consent) can enhance student wellness when more support is needed in the classroom. You are part of a team that supports students and are not alone in this work.
Anxiety in the classroom
Anxiety in the classroom
Most of us feel anxious from time to time. And while it can be uncomfortable, anxiety is often a helpful emotion. Appropriate levels of anxiety can help us with focus and performance. You can help students learn to recognize and manage anxiety and can connect them with more support if levels of anxiety are heightened, long-lasting, and problematic for them.
Attention in the classroom
Many students will occasionally have difficulty paying attention, managing their impulses or completing tasks. Class-wide strategies and supports can help all students to maintain focus and optimize learning.
Mood in the classroom
Everyone experiences periods of sadness or irritability from time to time. For most students occasional difficulties with mood are short-lived. Sometimes though, concerns with mood are associated with a diagnosable mental illness that requires assessment and support from a mental health professional.
How to tell if more support is needed
As an educator, it’s beyond your role to assess or diagnose a mental health disorder. However, your work to notice and document concerns is crucial. You can work collaboratively as part of a team to provide caring support at school. Consult your school board’s protocol for accessing mental health support if what you’re noticing is:
- consistent and persists over long periods (e.g., for two-weeks or more)
- seems exaggerated and doesn’t seem to match the situation or stage of development
- causing distress or impacting daily functioning and school performance
What to do:
Follow your school board’s protocol for accessing mental health support. This may include:
- consulting with your principal, vice-principal or member of your school’s mental health leadership team
- discussing your observations with the student and/or their parent/caregiver
- a referral for professional mental health support from school board personnel (e.g., school social worker or school psychologist)
- a referral for professional mental health support within the community
You remain part of the student’s circle of support as they move to, through and from professional mental health services. There are specific strategies you can use to support students who are receiving mental health treatment.
It’s essential that you take care of yourself too—for your well-being, and so you’re better able to support the students you serve. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings and try basic self-care strategies. Learn to recognize when you need additional support. Help is available for you through your employee assistance program.
Resources to help you support students
References
Georgiades, K., Duncan, L., Wang, L., Comeau, J., Boyle, M. H., & 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Team. (2019). Six-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Service Contacts among Children and Youth in Ontario: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(4), 246–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719830024
Ontario College of Teachers (2018). Professional Advisory: Supporting Students’ Mental Health.
World Health Organization (2021). Adolescent mental health.
Government of Ontario (2013). Supporting minds: An educators guide to promoting students’ mental health and well-being.
School Mental Health Ontario (2022). Supporting minds strategies at a glance: Ideas to support and bolster students with mental health problems in the classroom.