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Why you should take a break: Prioritizing mental health in schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem



Why you should take a break: Prioritizing mental health in schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem

While not everyone has a diagnosed mental illness, every person has their own mental health with unique needs and challenges. It is time that we extend the same empathy and aid to mental health as we do to physical health. One of the best ways to end the stigma surrounding mental health is by spreading the idea that it is always ok to take a break for your mental wellbeing, especially for teens and students. Hailey Hardcastle is a freshman at the University of Oregon and a student mental health advocate. This year she was named one of Teen Vogues 21 under 21 most influential young people for her work on passing House Bill 2191, which allows students to take mental health days off from school. Hardcastle works with other teens nationwide to promote student advocacy and come up with creative solutions to teenage mental challenges. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

View 36 Comments

36 Comments

  1. @moniquerennie3378 on

    This is a lovely idea but it would be so lovely if the schools initiated something like this. Not all parents recognise the importance of mental health, not all children are safe at home. It would be lovely to see a cozy space kids could be to have their mental health day at school but seperated from peers if they would like.

  4. @trevornewton9687 on

    Ever sense I started public school my anxiety has taken off to a insane level to the point that I have to sleep or drink to escape the pain really really wish someone would change the school system

  7. @crystaleyeofwoof5537 on

    Me: Hi teacher, sorry if I didn’t do well in the exam

    Teacher: You had all week to study

    The week in particular: study study study study no breaks no dinner no lunch no breakfast only study study till you’re dead!

  12. @nikirikii7621 on

    as a student, I always try to prioritize mental health, however, each year it gets more and more difficult because my homework load keeps getting larger. During those times I actually take a break for myself, I cannot stop thinking about the homework I have to complete🥲

  14. @darloandasan5599 on

    Thankful for Hailey that there’s a student mental health advocate who passes the House Bill 2191. It would really help a lot of students who has mental health issues. God bless ur organization and your heart. Well done🎉🎉🎉

  16. @mageminx7551 on

    What’s awful is that almost every parent that exists denies mental health as being a thing and thinks it’s just a weak young generation because mental health wasn’t talked about in their day and since it wasn’t studied 30 years ago it must be false.

  20. @asyahussain7560 on

    This video really resonated deeply with me as I also believe good mental health is the true key to success in every aspect of actively pursuing a career in medicine. Physical health for obvious reasons will always be at the forefront of what is considered more “serious” because a lot of acute illnesses can lead to tragic consequences and lifelong illnesses lead to a sequela of chronic complications and/or death that can be mitigated if caught early enough and treated responsibly before health effects are irreversible. Hailey makes amazing points that with suicide being the second leading cause of death in teenagers, mandating laws that require schools to designate a certain number of mental health days to students is a major step in the right direction. For some reason, it seems that the older we get, the need for mental health support seems less important. While schools/organizations/workplaces offer mental health support services and try to incorporate ways to ensure that mental health support is being implemented, the quality of these services is unfortunately lackluster. I believe at the graduate school level, our administrators have a duty to ensure the best mental health support. Programs such as medical school, law school, obtaining a PhD or whatever graduate level degree one is trying to obtain is a long and stressful journey. No one goes into these fields truly understanding the commitment and sacrifice one will have to make as much as we think we do; there is nothing that can prepare you for it. Medical schools need to allocate mental health days per organ system/block that are separate from the days off allocated for other things such as emergencies or physical health/sick days. I believe these should not be allocated based on a student’s standing either as some of these students may be near academic difficulty status because they are not able to get the mental support they need. You made an amazing point in your video stating that not everyone who needs mental health support has an official diagnosis and I agree that these supportive resources and days off should still be provided as a means to prevent worsening of any mental states.

  21. @nicktaber2969 on

    I think to a large extent the term "mental health" is a way for the psychotherapy and psychiatry industries to sell services. You could call the same issues "spirituality" or "self-awareness" or "personal growth".

  24. @StenioSilvaBorges-sj8py on

    Congratulations, what you said is very important and necessary, I have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), I already tried to commit suicide, a little over four years after I entered university, I also already had depression twice, and I also tried to commit suicide, I tried three times, but the third attempt wasn't quite an attempt, unfortunately I'm spending a lot on my mental health and I'm unemployed, but it may be that the Lord Jesus Christ someday either heals me or comes to eliminate the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in me, you are a person who it is helping many other people.

  31. @darkemperor9766 on

    Unfortunately, our Environment has become so Selfish & Self Centred, which arnt truthful, it's what we're fake portraying cuz of constant Societal Pressure. And no doubt 80% of suicide cases are committed only cuz of Mental Health Conditions. Me as a student, age 20, diagnosed with Anixety, can absolutely understand & feel the conditions.

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