Teachers and schools as change agents in improving mental health among adolescents

Abstract

Improving the mental health and well-being of adolescents is the need of the hour. A more substantial proportion of adolescents are more susceptible to develop mental health problems as a result of the stressors they encounter and the changes they undergo. This paper is a systematic review that focused on assessing the several ways in which teachers and schools can offer support and assistance to students with potential mental health concerns. The researcher conducted a systematic literature search using specific online databases, including Springer, Jstor, PubMed, Google Scholar, and identified during this process. The review focused on articles published during the year range of 2000 to 2018. Based on the analysis, teachers could play an active role in identifying students showing signs of mental health concerns. Since teachers encounter a lot of challenges while identifying students with problems, providing sufficient mental health training to teachers will enable them to understand the mental health needs of students and make appropriate referrals to health professionals as needed. Schools should primarily work within the existing setup, equip teachers and other staff members of the school with sufficient resources, create a friendly environment, and create awareness among students through mental health training programs facilitated by teachers on an economic basis. Researchers have developed several school mental health manuals and frameworks. However, schools and teachers customize these frameworks keeping in mind the specific mental health needs of students in line with the culture of their school.