May 1, 2018, Elko (NV) Daily Free Press: Mental health advocates educate the public https://elkodaily.com/news/local/mental-health-advocates-educate-the-public/article_d6f0cc42-970f-5f7f-913c-95f74bc2ffee.html May is mental health month and some locals have come together to provide an informative and positive setting for educational outreach…. “I went on the CDC (Center for Disease Control) WISQARES system,” Ehrmann said. “On that system you can dial in causes of death by geographic location. For the state of Nevada in 2016 the number one cause of death for 10- to 14-year-olds is suicide.” Fourth to eighth grade students should be pondering their baseball games and dance recitals, not how to end their lives, she said…. Yet, education concerning mental health in grade school is very limited. Vega said she and John Ellison are working on a law for northern Nevada to make sure that young people are taught about mental health and coping skills in all grades…. Most people don’t realize how common mental illness is. Vega said one in five adults have some type of brain illness. “You can go to a big social gathering and just stand there and look and see the one in five,” Vega said….
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.