Mental health and mental illness aren't talked about enough at school, which leaves many kids who feel like they are alone in their struggles and don't know who or how to reach out to get help. Our lack of open conversations about mental health leaves many people feeling that the reason the topic is avoided is because of shame, which leads them to feel fear and more confusion. Schools are a great place to talk about mental health, especially starting at a younger age because it helps familiarize people with the topic and hopefully feel less alone and less shame.
Young people also often don't realize how drugs such as marijuana affect their mental health in the long run. There is a common misconception about marijuana that it is pretty much harmless, but that's just downright wrong. Since our brains develop until we are around 25, using marijuana when you're younger than that often interferes with that development. This early use makes it 2 times more likely for you to develop psychosis and schizophrenia, which causes you to lose touch with reality. The drug use also often makes the mental illness more severe and appear earlier on in a person's life. We need more education on this direct relationship between drugs and mental health in schools.