Addressing The Access and Barriers to Mental Health Resources in High School Students

Minority populations throughout the world are hit with obstacles that interfere with their mental health, especially high school students. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on the performance of these individuals and their social engagement. As observed, there is a divide amongst different races of students that highlights the lack of mental health resources provided to them and how they are utilized. After conducting further research on such issues, we were able to determine the major barriers existing today that tend to push students away from utilizing existing resources. Some of these barriers could vary from external stress to internal stress within these high school students. Stigma is a major component that was examined as it was a common occurrence within the teen population. Ways to create a positive attitude towards mental health in high schools would include increasing engagement between diverse students and staff and creating a safe learning space to decrease any former barriers. In order to further combat stigma, meaningful interventions include advocacy regarding funding and awareness towards mental health initiatives, as well as soliciting firsthand perspectives of middle and high school counselors in order to tailor interventions to specific local communities