Throughout over a decade of schooling, students are exposed to a wide variety of material. 

One subject touched on starting at elementary level is health, and for good reason. Kids need to be taught how to keep themselves healthy in schools, as they may not be taught elsewhere.

However, there is one major part of health that is often left out. Whether it is pushed to the end of the curriculum and skipped, quickly rushed through, or not included in the first place, mental health education is not taught as much as it needs to be.

Mental health and physical health are closely linked together. Issues with mental health can cause both symptoms that directly impact physical health and behaviors that indirectly impact it.

So, it would make sense for mental health to be discussed in a similar quantity to other branches of health. However, that is not the case.

There are many plausible reasons for this. One being that the best method to approach the subject is unclear, especially in younger kids.

When people think about mental health, they often think of specific disorders, instead of smaller aspects of it. With younger children, it would be ideal to focus on these smaller aspects that are sometimes brushed aside.

At a young age, kids can start to build a foundation to keep up their mental health. Take emotions for example. There is no harm in teaching children about emotions, and how they are perfectly normal.

Children need to be aware of different emotions, and what is healthy. They need to know that it is okay to not be happy sometimes, but not to be unhappy all the time.

Children are born into the world with no prior experience. Unless it is discussed with them, they are likely to be unaware of what is healthy. 

As students get older, actual disorders and symptoms can be introduced, giving the students knowledge to potentially notice signs in themselves or others. 

Parents that have not dealt with this type of thing prior may be ill-equipped with picking out signs. If a child notices these signs in themself, they may be able to advocate to get any help they may need.

Students that do not have a mental health disorder can still benefit greatly from mental health education. 

Mental health education can teach students how to cope with general stressors and pain they may face. Learning these coping mechanisms at a young age can allow students to tackle everyday issues better throughout their life.

Mental health education can also work to defeat the stigma around mental health problems.

If mental health is discussed in a similar way and environment as physical health, it will likely be treated similarly as well. If they are treated in the same light, mental health can be normalized in the same way physical health is currently.

Teach kids how their brains work. Mental health will impact students even if they are not educated on it.