Over the past 33 years, I have been intimately involved in school mental health. I have watched the ebb and flow of school mental health and how we have talked about it. Now more than ever, school mental health is dominated by a crisis narrative, painted as a dire picture of never-ending anxiety and depression among students, staff, and faculty.

While we must not minimize our own or others’ struggles, I know firsthand that the current narrative of a school mental health crisis suffers from not capturing the entire spectrum of experiences, especially our resilience and capacity to thrive in the face of ongoing adversity, threat, and ambiguity. We have opportunity to deconstruct the singular “crisis” narrative and consider more complex and nuanced understandings of school mental health.

It’s More Complex Than That: The Continuum

While we hear of epidemic levels of anxiety and depression, we know emotions fall across a continuum. Consider these:

• Stress: Characterized as uncomfortable feelings in response to challenges that require attention and effort. “I feel a lot of pressure because I have a big project due tomorrow.”
• Emotionality: Characterized by upset feelings in response to a situation that is occurring. “I’m really upset because I just received negative feedback from my supervisor.” 
• Distress (where anxiety/depression occur): Characterized by upset feelings that linger long after the original situation has ended. “I never do a good job. I’m so angry and disappointed with myself these past few months.” 
• Crisis: Characterized by distress resulting in possible or actual threat to oneself or others, only sometimes due to the situation. “I give up. I see no purpose or point. I don’t care any longer.”  

Some of us live episodically or chronically managing symptoms of diagnosable anxiety and/or depression. The majority of us, in the majority of situations, are managing stress and emotionality. Being upset about upsetting things is not necessarily a mental health crisis. Being upset is often a reasonable response to what are often unreasonable situations. 

It is vital to acknowledge external factors that contribute to stress and emotionality. Current times are fraught with a recent global pandemic, political turbulence, wars, systemic oppressions, and challenge brought on by the digital age. 

While these exacerbate emotionality, they do not necessarily translate into a surge of clinical mental health problems like depression and anxiety. One can feel stress about things that are stressful without having diagnosable anxiety. Likewise, one can feel sadness about sad things and not have diagnosable depression.

Denison University President Adam Weinberg stated, “We need assurance that mental health challenges are not a personal failing but a reasonable response to a challenging historical moment” (Weinberg, 2022). The assumption that emotional responses to external stressors are mental health crises does not support the complex interplay between our individual grit and resilience and the effect of environmental factors beyond our control. Assuming otherwise also minimizes those who live with and manage diagnosed anxiety and depression.

Contrary to the crisis-centric narrative, research (Volstad et al., 2020) indicates that a significant number of us adapt and cope with transitions and stressors that are part of academic life. While it’s undeniable that mental health struggles exist and must be addressed, most of us are reasonably navigating these challenges. The need for a balanced perspective on mental health that acknowledges both challenges and successes is critical.  

How we frame our current emotional temperature effects how we approach the issue. The New York Times (Saxbe, 2023) noted that what can be considered “problems of living” or “normative worries” have been reframed as “mental health crises.” Saxbe quotes Dr. Lucy Foulkes, an Oxford University psychologist, who noted that framing the struggles of life as mental health crises has dictated how “people view themselves in ways that become self-fulfilling” and “encourages people to view everyday challenges as insurmountable.”

Empower Ourselves to Flourish 

The National College Health Assessment (NCHA) annually publishes national data noting that in higher education, members struggle with significant mental health issues, including distress-level concerns. The NCHA also published data noting that the same people also see themselves as flourishing, reminding us that even when we struggle, we can simultaneously be doing well.

By shifting the prevalent narrative to recognize the multi-dimensional range of experiences, we reframe to a more supportive and realistic conversation about mental health, especially when we struggle. This includes empowerment, skill-building, and resilience. This reframing helps us feel prepared to manage the ongoing challenges of being in the world while supporting the foundational assumption that: “Life has struggle!”

In deconstructing the narrative of a school mental health crisis, we must stay mindful not to minimize struggle while also highlighting our strengths and the positive steps many of us take in service of our well-being.  An integrated dialogue acknowledges inherent difficulties while celebrating growth and perseverance through adversity. 

We are remarkable! Let’s remind ourselves, expect this of ourselves, and remember that upsetting things reasonably feel upsetting. And at those times when we do experience distress, remember you are not alone schools and communities have additional resources to offer support.