WISCONSIN UNITED
for MENTAL HEALTH

The Mental Health Association of Wisconsin has conducted "train the trainers" sessions and information on their endeavors can be found at their website: School-Based Outreach.    WUMH has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on the development of their mental health toolkit.

Grade-school children with serious emotional disturbances have the highest rates of school failure because of the discrimination and stigma associated with these disorders. Fifty percent of these students drop out of high school, compared to 30 percent of all students with disabilities. The situation gets worse as the students get older: college-age students are especially vulnerable to mental illness; many psychiatric disorders first emerge in the late teens or early twenties.

Not only do students with mental health problems experience difficulties but their teachers do also: it may be frustrating to teach such students not only because of learning difficulties, but because of the impact of their behaviors on the rest of the class.

Mental health awareness by everyone concerned may increase acceptance and understanding of people with mental illnesses, decrease stigma attached to mental health problems, and lead to treatment for youth with mental health disorders.

The ADS Center has materials on these topics at: Education