Mental Health 101 Expansion & Capacity Building
The Mental Health Association of East Tennessee will explore the need to expand Mental Health 101, which currently is implemented in schools serving grades six and higher) and capacity required to implement this mental health awareness programming across the full school-age continuum from elementary through high school. Building on its existing relationships and proven success with middle
and high schools, the MHA will analyze elementary-age mental health needs and programs in other communities for implementation in East Tennessee.
Fifty percent of all mental illness onsets by age 14 (ninth grade), with most students typically embarking on a decade of treatment delay from symptom onset to treatment entry. However, many will have their earliest symptoms start well before, in their elementary and middle school years, causing worsening anxiety, depression, suicidality, attention, and behavioral issues. Because mental health challenges develop at any age, a significant gap exists in early intervention and outreach capacity with elementary school-aged children, placing them at significant risk of mental illness treatment delay.