In a 6-3 decision, the Killingly, Connecticut, school board recently said “no” to establishing a mental health center at its high school. I imagine most folks, upon hearing that, would be dismayed, maybe outraged. I say, “Right on!” to the Killingly school board.
Where is compelling evidence to the effect that the post-1960s proliferation of mental health services for children and teens has had a measurable positive effect? Since my grad school days, the per capita number of mental health professionals who specialize in working with kids has increased exponentially. Is child and teen mental health better than it was in, say, the 1950s, when the term “child therapy” had less credibility than “space invaders”? No, it is not. In fact, if one uses the child/teen suicide rate, adjusted for reporting error, the mental health of today’s kids is a whopping 10 times worse than it was back in the day when my paralyzing shyness merited no adult concern whatsoever.
“You’ll outgrow it,” my mother said. That was the long and short of my therapy. Today, I’d be tested, diagnosed, counseled and probably medicated. My mother was right, by the way. Today, I’m probably not shy enough, which no doubt qualifies for a diagnosis.
