Understanding student mental health from the inside out  

While many administrators and parents often ask, “Why are students struggling?” the questions that students themselves often ask are ones like “Where do I fit in?”, “What is the point?” or “Is it worth it if I’m struggling or suffering this much?” writes Catharine Munn. The author notes that it is only by understanding mental health from the position of the students themselves that schools will be able to provide effective support. This approach requires a clear understanding of the difference between mental health and mental illness, Munn adds. “[Y]outh may attribute their struggles and problems to ‘mental health’ or illness, rather than to life events and circumstances, more often than they did in the past. We all have a state of mental health, but we do not all have a mental illness.” University Affairs (National)