Legislative Advocacy

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Legislative Advocacy

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Legislative Advocacy

Individuals should do everything within their reach to improve their mental health that impacts various aspects of life. Good mental health boosts social, psychological, and emotional well-being. Mental fitness helps determine how people deal with stress, interact with others, feel, and make decisions. Mental health is necessary at every aspect of life, from childhood to adulthood, which requires custodians to develop structures that protect students from risks that could destabilize their way of thinking and actions (Saxena, Llopis & Hosma, 2006). The study presents my experiences in exploring the NAMI website, explicitly addressing the initiatives in Texas. I do not encounter any significant constraint that distracted me from proceeding with the task, apart from a few hiccups. I learn that students are highly likely to suffer from mental health problems because they regularly interact with stressful incidences. The legislation by Price is a masterpiece on how to address the issue of poor mental health that is a significant threat among young people. Training employees, introducing new educational programs, and being conversant with all the terms of the Texas House Bill 18 makes it possible for public learning institutions to handle the mental health issues among staff and learners. 

Activity

I accessed the NAMI website and then clicked join, which is adjacent to the search icon at the topmost part of the website. Another page appeared upon clicking join, and at the left side of the screen, one sees a blue section asking the user to locate their local NAMI by state, so I chose Texas, which directed me to the site for NAMI Texas. I then clicked on the Advocacy tab on the right top corner of the website and then chose Public Policy Platform & Principles. The section describes what NAMI Texas presently does to deal with poor mental health, including assisting individuals suffering in one way or the other due to mental illness (NAMI Texas, 2020). For instance, the platform describes how NAMI Texas partnered with researchers at one of the higher learning institutions to develop a report that details the gaps and barriers in substance use and mental health. The platform then leads me to Texas House Bill 18 that I find under Public Policy: Child and Youth Mental Health. The policy seeks to elevate how public schools improve the mental health of their learners (LegiScan, 2020). The bill gives incentives and techniques to guide district schools on advancing their reaction to substance use disorder and mental health service requirements for learners (LegiScan, 2020). The bill would boost school district strategizing for preventing and intervening in cases of suicidal attempts, develop a grief-informed and trauma-informed training program for school workers, and instill mental health as part of the curriculum (NAMI Texas, 2020). I wanted to acquire more information about the bill’s creator, so I followed https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=87 and discovered that Representative Four Price was behind its formation (The House of Texas, 2020). The leader who has led various House committees used the knowledge and skills acquired throughout his career to formulating the legislation that would advance practices to promote mental health (The House of Texas, 2020). Price has received numerous accolades for his relentless efforts to improve mental health in Texas and beyond, and many people are proud of him. 

Experience during the Process

I did not encounter any substantial challenges that affected my exploration of the NAMI website other than a few challenges. I managed to access the various parts of the website without any hardship until I located in NAMI, Texas. I was impressed with how I moved from one stage to the other, and I attribute this to the clarity and ease with which the organizers plan the site. The use of clear and straightforward language to explain NAMI’s initiatives to improve mental health in Texas motivates me to explore the area further, and I spend much time reading the information. I learn that NAMI Texas has made considerable steps in ensuring that the state receives adequate support in dealing with the health concern. For example, the agency helps develop better mental health services such as crisis, inpatient, and outpatient care to keep people with mental complications away from the criminal justice system (NAMI Texas, 2020). Reading the content informs me that NAMI is trying to engage as many people as possible who cannot get mental health services due to various obstacles such as lack of health cover (NAMI Texas, 2020). However, I experienced the primary challenge during the process because I could not reach Representative Price despite the many attempts to call him. I wanted to ask him why he is interested in the legislation, and how he thinks it will help the youth, but all my calls went unanswered.  

Personal Thoughts on the Bill

The legislation presents valuable information that would help deal with mental issues among school-going children who later finish school and become part of the larger society. Developing necessary interventions at the school level provides a suitable avenue to deal with the issue because a study by Kumari and Jain (2014) reveals that schools can cause poor mental health, especially those who cannot cope with the pressure of examinations. Students can develop mental problems due to lack of preparation, inadequate information, and improper learning approaches (Kumari & Jain, 2014). Other factors in the school setting such as unfavourable environmental stimuli, hardship interacting with others, challenges handling multiple duties simultaneously, and incapacity to accept constructive criticism can result in mental issues that could be easy to address if the institution has some information and relevant resources. Therefore, I find the legislation to be essential because it targets places of learning that serve as a source for the mental problem.

Besides, I regard the bill as vital in addressing mental health problems because it advocates for various ways of empowering staff members and dealing with the concern at the school level. For example, the law calls for the introduction of educational programs that teach learners how to improve their mental health, supports the training of staff members on how to deal with the problem, and promotes the issuance of first aid to students who show signs of mental disturbance. Additionally, I value the bill because it addresses an area that influences many aspects of human life. According to Saxena, Llopis and Hosma (2006), mental health influences how people make decisions, relate with others and handle their issues. Moreover, mental health is essential because it determines the educational outcome, boosts productivity at work, lowers crime rate, prevents alcohol and drug abuse, and develops positive personal relationships. I feel that the relevant parties should examine the bill and identify how they are likely to advance their attention to affected individuals through the guidelines in the legislation. 

I think the bill is vital in dealing with mental health issues because it captures the issues already addressed by other scholars. Saxena, Llopis, and Hosman (2006) write that there is adequate evidence describing the effectiveness of interventions in lowering risk factors, advancing protective measures, and managing psychiatric symptoms related to weak mental health. The authors identify initiatives such as improving nutrition, education, and housing that play essential roles in promoting mental health (Saxena, Llopis & Hosma, 2006). A person would lack peace of mind when they cannot access healthy food or lack proper educational opportunities. Therefore, intervening protect vulnerable groups from the possibilities of the development of mental pressure or stress. Moreover, I support the legislation because it develops a similar impression with the National Association of Social Workers (2017) that making the right health decisions benefits most of the people. Thus, enacting appropriate intervention mechanisms serves as a suitable way of maintaining stable mental health regardless of the setting

Conclusion

While surfing the NAMI website, my experience informed me that the bill presents an appropriate framework for handling mental issues among learners. I now know that schools need to embrace proper frameworks for managing mental health issues that are likely to occur in any learning institution. My experience teaches me that it is possible to address mental health using diversified approaches, including training workers, initiating educational programs, and offering first aid, among other designs. The interaction with the site teaches me that it is possible to contain mental-related complications through proper planning and intervention methods. Each learning institution should go through the bill’s provisions and identify the features or areas that may help them increase their reaction to mental health complications.  

References

Kumari, A., & Jain, J. (2014). Examination stress and anxiety: A study of college students. Global Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(1), 31-40.

LegiScan. (2020). Texas House Bill 18. Retrieved from https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB18/2019

NAMI Texas. (2020). Public policy platform & principles. Retrieved from https://namitexas.org/public-policy-platform-principles/

National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of ethics of National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English%20on%20August%2019.

Saxena, S., Llopis, E., & Hosman, C. (2006). Prevention of mental and behavioural disorders: Implications for policy and practice. WPA, 5(1), 5-14.

The House of Texas. (2020). Texas house member. Retrieved from https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=87