Mental Illnesses and Suicide Rates

All the bright places was challenged in 2016 but did not get banned. The book was challenged in a sophomore class due to parents believing it was pornographic. Due to a few mentions of fornication and suicide, parents and teachers where claiming it was inappropriate for students be reading at school. This book shows multiple different mental illnesses through a story that students can relate to. Mental illness is a current problem and needs to be talked about. Students are already generally exposed to these topics in the environment of their daily lives. For students who are not as educated in these topics, a book is an easy way to start a discussion so changes can be made and stigmas throughout our world can be transformed through a better education. Serious consequences have already occurred throughout the world due to nobody talking about fornication and suicide.

In the challenge, the claims where that it was inappropriate for a high school age person to be reading this material. If we are not able to even start the conversation of what is going on in our world, how do we expect the teens to lead our world someday. Some adults claim to say that this is going to be a topic that needs to be introduced in college, but teenage years are some of the most important years for development both physically and mentally. The percentage of mental illnesses is rising along with the suicide rates. Most people struggling with a mental illness are too afraid to get help or don't know that they need professional help. Students have the right to be more educated about what is going on in this world, it is what they will need to be equip to help our world become better.

If this generation can't handle the world problems through a book than how are we supposed to prepare them for what is to come. Suicides are only increasing as more time passes and on average one in four people will or are suffering from a nuerological disease or mental illness. Over 450 million people are currently suffering from some sort of mental illness. This is just the people that have reported and admitted to the mental illness, others around them are affected by their mental illness. These are just a few reasons why it is essential that we let our students learn about what is happening in their world.

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