I have recently been very sad to hear about the increase in teenage suicides and suicide attempts. I read about a high school in Knoxville, TN that has had three students take their lives this year. This seems to be a rising issue and is something that often has to do with bullying. AOTA described teenage bullying as an emerging niche that occupational therapists can pursue. If children don't feel safe at school or can't feel like they can participate in their occupations for fear of bullying, something should be done. If there is a problem it could be addressed by a therapist in the school system and they could help advocate for the child. With our background in social participation and mental health I think we could be a resource for kids who are dealing with bullying.
Another aspect to this problem is how much of the bullying occurs online. It can be very hard to address this because it is virtual and can go unnoticed. This could be something addressed in treatment and social media could be an aspect of it. I think school systems should strongly consider using occupational therapist in the rising problem of school bullying.
No comments:
Post a Comment