Aside from the recently passed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Republicans and Democrats will struggle to compromise on this matter. Yet, both concede a serious mental health crisis is driving many mass shootings. In response, Congress will probably pass bills designating money to programs addressing mental-health disorders through established mental-health programs, like the federal Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program implemented in American schools to improve student mental health. Yet should they?
In 2014, President Obama launched the Now Is the Time Initiative, which concentrated on mental health. According to The Mental Health First Aid website, the program got $15 million in federal grants to launch Mental Health First Aid programs in classrooms. One year later, Obama gave the organization a further $15 million and a commitment to fund the program annually.
WATCH: BILL MAHER GUEST: MAGA IS "ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM"
MHFA was intended to train students and teachers to spot, diagnose, and report mental illnesses to trained professionals to prevent a future tragedy. In an interview with the Washington Post, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., announced, “To be effective, we’ve got to go to where kids are with mental health, emotional health resources, and that means going into the schools.” Early spotting is MHFA’s goal.
WATCH: RFK JR. TALKS ABOUT ELON RELEASING TWITTER FILES REVEALING COLLUSION
Though it’s unclear if MHFA is achieving its goal. Research reveals that in most cases, MHFA training in students does not improve students’ mental health. In some case studies, MHFA has even been shown to decrease students' mental health.
THE DISTURBING SECRETS OF 'GOD'S MISFITS' UNCOVERED IN OKLAHOMA DOUBLE HOMICIDE CASE
In a report by the Manhattan Institute, MHFA studies’ results were collected and put into a table showing the program’s ineffectiveness. Out of 46 published reviews, 13 impact case studies were from the official MHFA website, 14 used a randomized control trial design, 7 examined the beneficiary outcomes of the program, and an MHFA program creator completed 16. The results varied between cases, yet all showed detrimental results due to MHFA programs.
POLITICAL CORRUPTION TRIAL TAKES BIZARRE TURN: MENENDEZ ENLISTS EXPERT LINKED TO CHILD MURDER CASE
Some case studies looked at MHFA programs on college campuses. In one experiment, one-half of the colleges’ resident advisors were given MHFA training while the other half got no instruction. Surprisingly, there was not merely a lack of evidence proposing MHFA improved students’ mental health in the trained resident advisor’s halls. Yet, evidence showed that resident advisors with the training had worse results than did resident advisors with none.
CALIFORNIA'S NEW 'GENEALOGY OFFICE' TO HAND OUT CHECKS BASED ON DNA RESULTS
The website for the MHFA disputes these statistics, praising their program as highly effective with personal success stories and their research. Yet their numbers and anecdotes are from the attendees who receive training on the program, rather than the trainees’ targeted demographic.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
