School and Campus Health

SAMHSA supports efforts to promote mental health and substance use prevention in schools and on campuses and to provide safe learning environments.

Challenges

Young people face a variety of life challenges that can affect their mental health use or abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Schools and campuses should be safe havens for them to grow and learn. Both settings offer mental health promotion and substance use prevention activities, yet America’s schools and campuses are facing challenging public health issues such as bullying, violence, alcohol use, and drug abuse.

Substance Use

Underage drinking and associated problems have profound negative consequences for underage drinkers, their families, their communities, and society. While schools provide programs and activities to promote emotional health and prevent substance use among students, they face unprecedented behavioral health challenges.
Bullying

Many children and youth want to feel well-liked and included in a group, which can sometimes make them susceptible to bullying and peer pressure. Both behaviors can start as early as preschool and become an even greater risk as young people transition into middle school, high school, college, and beyond. There are actions school staff can take to make schools safer and prevent bullying.

Related Links
Project Aware

Project AWARE is a program overseeing school-aged youth to advance wellness and resiliency in education by increasing mental health awareness in schools across states, territories, and tribal communities.
Talk. They Hear You.

SAMHSA’s underage drinking prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers start talking to their children early about the dangers of alcohol.