Mental Health, Drug Use and Adolescence: Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Students in Secondary School

Abstract

Today, an increasing number of students are suffering from different kinds of mental health problems. Still, we know little about how professionals in secondary school and other professionals in society handle and collaborate around these issues. The findings from the present study make an important contribution to the research field regarding professionals’ efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable students. The present study investigates how school professionals in two Swedish urban schools and the local police describe their experiences with meeting the needs of students who are suffering from mental health problems and drug use. The study draws on semi-structured interviews with the professionals and observations of the schools’ student welfare team meetings. The findings reveal that self-medication, through use of pills or drugs (or both), has become quite common among adolescents, who see it as a way to ‘solve their mental health problems. Although students’ wellbeing and school safety were reported to be major concerns, the professionals’ collaborations were sometimes obstacles. Issues connected to the complexity of adolescents’ mental health not only highlight the importance of collaboration between schools and other societal institutions, but also indicate the necessary resources for such collaboration.