How Mental Health Days Help Students with Depression and Anxiety

When Oregon high school students successfully fought for the right to take mental health days just like sick days, it sent a powerful message: depression and anxiety deserve to be taken seriously in schools.

In this episode, Derek, one of the teens behind the new law, shares how burnout, anxiety, and depression motivated his advocacy. Then, Carly — a social worker and former student who used mental health days — explains why giving young people permission to rest, recharge, and care for themselves is a crucial step in reducing stigma.

If you’ve ever wondered how mental health days help students with depression and anxiety, this conversation sheds light on the difference one day of rest can make — and why laws like this could save lives.

Primary Topics Covered:

• Oregon teens pass first-in-the-nation law for excused mental health days
• Why many students already took mental health days — but had to lie about it
• The connection between student burnout, depression, and school absences
• Oregon’s suicide rate and why prevention requires proactive policies
• Carly’s story: taking mental health days as a student and now working as a school social worker
• Why stigma keeps students silent about anxiety and depression
• How mental health days can reduce shame and encourage self-care
• The bigger vision: nationwide adoption and built-in early detection systems

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and intro
 01:21 Oregon teens fight for mental health days law
 01:57 Derek’s story: living with anxiety and depression in high school
 02:31 Testifying before lawmakers and passing the bill
 02:52 Pushback: stigma and skepticism about “Ferris Bueller days off”
 03:22 Oregon’s high absenteeism and suicide rate context
 03:38 Derek’s personal experience with mental health days
 04:05 Why proactive policies matter for suicide prevention
 04:42 How students use mental health days to rest and recharge
 05:33 Why lying about “stomach aches” perpetuates stigma
 06:10 Mental health days as equal to physical sick days
 07:06 Terry’s parenting story: offering mental health days at home
 07:41 Carly’s reflection: what mental health days felt like as a teen
 08:41 How anxiety manifests as emptiness and exhaustion
 09:32 The role of rest, sleep, and recovery
 09:49 Carly’s unique perspective as a social worker in schools
 10:12 Why students need permission to prioritize mental health
 11:06 Equity concerns: differences across class and family situations
 12:20 How excused mental health days can improve outcomes
 13:13 Life skill: learning to pause and recalibrate
 14:10 Nationwide advocacy and next steps for student mental health laws
 14:59 Closing thanks to Derek and Carly
 15:15 Outro: reminder to speak up and listen up

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/