What does it take to build an economy? Supply? Demand? How about technology? What we sometimes fail to recognize is the central role people themselves play in economic growth. What if the same people that drive our economy suddenly lose their own drive to contribute to society? What if they’re stressed? What if they find it hard to get wake up every morning finding nothing purposeful to work towards.
As a student in the Fairfax County Public Schools system, I saw high levels of depressive symptoms become more common among my peers. This gap in immediate treatment for these symptoms in a stressful high school environment results in student disengagement and a decreased likelihood of career success.
Seeing that the underlying engines of our economy are people and their minds, I decided to pursue visualizing the mobility of mental health climate (particularly depressive symptoms) among Fairfax County Public Schools.
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