This study addresses the lack of standardized, systemic procedures for responding to self-harm among students in Polish schools. The author highlights that schools serve as a crucial point of first contact and potential intervention. However, the support currently offered to young people is fragmented and reactive, with its quality often dependent on local initiatives. This limits the scope for early detection of self-harm and effective prevention of mental health crises; consequently, schools fail to fully leverage their potential as public health tools.
The policy brief’s main recommendation is to establish a unified system for responding to signs of student self-harm. Such a systemic approach would comprise brief, universal online training for school staff, a standardized protocol, and a clear support pathway for students. The training would harmonize existing standards and strengthen core competencies regarding the recognition of—and response to—self-harm and mental health crises among students. The author argues that mandatory regulations face limited feasibility due to institutional barriers; she therefore proposes an incremental approach that builds upon structures already present within the education system.
Lea Satala is an early-career researcher interested in the relationship between mental and physical health, including self-harm and chronic pain. Her research interests have been shaped by her experience in a semi-professional dance career. During academic stays at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, she collaborated with leaders in the field of public mental health and developed an interest in school-based interventions in this area.
The project mentor was Dr. Daria Biechowska—a psychologist, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, public health specialist, and certified suicidologist. She is an assistant professor at SWPS University and the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, as well as a member of the Mental Health Council advising the Minister of Health.
The article is available on the Tygodnik Medyczny website. A full report containing a detailed analysis of the proposal will be published on our website soon.
The project was developed as part of the "Young Think Policy Briefs: Health" program.