BUFFALO, N.Y.(WKBW) - Starting next year public school in New York will have to include mental health education in curriculums.
New York will be the first state in the country to incorporate the topic in its health classes along with subjects like physical education.
Experts say a person with a mental illness typically first shows signs around the age of 14. Fifty percent of anxiety disorder cases are found in children age 10 or under.
Karl Shallowhorn with the Mental Health Association of Erie County said this will not only help students who are dealing with mental illness, but also open up discussion on a topic that's stigmatized by the masses.
"If there is an intervention early on than there is more likely to be a positive outcome," Shallowhorn said.
State educators are working with mental health experts to iron out the curriculum ahead of the 2018 school year.