May 26, 2026

Mental health at school – can we talk about it without stereotypes?

For the unbiased observer, there is hardly any doubt that mental health problems exist in schools – among students, parents and teachers. The constantly recurring problems with aggression in schools, dropouts due to conflicts in the classroom, the low motivation of many students, even the striking cases of student suicides and a number of others clearly indicate the presence of a problem. On the other hand, we are massively observing professional burnout (the so-called “burn out”) among long-time teachers, which in many cases takes on the character of a pandemic… School psychologists have been hired to deal with it, school projects for the prevention of bullying and aggression are being funded, Pink T-Shirt Day has become an invariable school initiative… Nevertheless, the problems described above continue and affect students, teachers and parents from all over the country. Regions and schools have not been overlooked – they are found in Sofia and in the country, in schools with and without a concentration of vulnerable groups, affecting students from rich and poor families, parents with university, secondary, primary and no education. What are the additional factors in the Roma community and in schools with a concentration of vulnerable groups that exacerbate mental health problems? What can teachers, psychologists and educational mediators do? And what about the students and parents themselves? And just as importantly – can we talk about mental health problems without stereotypes and stigmatization?

What does mental health mean in a school context?

Mental health in students is not only the presence or absence of a diagnosis, but is manifested through many phenomena: behavior in the classroom, relationships with peers and teachers, motivation and participation in the learning process, ability to cope with stress and pressure. Mental difficulties are often expressed indirectly: through aggression or conflict behavior, through withdrawal and lack of participation, through a decline in success and concentration. Often, it is precisely such problems and the lack of action in the school community that lead to dropping out/early leaving school. Unfortunately, symptoms are often perceived as a disciplinary problem, and not as a signal for the need for support: students with problems are stigmatized as “naughty”, “problematic”, as “cheating” and the underlying cause of the problematic behavior is not sought.

EU-level studies show that 41% of students have reduced mental well-being, between 20 and 35% face significant symptoms of anxiety/depression, and 10-15% have diagnosed mental disorders. OECD and UNICEF data show that the picture is similar in Bulgaria.

Teachers are not “insured” either – professional burnout leads to poor performance of professional duties, stress, dissatisfaction and even dropping out of school. A study by the Education Union shows that nearly 80% of Bulgarian teachers recognize various symptoms of professional burnout – emotional exhaustion, chronic stress, demotivation, feeling of overload, irritability, loss of professional satisfaction. Between 20 and 40% of colleagues are at high risk of burnout, and between 10 and 20% actually have this problem. These data are comparable to studies at the EU level.

In the mass case, mental difficulties are rarely stated directly. This is part of the culture of all of us – to think that it is shameful to talk about mental problems, to confuse them with “madness”, “momentary weakness” and to think that we will cope with them on our own. Delayed intervention leads to aggravation, students do not seek help on their own, the problem remains “hidden” behind deviant/problematic behavior, a decline in school engagement, social isolation, dropping out of the educational system.

What are the additional factors in a Roma community?

In the case of Roma students, the risk is higher due to the accumulation of social and psychological factors, lack of access to support, distrust of institutions. In fact, Roma students face additional difficulties related to the family and community, the school environment and the macro-society. As challenges, we can point out:
At the school level:

Ethnic bullying and insults: this problem is particularly visible in ethnically mixed schools. Roma students in them often face bullying from their classmates (popularly known as bullying), stereotypes and prejudices, which are particularly acute at school age. Even in the so-called “segregated schools” and in educational institutions in villages (in most of them, Roma and other minorities are educated primarily), ethnic bullying and insults are visible – between representatives of different Roma groups.
Segregation in schools or in separate classes: according to the Agency for Fundamental Human Rights, between 60 and 70% of Roma students study in schools or classes with entirely or predominantly Roma children. A 2020 study by the Amalipe Center shows that 930 general education schools and 150 vocational high schools have a concentration of Roma students, with 164 general education schools and almost all vocational high schools being classified as segregated or in the process of segregation. Their number is constantly increasing due to the outflow of students from the majority in schools where Roma exceed 20-30% (the so-called “white flight”). Even in ethnically mixed schools, “Roma” classes continue to exist – they are prohibited by the Basic Education Act of 2016 (ZPUO, Art. 99, para. 4), but they continue to exist in many places. Students in segregated schools often face aggression, stereotypes and prejudice from students in other schools. A proxy indicator for this is the fact that Roma students usually move in large youth groups with other Roma students – primarily as a means of protection.
Low expectations for students: This is one of the most common problems – both in segregated and ethnically mixed schools. Most teachers implicitly believe that Roma children cannot achieve the results of other students in Bulgarian language, Mathematics and other basic subjects. Therefore, they rely on Music, sports, vocational training… This leads to a sense of inferiority and mental problems – conscious or not.
Social exclusion, helplessness, despair: unfortunately, Bulgarian schools often lead to the formation of the above-mentioned negative phenomena.

At the family and Roma community level:

Early marriages: although they have been decreasing in recent decades, the threat remains relevant almost everywhere. The problem is particularly serious in Southeastern Bulgaria – Sliven, Yambol, Burgas and other regions. Early marriages limit opportunities for education and social realization, especially for girls (they are expected to give birth), but also for boys. The requirements for the bride’s chastity lead to restrictions on girls’ education – parents from more conservative groups stop their daughters from school for fear of being “stolen” and married off against their will. It is understandable that all this leads to fear, stress and other psychological problems among girls and boys from the Roma community*.
Poor infrastructure in the neighborhood: lack of water and services, sewage, and often even asphalt roads. This leads to problems with school attendance (it is understandable to be absent from school when the road to it is muddy, dirty or even has no road), as well as to a sense of inferiority and social exclusion.
Conflicts and tensions in the neighborhood: in many Roma/multiethnic neighborhoods, conflicts between different generations often arise
lack of safe spaces for young people
A serious problem is the stigma against talking openly about mental health problems: it is particularly strong, with people with mild mental health problems being defined as “crazy” if they speak openly and seek help to resolve them. This stigma also exists in the macro-society. It prevents students and parents from taking advantage of the mental health services already available, including school psychologists.
Lack of knowledge about the available mental health services and trust in their providers: a study by the Amalipe Center from February-March 2026 in the Veliko Tarnovo region indicates that “there is a lack of knowledge about the available services in this direction (mental health services), with a statistically significant difference between Roma and other minorities on the one hand and the majority on the other.

/*In February-April 2026, Amalipe Center and UNICEF organized Upshrift trainings for over 600 young people from all over the country. According to the methodology, they could prepare and implement mini-projects on problems identified by groups of young people. It is significant that almost half of the submitted youth mini-projects were for the prevention of early marriages./

Another significant difference is regarding trust in mental health services – among Roma and other minorities it is significantly lower than among the majority.”*

In the macro-society:

Discrimination outside of school: Roma youth often face discrimination and even being denied access to discos, bars, swimming pools… They perceive these manifestations painfully, often responding with aggression and deviant behavior.
Strong anti-Roma stereotypes and prejudices also have a painful impact on the mental health of young Roma. Even groups that do not define themselves as Roma, but are defined as such by the surrounding population (millets, miners, zhorevtsi, etc.) face anti-Roma discrimination.
As we have indicated above, in Bulgarian society as a whole it is not accepted to speak openly and especially to seek help to resolve minor mental problems. People believe that they can deal with them themselves and do not want to “show weakness” by seeking specialized help. The latter deals with more severe cases, where interventions may be of limited effectiveness.

As can be seen, there are additional factors in the Roma community that lead to mental health problems. It is important to emphasize that they in no way mean that the community itself is more predisposed. Roma and all other ethnic groups in Bulgaria (including the majority of ethnic Bulgarians) do not differ in their predisposition to mental health problems and should not be stigmatized as such. The challenges come primarily from strong anti-Roma discrimination and from socio-economic factors, such as poverty, lower education and a number of others.

Additional challenges for teachers working with vulnerable groups:

According to data from the Ministry of Education and Science, over 900 general education schools and nearly 170 vocational high schools have a “concentration of students from vulnerable groups”. That is, 49.8% of general education schools and over 46% of vocational high schools have a concentration of vulnerable groups – this is not a marginal phenomenon, but an essential characteristic of the modern education system in Bulgaria. Vulnerability is determined on the basis of the educational status of the parents, not their ethnicity: if the parents have less than secondary education, the children belong to a “vulnerable group”. The above-cited study by the Amalipe Center indicates that most of the educational institutions with a concentration of vulnerable groups educate Roma and Turkish children. In any case, a large part of Bulgarian teachers teach in schools with a lower or higher concentration of vulnerable groups.

/*2 https://amalipe.bg/25984-2/

Numerous studies indicate that teachers in these schools often complain of psychosomatic complaints, chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, tension from students’ behavior, noise, lack of social recognition, etc. This leads to emotional overload, a sense of powerlessness, and secondary traumatic stress. The end result is a tension between mission and reality. Teachers in Roma schools are increasingly aware that they are fulfilling the mission of true educators and awakeners. At the same time, reality confronts them with challenges that are overwhelming for one person – they often have to fulfill the role of a social worker, health worker, educational mediator, psychologist, etc. This leads to rapid emotional exhaustion and professional burnout (the so-called “mission-driven burnout”).

The above-mentioned challenges regarding the mental health of students and parents in the Roma community and of teachers working in educational institutions with a concentration of vulnerable groups require teamwork to resolve them. From our experience (Amalipe is a Roma organization that works throughout the country with local communities, over 500 educational mediators and 260 schools) we can outline the following ideas/advice:

A holistic approach: Seek support in the community! Effective support cannot be individual only. In many cases, trust comes through people in the community. The community is often the key to early recognition and building trust. It can assist with help through: educational mediators, health mediators, local NGOs, church and community structures, public opinion leaders (including women’s leaders).

Create a team: it is difficult for a teacher to solve problems alone. He needs to be supported by a school psychologist, pedagogical advisor, class teachers, educational mediator/teacher’s assistant/social worker. The Funding Regulation, Art. 52a, provides additional funding for the appointment of these employees. The important thing is that the principal uses the resources provided and forms a team spirit.

Engage active students: they can effectively influence their classmates, especially if they are empowered to do so.

Tips for educational mediators:

Establish a trusting relationship with parents so that you can understand when there are problems with students, threats of early marriages, violence against the student, domestic violence, other problems that affect mental health.
Work to overcome the stigma in the community about mental health and seeking help.
Help the community receive detailed information about mental health services in your municipality and region, as well as to build trust in them.
Organize campaigns and discussions in the community about the need to overcome early marriages, for better education for girls and for supporting schools and kindergartens.

Tips for active students:

Organize peer trainings and campaigns on mental health issues, overcoming early marriages, the need to participate in civic and intercultural education activities.
Support your classmates who are facing mental health problems by being their mentors, organizing charity and other events.
Organize special campaigns for more tolerance – both in your schools and in other educational institutions.Support your classmates who have been victims of early marriage, bullying at school, discrimination in society – they need your help.
Participate in elections for student ombudsman, school council/parliament and in all activities to increase student civic engagement.

Tips for teachers:

Show intolerance and fight against any form of discrimination, bullying and violence on ethnic grounds in your school. Your commitment will be highly appreciated by students and parents.
Participate in trainings on effective work in a multicultural environment, on the history and culture of the Roma, on the implementation of intercultural education.
Change your thinking and approach to work so that they exclude all forms of discrimination, anti-Roma stereotypes and prejudices! Get to know the culture and language of the students and parents in your school and show respect for them!
Set high expectations for students of all ethnicities! Do not allow lower expectations based only on ethnicity.
Identify your students’ mental health problems in time by finding the real reasons behind them. Seek the help of the school psychologist, educational mediator, other authorities in the community.
Get to know your parents’ authorities. Do not show prejudices and stereotypes – e.g. singers and musicians may not be an authority for you, but have a strong influence in the community. Seek the assistance of these authorities!
Work together with colleagues and school management – individualism is often contraindicated for overcoming complex mental health problems.

Tips to principals:

Create a team spirit and environment for overcoming specific problems with parents and students from vulnerable groups.
Use the opportunities provided by the additional funding under Art. 52a of the Funding Regulation.
Use the opportunities of the Education Program – the systemic projects “Support for Success”, other systemic projects, school projects for the prevention of bullying and aggression and many other opportunities. Also use the national programs of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Center for Early Childhood Education and Training and any other opportunities.
Establish good contacts and partnerships with the formal and informal authorities of your parents, including religious leaders, neighborhood shopkeepers, informal leaders, etc.
Appoint more educational mediators/teacher assistants/social workers. Look for authoritative people in the community for these positions.
Introduce various forms of civic and intercultural education.
Organize training for teachers to work in a multicultural environment.
Partner with NGOs and schools with experience in working in a multicultural environment.