MENTAL HEALTH IN BASIC EDUCATION: SUBJECTIVITY, SUFFERING, AND CARE IN THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE CONTEMPORARY SCHOOL

Abstract

The growing emotional vulnerability within basic education has exposed a reality marked by the expansion of psychological suffering among students and education professionals. Anxiety, emotional exhaustion, self-harm, affective insecurity, school disengagement, and teacher burnout have increasingly become part of the daily life of educational institutions. This study critically analyzes the relationships between subjectivity, precarious living conditions, performance culture, medicalization of life, and the weakening of human bonds within the contemporary school context. The research is characterized as bibliographic and qualitative, grounded in theoretical contributions from education, psychology, sociology, and contemporary philosophy. The analyses demonstrate that emotional suffering in schools cannot be understood as an isolated individual manifestation, but rather as an expression of social inequalities, productivity pressures, and cultural transformations that shape contemporary life. The study concludes that promoting mental health in schools requires humanizing pedagogical practices, strengthening care networks, valuing teachers, and building educational environments grounded in listening, inclusion, empathy, and human dignity.