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"75 percent of mental health problems are established by the age of 25."
And that is the harsh reality!
Another jarring truth was revealed by the data published by the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey :
"There has been an increase in the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) for 16- to 24-year-olds."
indicating that today’s young adults are more likely to experience mental illness than previous generations.
So, definitely life can be hard as a teenager, and it gets even more so when you are trying to hide it all from the prying eyes of society. Do not mistake the glam and the constant Instagram posts as proof of an awesome high school experience. These are just some of the many layers of high schoolers these days. They are constantly acting as if everything is fine in the world, and this is actually making it even worse. High schoolers have been under a lot of stress due to the rising academic pressure. And the following statistics will prove it:
- Almost 68% of young people reported being absent from school due to their mental health
- Two-thirds of students reported feeling stressed about poor grades
- 59 % said they often worry about taking tests
- More than half of students reported academic anxiety regarding tests, even when they felt prepared
- When asked how they feel about studying, 37.6% of students said they are very tense.
- 35 % of college students reported having anxiety symptoms
- 30 % reported suffering from depression
If this data doesn't tell you that the students are crying out loud for help, then what will? Students have been constantly feeling overwhelmed by all of what has been going on in their school lives. Most students feel mentally exhausted at some point during the school year.
So the answer is very clear and obvious, mental health of high schoolers is taking a toll due to academic pressure and it has manifested itself in the following form:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Increased substance use
- Diminished overall health and well-being
- Tarnished sleep quality, turning into poor coping strategies like using sleeping pills, cigarettes, and alcohol just to get some sleep
- Increased level of stress (result in lower academic achievement)
- Depersonalization
- Overall poor quality of life
It's not just that high schoolers are under this constant fear of disclosing their fears and problems. They feel judged by their fellow students or the people around them. Most of the time, the situation gets worse because the students don’t share them which leads to no or little access to the required and necessary care. Student suicide rates have also increased by 52 per cent since 2000/01, reaching 4.7 per 100,000 of the population in 2016/17.
Given the strong link between suicide and mental health issues (over 90 per cent of suicides and suicide attempts are associated with a psychiatric disorder), the increasing suicide rate indicates that both disclosure and the prevalence of mental health issues are on the rise. And it is not impossible to avoid or, at the very least, reduce this;it only needs a step in the right direction.
The stigma around mental illness has to be broken or else we will lose this precious generation to this stigma. 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems do not get timely intervention. If they were provided with the right care from a professional clinical counselor at the right time, they would have led better and healthier lives.
But it's not too late even now! If the help won’t come to you, you should have to be brave enough to go to the help itself! If you are a student and struggling with any of the above mentioned issues, do not for one second feel alone!
We are here for you. Ask for the help you need and rest assured that no one will judge you. Ask for whatever you need. If you need social support, reach out to your family and friends. If you need academic support, reach out to the professors or the assignment help services. All you need to do is ask; and everyone will be there to help you.
Take that first step towards change because the change begins with you and you alone.
Author's Bio:
Marcus Rogers is a clinical psychologist and has worked with many leading psychological associations throughout the world. He has a keen interest in discovering the common mental disorders faced by students. He has been working with Global Assignment Help as a freelancer to assist distressed youth with their academic challenges. He provides assignment help to students in need. He has been using his knowledge of psychology to help high schoolers manage their academic pressure. In his free time, he likes to indulge in horse riding.
