According to the University of San Diego’s Heather J. Leslie, PhD, “The impact of academic stress not only hurts students’ ability to learn but also affects their well-being (Bloodgood et al., 2009) and can lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, inadequate sleep, and substance abuse.”
Along with this, every person experiences different circumstances, including family life, personal health, preexisting mental health issues, and even the weather, all of which can negatively affect a student’s mental health.
Take, for example, seasonal depression, formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This disorder is identified by feeling unmotivated, depressed, and hopeless, and it is caused by a lack of light during the winter season, which is a cue to our bodies to get ready for winter, almost like hibernation prep. This can be a huge issue when it comes to students, because the percentage of nine to 19-year-olds who suffer from SAD is about 1.7% to 5.5%.
Students have to deal with disorders like this, on top of other mental health issues, physical illness during flu season, family issues at home, and the stampede of hormones flooding the average teenager.
This way of ‘living’ results in burnout, even more depression, and sometimes suicide. The CDC has an article on the factors contributing to mental health issues in high school students, where they highlight how four out of ten high school students report feeling sad or hopeless.
Overall, the combined pressure from all sides is suffocating and overwhelming, leaving students drowning with absolutely no support other than their own tired minds. And before you know it, winter has come, and students can’t even save themselves.
Now, some may claim that grades don’t actually have that much to do with mental health, and that the rest of the elements are to blame. While the other elements are definitely deserving of blame in this, the students’ grades are also a major factor, as shown by a study conducted at the University of Michigan, which found that 80% of college students’ self-worth is dependent on their academic scores.
In addition, if the stress over grades doesn’t come from the individual, it will often come from a parent or guardian. Adults want their children to succeed academically, but they often don’t understand how much pressure students are under, pushing for their students to take on more and more without realizing the consequences.
All of these components pile up and can become too much for students to handle, with teenage hormones, personal mental health issues, social troubles, and a feeling of academic incompetence following them home and constantly gnawing away at them. You never know what the final straw could be, or whether its impact will be fatal.
According to the JED Foundation, 20.4% of high school students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, while 9.5% have actually attempted. These statistics also do not exclude countless others who never report their experiences.
Children need to understand that they are more important than their academic achievements; even if it is not intentional, students often get the impression that their parents only care about them if they’re passing.
Parents, as a student, I beg you to prioritize your child’s health over their academic performance. I promise you, their grades won’t improve until they get help and support. The pursuit of success should never overshadow the importance of a kid’s life. The education system is incredibly flawed, and it causes harm to students.
