Poor mental health and its effect on student life

Mental health is a very serious topic everyone has or will experience. It can be impacted by anything, including school, home life and genetics. Many can start noticing that students are struggling with mental health when their lack of attendance goes up, grades go down, they start zoning out and not paying attention.

Seasonal depression can impact someone’s mental health negatively because the days start getting shorter, the sun goes down faster, and it gets cold. Up to 14% of the students with mental health will receive more D’s and F’s. In 2021 more than 42% of students felt emotional or felt like giving up and nearly 29% experienced poor mental health. 

According to another study, poor mental health impacts about 77% of college students, meaning that the issue persists beyond high school. Many students have experienced some kind of psychological distress. In 2021, 133 college campuses participated in the Healthy Minds Study. The study found that 44% of students reported symptoms of depression, 37% of them said they had anxiety and 15% said they were considering suicide.  

The most common mental health issues in high schools are anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant order, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and eating disorders. All of these disorders are important because they can affect a student’s everyday life, their grades and attendance. 

There are many ways that schools can help students struggling with their mental health. One thing that adults in the building can do is give their struggling student room to talk. Another thing they can do is be patient with the student, as it is not always easy to open-up about how one is feeling. After all, it is not easy to be in school everyday and keep up with grades, sports, clubs and a social life while also trying to balance mental health.