An exploration into the mental wellbeing of students and the reasons behind the mental illness pandemic.
By: Shubhansi (Suhani) 11.3 & Sreya 11.3
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”- Charles Dickens.
The very concept of youth has been romanticized for the longest time. This period of growing up, finding yourself, making friends, and learning: everybody describes it as the epitome of life itself. It’s easy to forget that these “good ol’ days” also come with the burden of dejection, looming worry and misunderstanding.
These years are the most formative as it’s when the most development happens: physically, socially, and emotionally. This also means it’s a time when human minds are vulnerable, if not supported adequately, to developing mental illnesses. As of November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that around 1 in 7 teens suffer from at least one mental illness (ages 10-19). To put this into perspective, think about the number of friends you have or the number of people in this school alone.
Despite an increase in awareness of mental health issues, they are still easily brushed off by some as insignificant or just a teenager being dramatic. It is not; mental illness is something that should be handled with care and consideration. Teachers in this school do their best to look out for students, with the distribution of surveys to garner students' concerns and state of wellbeing and checking with them in person as well. Despite the progress like this, we still have a way to go to improve support worldwide.
Over time, data from the National Health Services (NHS) has shown that there has been an increase in the prevalence of mental illness, including unipolar depression, anxiety and so on. The effect of this on a student’s quality of education and their future can be detrimental. Overwhelming stress, difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep, lack of motivation and an unstable emotional state hinder them from performing their best. When the situation hits rock bottom, they may be lost forever. It’s been suggested that 10-15% of severely depressed people will take their own lives.
The question we must ask now is this: Why is the wellbeing of each generation worse than the last?
Even in this modern day and age, there is still disapproval and lack of support towards those with mental illnesses. People will say, “You’re too young to be this sad.” In fact, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 50% of all mental health conditions begin by the age of fourteen.
“It’s your own fault.”
“Why can’t you just be normal?”
“You’re so ungrateful.”
“Stop being dramatic, you just want attention.”
These are only some of the horrible and ignorant things people say, from parents to strangers on the internet. It is a malicious form of manipulation that can lead people to question the validity of their own thoughts and issues. Being dismissed like this with an annoyed look and a pointed finger can lead someone to think, “Maybe I really am being dramatic.” This is exactly what needs to be avoided. Instead of neglecting people’s problems and suppressing them, we need to encourage teens and students to feel comfortable in asking for help and addressing their issues.
Mental illnesses have already been on the rise globally, as mentioned earlier. But with the pandemic weaving its way deep into our lives, things have taken a turn for the worse. For students, online school was supposed to be a minor, short-term alternative... Now, this disease has robbed two years from life. As social creatures, the biggest root cause for distress during this time is isolation. Being away from friends and alone with your thoughts can be hard, especially at this stage when teenagers are maturing. Many students would agree that being online is a factor that has caused their mental health to deteriorate. In these past few years there’s been a lot of discrimination, hate, and fear around the world. Feeling detached with all of this while keeping up with schoolwork can easily impact a student’s mood and how they go about their day.
With all of this and the pandemic affecting teenagers, what is our school doing about this? Growing Minds in our school plays a big part in educating students on mental health. It covers topics on how to cope with stress, depression, and anxiety. Also, how to identify symptoms and talk to people about it. It provides students with interactive activities to gain an insight into their own mind and to help understand their complex feelings. This is important as anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses among teenagers. Our school also has a counsellor available for students to talk to when they are ready to reach out, or when they realize they need help. Teachers are also aware of signs to look out for and constantly ask how students are doing, even if pupils seem like they are holding up well.
A survey was conducted in our school to gauge the students’ worries about OSL (Off Site Learning) and returning to school. There was a total of 259 responses across all year groups. 35% of respondents had concerns with going back to school, with a mix of COVID related and non-COVID related answers. Regarding OSL specifically, common concerns that were raised included struggling to focus and the resulting impact on their learning, workload, distractions at home, not seeing friends, etc. This also reflected in what students were looking forward to the most: seeing friends (86%), learning in a classroom (61%) and face to face support (54%). Evidentially, Regents’ students care about doing well in their education, as do many students around the globe.
Overall, the school is trying hard to make sure students are happy and satisfied, but what is the reason so many teenagers still aren’t?
Less than 50% of teenagers who suffer from a mental illness receive treatment. Many teenagers feel unwelcome to ask for help or scared to place their trust in others. Some students grow up in an environment where it isn’t considered normal to talk about mental health or feelings, therefore making ‘talking to a teacher’ seem foreign. Even if there are resources becoming available, some teenagers simply don’t realise that their negative feelings are because of depression or any other mental illness, so they don’t seek treatment.
With all the stigma that needs breaking and awareness that needs raising, we still need to build a level of trust and communication among friends, teachers, and family so that no person suffers on their own, especially before it’s too late. The ‘to-do’ list may seem long, but it starts with you and your actions. If one person sparks the conversation, a chain reaction will follow, leading to a more open and educated community. But most importantly:
A happier world.
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