School takes a toll on mental health

Question

Treatmentindana.com stated, "Teens feel that they must prioritize academic achievement when their teachers, parents, and coaches push them to succeed. Academic stress can lead to depression, anxiety disorders, and other mental health issues." They also talk about a student's time at school is supposed to help them learn new things but the added stress makes school feel more like a burden.

Answer 1

According to a survey done by the American Psychological Association (APA), 45% of teens said they were stressed by school pressures. Students become stressed from the environment around them (homework assignments, social life, perceived parental pressure, etc) creating a detrimental effect on their mental health. In an article written by Patti Neighmond, she explains the dangers of chronic stress. She mentions that Mary Alvord, a clinical psychologist for the APA, says that chronic stress can cause a sense of panic and paralysis. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/12/02/246599742/school-stress-takes-a-toll-on-health-teens-and-parents-say

In an article published by the Mayo Clinic, they say,"The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes." This increases one's risk of developing anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep issues, and heart disease. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

While chronic stress should be avoided, it is important to note that not all stress is bad. According to an article published by Summa Health, eustress is the stress one feels when he or she is excited; this stress is short-term, it inspires or motivates individuals and it enhances performance.

https://www.summahealth.org/flourish/entries/2021/01/stress-management-how-to-tell-the-difference-between-good-and-bad-stress

It is true that school presents multiple stressors in a student's life that has the potential to take a toll on that student's mental wellbeing. While some stress is beneficial, chronic stress should be avoided. Students are encouraged to maintain a balance of the two by taking mental health breaks. 

Comments

Interesting addition that is well sourced regarding stress not being a bad thing always. So it's actually a good thing at times, but also can negatively affect mental health from what I understand. I also enjoyed reading your explanation and the quotes you extracted from multiple sources.

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I think your fact-check here is extremely well done. I like that you expanded a lot further on the subject at hand and actually provides multiple different sources to back up the claim instead of just stopping at one. It really strengthens the claim.

Answer 2

It is true that education takes a toll on students' mental health regardless of age. PubMed published a study where they studied the correlation between academic stress and mental well-being in college students. Their study stated that "These results indicate that academic stress in college is significantly correlated to psychological well-being in the students who responded to this survey. In addition, some groups of college students are more affected by stress than others, and additional resources and support should be provided to them." Which means that yes education/school does take a toll on your mental health. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35677139/

Answer 3

This claim is TRUE. Not only do teens feel that they must prioritize academic achievement when their teachers, parents, and coaches push them to succeed, they have an immense amount of other things that happen in schools that can cause them stress and other forms of illness such as pressure from friends, extracurriculars, and more. Some of those illnesses included depression and anxiety. According to the Indiana Center for Recovery, "Academic stress can cause or worsen the symptoms of mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. These disorders affect students’ energy and concentration levels." School has many different pieces to it, and each piece can cause students stress. That being said, school can DEFINITELY take a toll on mental health.

Comments

Do you have a source link? I didn't see it for Indiana Center for Recovery.

Answer 4

It is very true that education can take a toll on one's mental health. This is because of the added pressure and stress that achieving an education can involve. Many people value their level of intelligence largely and become discouraged when they are not achieving their desired grades. 

https://jedfoundation.org/resource/understanding-academic-stress/

Comments

I agree with your point about achieving an education. I bet that is the highest cause of stress in school. It is hard to get into the right college.

Answer 5

According to an article titled, Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues, written by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, "Research suggests that depression is associated with lower grade point averages, and that co-occurring depression and anxiety can increase this association. Depression has also been linked to dropping out of school." These findings were associated with researched done in the Medical Care Research and Review (2009). 

This suggests that school does negatively impact mental health and vise versa. It is important to know that depression can cause low grades and low grade can cause depression because it shows an almost guaranteed negative effect.

https://sprc.org/settings/colleges-and-universities/consequences-of-student-mental-health-issues/

Comments

Interesting breakdown on this one. It is important to shine light on the fact that stress and bad grades feed into each other.

Answer 6

According to KVC Kansas " Research shows that academic stress leads to less well-being and increased likelihood of developing anxiety or depression" The pressure that kids and often parents put on themselves to do achieve high grades can impact an individuals well being. Not only the want to achieve high grades but also the financial burden that comes with attending secondary school. 

Answer 7

This claim is true according to KVC Kansas. "Research shows that academic stress leads to less well being and an increased likelihood of developing anxiety or depression." There are several reasons why mental health seems to take a toll, things like technology, and having trouble understanding new material.

https://kansas.kvc.org/2020/11/10/how-does-academic-stress-affect-mental-health-in-the-age-of-digital-learning/

Answer 8

This claim is true especially fro college students. Once entering college many students already are going through mental illnesses or some will develop a mental illness. The pressure of school and becoming an adult, and still managing to have a social life becomes stressful can affect the mental health of many students. Mental illness has become a heavy talked topic in the past years and many contribute to why it is so high especially around students because of social media and traditional stigmas surrounding mental heath. In the article Under pressure "In a survey of directors of college counseling centers in 2020, nearly 90 percent reported that demand for their services had gone up in the previous year". Many schools are experiencing students go through these problems and most of the time they aren't well prepared. 

https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2021/08/19/under-pressure-the-college-mental-health-crisis 

Answer 9

According to an article in the  Washington Post, 76 percent of staff have expressed concerns about students having depression and anxiety since the pandemic. A survey was conducted that 7 out of 10 students seek mental health help.  The article also states that school shootings are giving students more anxiety and depression. Now, teachers are creating programs to help students mentally. Some believe that it was the pandemic that made students depressed. Although that is a factor, school systems changed during the pandemic which might have made it worse for students to learn. Overall this claim is 100% true.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/05/31/schools-mental-health-covid-students/

Answer 10

This claim is true, more specifically, for high school students. The stress placed upon students due to academic pressure has increased, and there are few outlets to help students battle these anxiety's.  The Jed Foundation  conducted qualitative and quantitative research with high school students, caregivers of high school students, and school administrators from across the country. This is what the study found: "Students’ mental health needs were significant and were not being fully addressed in high schools. Students reported anxiety as a top problem and their ability to cope with mounting stress associated with academic pressures and expectations for their futures was compromised."

This can be viewed in this study here: https://jedfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/High-School-Student-Mental-Health-Report_JED-and-Fluent_FINAL.pdf