According to Newport Academy, one in three students have poor mental health in high school. Three in five teens do not receive any treatment or help when they are in high school. Science-wise, there is no link between school and mental health. Yet students might say otherwise.
The definition of mental health can be different from person to person. According to Oxford. Language, the definition of mental means “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.”
But Mylo Carney, a senior, said, “Mental health makes life hard and challenging, but it also makes life meaningful.”
Kennedy Hodges, a freshman, said mental health was, “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with stresses or flaws in their life.”
People face many challenges in life generally, but what about school?
Jayger Stuttle, a sophomore, said either middle school or ninth grade was the hardest for him. He explained this statement by saying, “Middle school was hard because it was emotionally draining and middle school kids are mean and that ninth grade was hard for him because “[it] was just draining because it was a big change”
A junior who wished to remain anonymous said the hardest grade for them has been this year, as being a junior comes with the challenges of grades and planning for what will happen after high school. “If asked, my parents will say they
don’t put much pressure on me, but their pressure is implied through their actions.”
Out of the four people interviewed, three of them believe school does put too much pressure on students. They gave reasons such as too much work being pushed on students and how high school requires students to put all their effort into school if they want a successful career. Two students agreed that school is something that is often taken for granted and that access to such knowledge is something many are not thankful for. However, they both agreed that the way the school teaches could be a little different.
Mylo Carney said, “School has allowed me to make friends, figure out who I am, and find my passion in life.” Also high school has let them learn who they are as a person. They said, “I think a lot of lessons are learned through the process of maturing and reflecting on who you used to be versus who you are now.” Overcoming challenges can develop a change in someone.
Kennedy Horge said, “I feel like when I was younger I was a lot happier than this. I had no stress in life and I would not have to worry about anything.”
Burnout is a major cause for students to feel overwhelmed. To stop the feeling, Stuttle said that he listens to music or sometimes just waits out the feeling of burnout.
Horge said that, “talking about your insecurities or problems to someone you trust, and not holding those certain flaws in” is his way of feeling less burned out.
Carney said that their way of avoiding burnout is by keeping their personal and school life separate, not letting them overlap with each other by taking a study hall to do their work at school.
Mental health is something that was once not talked about much, as it had a negative stigma attached to it. But today, mental health is taken as seriously as physical health.
