Breanna Nava

Mental Health in High School Student

Psychologists believe that in 2013 high school students have the same anxiety levels as
insane asylum patients in the 1930(Twenge, Jean PhD). Schools are often challenged to deal
with the mental health problems of their students but are seriously under-equipped and have a
lack of support to be able to handle this responsibility ( Nauert PHD, Rick). Thankfully, there is a
lot to learn about the mental health in high school students and how it can be treated.
School is one of the best places to get to the root of the problems of mental health
disorders for both teachers and students, due to the fact that teens spend so much time there.
High school is a big jump from middle school, with classes getting more rigorous, more pressure
to achieve good grades, and each student has to basically decide the layout of their entire future
("Depression and High...). Not only is there that, but high school is also a crucial time of change
for adolescence both physically and mentally. Roughly 17% of teens experience some sort of
emotional, mental, behavioral disorder, or even a substance dependency ("Prevalence of ...).
Some of the most common of these being anxiety disorders, depression disorders, and attention
deficit disorders. One important brain change that occurs is the change in sleeping patterns.
From the childhood pattern of waking up early and going to bed early, to adolescent where it
becomes waking up late and going to bed late, often with those late night weekends throwing the
internal clock even more out of whack. A healthy sleeping pattern is important to both your
physical and mental health. Getting the proper amount of sleep accounts for a number of things
such as emotional health, proper problem solving skills, and enough energy to get through the
day. Not getting this can lead to more anxiety which results in even more sleeping problem.

This is a vicious cycle that can be hard to come out of. All in all, sleep is an essential thing to
start a healthy routine with.
Mental illnesses are defined as disorders of brain function. There are many things that
can cause these from complex interactions between a persons genes, a chemical imbalance, to a
individuals environment. It is not a choice for those affected, nor a moral failure, a person with a
mental illness cannot simply snap out of it as some seem to presume (Kutcher, Dr. Steve).
Mental illnesses have no set victims, it occurs at similar rates around the world, in every culture,
and in all social economic groups. A mental health problem can make everyday things seem
hard, such as: work, school, and socializing with others. Mental illnesses come in many forms
and everyone should be well informed.
Mental health problems come in many forms but there are a few that seem to inflict teens
more specifically. Of the many forms depression, panic disorders, anxiety, and eating disorders
are some of the more common one for high schoolers. Depression can come in many forms, and
they are most likely to hit around the teen years to early adulthood. The most common form of
depression is clinical, in which an individual experiences intense episodes of depression, often
lasting over a year and separated by periods of relatively stable mood. The second form of
depression is Dysthymia, which consists of extended episodes of depression lasting at least one
year for teens. Depression has been proven to run in families, but it can also be triggered by a
major stressed or significant trauma. There are also certain medical conditions and medications
that can lead to depression. The individual is vexed with several symptoms, from a down mood,
to diminished thinking abilities, and body sensation such as extreme fatigue or sleeping
problems. Anxiety disorders are a disturbance in the brains mechanisms designed to protect you
from harm but function improperly. The most prevalent form of anxiety is social anxiety which

the individual has irrational fears of social gathering and anything of that nature. Other forms of
anxiety include specific phobias, general anxiety, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress
disorder. Lastly eating disorders. Eating disorders are not often even thought of as a form of
mental illness by most, but they take ahold of many people. Eating disorders are a disturbance of
weight and feeding behavior which includes anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and binge
eating. There are a many treatment options for all of these, one being talk therapy with a
professional psychologist, medications to balance chemicals in the brain, and having a healthy
support system and routine. Most often people will be treated with both medication and talk
therapy. People with untreated disorders, especially depression, have an increased risk for
suicide or other self-harm (Kutcher, Dr. Steve). Many of these problems could begin to be
solved started at schools, with the training of teachers to recognize the early signs of mental
illnesses, much of this can be treated or even prevented.
Educators are seeing more and more students suffering from a wide range of mental
health problems (Gourley, Becca). Having a mental disorder should be viewed as the same as
experiencing a physical illness. In a gym class if a student where to have a broken leg they
would be granted to sit out for class and not participate, yet a student with a social anxiety
disorder is still expected to give a speech in front of 30 peers, all of which they see have
judgmental eyes. Teachers should be trained on how to recognize this and other mental health
problems in students and then how to develop and implement this. Also, teaching students how
to intervene and help those who they believe to be self harming. A district called San Mateo
Union did a study and created two classes for students with social phobias. It has implemented
two other classes for those individuals with anxiety or depression, with additional classes for
students with more complex emotional problems. Every one of these classes is full. (K. Skalski,

Anastasia). Early identification is the key to successfully treat the disorder and prevent future
problems, both student and teacher play a major role in this.
When it comes to the actual treatment of these disorders it can come in many forms.
There are many customizable treatments that have been extensively researched and tested to treat
these many different forms of mental illnesses. Many tools and assessments have been expertly
developed to help diagnose mental illnesses and to help improve the individual life. Often
mental illnesses are due to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain which can usually be corrected
by some form of medication. It can also be helpful to talk to someone. May this be a friend or
family member or even a professional psychologist. Psychological treatment or talk therapy
works by helping brain better control thoughts and emotions. Discussing mental health and
mental health illnesses in a supportive environment enables youth to feel safe, ask questions,
gain knowledge, combat stigma and develop their own opinions of the world around them.
Even though many people suffer from mental illnesses, may often only know if someone
a mental illness directly. Sometimes their mental illness will make them act in unusual ways,
which may make you feel uncomfortable. When we feel uncomfortable we often treat others
differently whether we do it consciously or not. When treating someone differently we may
stigmatize them based on ideas of mental illnesses that come from inaccurate news reports or
over dramatized movies and television shows. Despite being so common, mental illness
continues to be met with widespread stigma: in hospitals, workplaces and schools. This stigma
can affect the self-image of those affected when they start to believe the negative views others
have, which is also known as a self-stigma. Reducing stigma requires a major change in the way
people think and act; acceptance, respect, and equal treatment are just a few ways to start. Most
importantly perhaps is for people to understand that mental illnesses are not a choice and that

recovery is possible with appropriate treatment and support. People can be helped even more if
stigma can be overcome. And by improving mental health education, it is possible to challenge
this misinformation and negative attitudes and begin to fight the stigma. Without this it can
prevent those affected from seeking help they need, denying them access to what they need for
recover.
Schools have been great at teaching math and social studies, but when it comes to
giving teens the life skills they need to successfully deal with stress, how to problem-solve,
how to set goals, and other key elements in a healthy lifestyle most schools have fallen
short. But if

schools all over the country start putting in place new ways to combat the

debilitating effects of mental illnesses and the stigma that surrounds it, great things would be
possible. Most importantly is to give training to teachers on early identification of these mental
health condition, and how to put this knowledge into action. With this and teaching students
ways to combat it also, we can put an end to the stigma of mental health and begin to look at in a
new light.

Work Cited
"Depression and High School Students." NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH),1 Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

Twenge,PhD, Jean. "Studies Show Normal Children Today Report More Anxiety than Child
Psychiatric Patients in the 1950's." Http://www.apa.org. The American Psychological
Association, 14 Dec. 2000. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

Nauert PHD, Rick. "Mental Health in High School: Teach Students Link between Thinking
Patterns, Emotions & Behavior." Psych Central.com. John M. Grohol, Psy.D, 11 Sept.
2013. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

K. Skalski, Anastasia, and Marta Smith. "Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Students."
Student Servers. 15 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2014

Gourley, Becca. "Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Dropping Out: A Quick Stats Fact
Sheet." Linking Research and Resources to Better High Schools. National High School
Centers, 1 July 2009. Web. 22 Dec. 2014
"Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Among Youth | FindYouthInfo." Prevalence of Mental
Health Disorders Among Youth | FindYouthInfo. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
Kutcher, Dr. Steve. "Mental Health and High School Curriculum." TeenMentalHealthorg RSS.
Sun Life Financial. Web. 22 Dec. 2014