Alone, away, afraid, and adrift. 4 characteristics shared by teenagers suffering from mental health issues. 50% of teenagers don’t get “help”/ treatment for their problems, which is a detriment not only to their mental well-being, by their physical well-being as well.

There are many ways on how the mental health of teenage students gets worse in schools – such as academic pressure, bullying,  overscheduling, missing out on educational opportunities, etc. Academic pressure makes teenagers feel overwhelmed, which demotivates them from doing their work reduces their academic performance. This can in turn lead to an increased dropout rate, which can also hurt the mental health of teenagers.

Overscheduled teenagers don´t get enough sleep, which is also a big factor in the worsening of teenagers’ mental health. Bullying can also be a detriment, making them feel isolated, rejected, and inadequate.

Year by year, generation by generation, the mental health of teenage students is getting worse and people still think of physical health being more “important” than mental health. Teenagers are basically told to “deal with it” and with physical health, they are told to “focus on your physical health because it’s very important”. But why isn’t mental health known to be as “significant” as physical health? Health is health, isn’t it?

Teenage students, not just in the US but all around the world, are experiencing trouble with their mental health. Individuals suffering with mental health feel like they are a hamster running on a wheel but not getting anywhere. We need to spread more awareness about the mental health of teenage students and help them get through this.