A lot of students struggle with anxiety, depression, and more. A teen’s mental health can impact their life in many ways that they don’t realize. For many teens, poor mental health affects their physical health, school grades, and decision making. 

But why is teen mental health such a big deal? According to Newport Academy, four out of five teens have started vaping or using e-cigarettes because of stress and anxiety. Many students have experienced an increase in violence, drug use, and sexual behaviors that lead to health risks such as STD’s, HIV, and unintended pregnancy. 

Health professionals have looked deep into whether high school makes students depressed or makes existing depression worse. Researchers have found that more than 1 out of 3 students have experienced poor mental health in the past few years. 

Although many people are aware of students’ mental health needs, they don’t always take action. Teens need a lot of support but from different connections, such as their parents or guardians, counselors, and health specialists to possibly take control of their depression. Many teens don’t seek help, or speak out, because most of them, such as me, have felt too much comfort in our depression, because they never got help or they are too scared to speak and ask for help. 

School is an ongoing source of stress. If a student has depression, school factors can make it worse or can lead to depression. Many students have academic pressure placed on them which can trigger perfectionism, which leads to grades dropping because they aren’t getting it done on time or are doing too much. 

Bullying also corresponds with depression in high schools and middle schools. Bullying recently has had an increase on teen suicides since students have came back from online school during the pandemic. 

Many students also overschedule themselves, with schoolwork and after school jobs, which can cause them to experience burnout, lack of rest, or be unable to spend time with family.