Student stress causing mental illness in students

Logan+Tillett+9%2C+doing+his+Trigonometry+homework+which+he+says+is+his+hardest+class+that+he+takes.+%E2%80%9CI+spend+the+most+time+on+this+class+and+it%E2%80%99s+definitely+the+most+mentally+straining%2C%E2%80%9D+said+Tillett.+

Logan Tillett 9, doing his Trigonometry homework which he says is his hardest class that he takes. “I spend the most time on this class and it’s definitely the most mentally straining,” said Tillett.

Hannah Wagner, Ranger Review Reporter

The number one cause for teen suicide is mental illness. A study that Common-Triggers-Teen-Stress stated that 36% of students reported feeling anxious or nervous, 36% of students reported feeling tired or fatigued and 31% reported feeling stressed. According to the Disease Control Center, students suicide rates from 2007 to 2020 have doubled. 

All of the students interviewed said their stress levels were 7 or higher on a scale from 1-10. The majority of them said it was mainly caused by an overload of school work. Slightly over half of them said it was caused by the pressure of their parents. 

“My parents don’t necessarily expect me to have perfect grades, but they expect me to play a sport, be involved in a club, get A’s and B’s, have lots of friends and help around the house,” Nicole Cooke 9 said. “Things like that seem easy, but when I have no tools given to me to help balance those responsibilities and expectations, it gets to be a lot sometimes.”

Teenagers that have too many expectations set for them may feel overwhelmed. Perfectionism also causes issues which can lead to feelings of failure. 

“What many teachers don’t realize is that kids have a life outside of school. Not only do they have their teachers expectations to fulfill, but they have their parents and their own expectations,” Griffin Greenwood 12 said. “I’ve spent my whole high school experience trying to balance all three of those, and I still can’t. It’s the worst feeling when I can’t reach those expectations.”

Perceived lack of parental interest is also a huge factor in teen suicide.  Up to 90% of suicidal teenagers believe that their parents just don’t understand them. 

“I just wished that my parents would listen to me, if they really knew what was going on, then maybe I could have a decent relationship with them,” Lily Avery 9 said. 

Three in every ten adults have diagnosed anxiety in the United States, and 75% of those adults have started developing symptoms during their adolescence. 

“Lots of kids have mental health disorders,” Adxi Mayo 10 said. “I swear my parents are so worried that I might have something wrong with me, and I know for a fact even if I did, they wouldn’t get me tested.“ 

The reasons so many people struggle with setting unrealistic expectations varies. Studies from The Health Line have shown that people always want to be the best. Setting high expectations is a good way to stay motivated, but setting unrealistic expectations can harm people’s overall mental well being.