Students Mental Health
Many Students in high school suffer from many different mental illnesses like different anxiety, mood, eating, behavioral, and developmental disorders. 1 in 5 young adults suffers from a mental illness. It’s important to bring awareness to this because it affects such a large amount of people and so many people aren’t educated enough about it. Even the people who suffer from mental illnesses don’t know that much about them, like how to treat them, or how to cope with them, 60% of kids with depression are not being treated for it. In this, I will only go through 3 pretty common ones for high schoolers but there are so many more that affect them and our society today.
ANXIETY
Every child will experience anxiety, it’s normal, but only in a phase, but children who actually suffer from anxiety will experience symptoms like fear, nervousness, and avoiding places and activities. However, anxiety actually affects about 25% of teenagers, and this rate has been steadily rising for the past 30 years. It’s even shown that kids who have untreated anxiety are at a higher risk to perform poorly in school.
Medications that can treat it
Medication can act as a short-term or long-term treatment. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be used to help treat anxiety, it produces more serotonin — which is a chemical messenger that carries signals between brain cells — by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin, making it more available.
Treating it without medication
Some medications can create Physical dependencies on them, causing addiction. One way to treat it without medication is cognitive-talk therapy, it is a talk therapy that teaches different skills and techniques that can help reduce anxiety. This is normally a short term thing lasting only about 12 weeks. Many people still continue on with talk therapy after these 12 months are up to try and help it from returning as badly.
ADHD/ADD
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, it can affect children's ability to learn in a normal classroom environment. ADHD makes it really hard for you to focus on a single task for periods of time, sitting still, and listening quietly without interrupting. Teens with ADHD are also more likely to try different drugs as a coping mechanism. Many students may seem as if they are listening but something seems to be getting in the way of them retaining the information. Many students may even become distracted by their own thoughts.
Medications that can treat it
Medications that are commonly prescribed are Adderall and Ritalin, they are stimulants which make these neurotransmitters in your brain more available, therefore improving activity and communication in those parts of the brain which operate on dopamine and norepinephrine and signal for specific tasks.
Treating it without medication
Many parents have concerns about what the powerful drugs are doing to the development of their child so they try to find all natural ways to help their child with their ADHD symptoms. One way that is very common for people to try to help cope with ADHD is increased physical exercise. This is found to be very effective for many people who suffer from ADHD, it boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels all of which affect the way you focus. Another big way to try and manage ADHD symptoms in a change in diet.
DEPRESSION
Teens and adolescents are not only more susceptible to depression during high school and college but the rate of students that suffer from depression keeps growing. The social stigma around these mental illnesses really affects teens, preventing them from asking for the help they need. Approximately 60% of teens who suffer do not get the help they need, that means the majority of teens are suffering in silence. Some reasons believed to be the cause of the large depression rates in high schools are social media, the pressure to do well, lack of coping skills, the brain still growing, and bullying.
Medications that can treat it
Medications for treating depression are commonly prescribed to try and help fix the chemical imbalance in the brain. However, just taking medication does not fix the underlying problem and can come with many different and scary side effects. When your doctor prescribes you a medication to help treat depression it may not always work, many people try many different medications before they find one that is right for them and it is important not to lose hope. Some types of medication that could be prescribed are Tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. No matter what medication you are prescribed it is also common to take part in different therapies too.
Treating it without medication
Many people suggest treating depression with a lifestyle change. Some suggestions are exercising more which can be found to be just as effective as taking a medication with the different endorphins that it releases in the brain. They also say it is important to have a strong social network, it helps avoid isolation which is a key risk factor for depression. Eating better can also help, eating small well-balanced meals throughout the day will keep your energy up and reduce mood swings. When suffering from depression it is also best for you to reduce as much stress as you can in your life. Many people who suffer from depression also see a therapist, someone who they can truly trust and can really talk to is suggested.
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