Cracking Under Pressure

In my personal experience at high school, students push themselves beyond their fullest potential and often work themselves past the point of illness because they’re afraid that by taking a day off they’ll fall behind in their classes.

 I’m included in this group of overworked students.  To be fair, I really bring the stress on myself due to heavy courseloads and the choice I made to attend school over 20 miles from my house, although my busy schedule isn’t unique to myself.  According to psychologytoday.com, “1/3 of children reported experiencing physical symptoms that are frequently associated with stress.”*  These teens sleep less so that they can study more; if they get back the essay or the test and the grade doesn’t live up to their standards (realistic or not), the teen may plummet into feelings of hopelessness which are often followed by a renewed effort towards their schoolwork.  This can result in even less sleep, and therefore has a negative effect on physical health. 

The problem of declining physical health is a problem in many different ways.  The first is that it makes concentrating more difficult, so grades start to slip and more pressure to do well next time is added.  The second is in taking a day off to recover; many students are worried that if they’re out too often they’ll end up with too many missed days and lose credit for a course.  Personally, when I get sick I tell myself ever day “just one more day and tomorrow I’ll stay home and get better,” but I continue putting off a day of healing until I’m either better or too sick to leave bed.  All while I’m denying sickness to myself, my grades fluctuate and I stay up later to do better while getting sicker.

Health is not the only aspect of a teen’s life at risk from the heavy pressures of high school life; a teen’s mental safety and sometimes even his or her life is also in danger.  According to nimh.nih.gov, nearly 7 in 100,000 teens commit suicide each year (this number makes the 15-19 age bracket the highest among young people ages 10-24)**.  That may not seem like very many people, but considering that in 2010 there were 22,040,343 teenagers in the US, those 7/100,000 add up quickly; going by the 2010 statistic, over 1,542 teenagers committed suicide in that year alone.*** 

And because the number of teenagers rises every year, if the 7/100,000 statistic is true then even more teenagers will commit suicide by the end of 2012.

Studies show a correlation between scholastic stress and teenage suicide; most suicides among teens occur during exams, which are usually periods of intense stress and pressure to succeed.  In cultures where both students and others put pressure on the teens to succeed, the rate of suicide is higher. **** That’s not to say that school is the only cause of teen suicide; merely it is a significant one.

If we want to protect our teens, we need to relieve some of the pressure that causes them to crack.

 

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*http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201109/teen-stress-how-much-is-too-much

**http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml#children
***http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf (page 4)
**** http://mres.gmu.edu/pmwiki/uploads/Main/schoolMED2010.pdf (page 2)