SCHOOL STRESS CREATES RISING HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR STUDENTS IN CANADA

Risk of developing mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, increase for students in Canada as stress levels escalate due to pressuring educational systems.

Image result for free images student stressed           
 Kids Help Phone National Survey found that “42% of teens [in Canada] are stressed.” The study also showed that getting high grades at school was the biggest stressor for students, at a rate of 49%. In other words, nearly half of all adolescents in Canada find the high school grading system hard to keep up with.
Teenagers are finding it more difficult to achieve high marks, while sustaining a healthy mentality.
            
Many signs suggest that heavy workload for students encourages elevated stress levels, and poor mental health.“I took notes of everything I had to do for the end of that week,” says Kathleen Collins, 17, LaurenHill Academy graduate, “I was so overwhelmed, I literally sat on my bed and cried for an hour and a half.”

Studies show that it is rather difficult to balance a healthy mental, social, and physical lifestyle while being bombarded with not only homework, but also test dates, oral presentations, exams, and other school related tasks.“Last year, my fourth year of high school, was insanely stressful. It was like I didn’t even have a life outside of school,” admits Ian Odhiambo, 16, former LaurenHill Academy student
            
Other major stressors include body image concerns, future decisions, such as higher education programs, and finally, bullying. For many teens, high school is a ‘battle ground’, presenting difficult social situations, stressful exams, and time consuming schoolwork. Generally, it is a tough time to get through. “Topics that circulate around school difficulties, or teenage stress are often overlooked, or not cared for either,” claims an anonymous high school secretary.

The Canadian Mental Health Association states, “young people often feel tremendous pressure to succeed in school […] may become such a source of pain that they may seek relief in suicide.”
In fact, 24% of all deaths in Canada occurring between the ages of 15 and 24 are due to suicide.
  “The topic of stress in students isn’t even a boring topic,” says Jennifer Peters, mother of a current, anonymous LaurenHill Academy student, “because it is so real. And the fact that it affects circumstances around a child’s life, that is what’s scary.”

Is it time to put an end to school related stress?

Emily Morris




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