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What are some common mental health issues faced by students?
Anxiety and Depression- Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health disorders in students. Students with anxiety may have low attendance, struggle to finish their work, show declining academic performance, fear new experiences, or worry excessively about assignments, homework and grades. Mental disorders can affect classroom learning, such as poor attendance, difficulties with academic performance, poor social integration, trouble adjusting to school, problems with behavior regulation, and attention and concentration issues, all of which is critical to the success of the student. Anxiety and depression are the two biggest mental health problems in Indian students. Here are the numbers, symptoms and coping factors you need to know. By Roshni Chakrabarty: Mental health has become a buzzword since the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, and the awareness drive couldn’t have come sooner. The top 10 mental health issues and illnesses include anxiety disorders, bipolar affective disorders, depression, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, paranoia, PTSD, psychosis, schizophrenia and OCD. One in four adult Americans will have a diagnosable mental disorder at any given time.
What are the 5 common mental health challenges students face in college?
While there are certainly growing concerns over other mental health issues affecting college students today, this article covers the prevalent issues of depression, anxiety, suicide, eating disorders and addiction. The importance of mental health for students Our mental health has a direct impact on our ability to take in new information, understand new concepts and master new skills. When struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues, working on assignments and attending classes can become impossible. CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021 [PDF – 10 MB] highlights concerning trends about the mental health of U.S. high school students. In 2021, more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health. Unfortunately, school itself can sometimes be a major stressor in a student’s life. A 2021 public health advisory issued by the U.S. Surgeon General identified bullying, academic pressure, and missing out on educational opportunities as just a few examples of how school affects mental health.
Why do students face mental health problems?
Peer pressure, tough syllabus, parental expectations are some of the prominent reasons for this. “Mental health issues manifested in young adults tend to be lifelong with issues ranging from depression, anxiety, obsessions, suicidal behaviour to substance dependence, schizophrenia and bipolarity. Mental health & behaviour Behavioural problems caused by mental health challenges make it difficult for children to form relationships with their classmates – especially when school leaders separate them from the rest of the children. “20% of college students say their mental health has worsened…” Read more. “Nearly three in 10 (29%) say their child is “already experiencing harm” to their emotional or mental health because of social distancing and closures. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in adolescents. At any given time, one in eight adolescents meets clinical criteria for an anxiety disorder 11. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder Box 1. Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
How is mental health affecting students?
Mental health problems can affect a student’s energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, hindering performance. Research suggests that depression is associated with lower grade point averages, and that co-occurring depression and anxiety can increase this association. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress are more common in undergraduates compared to age-matched peers. Mental ill health among students is associated with impaired academic achievement, worse occupational preparedness, and lower future occupational performance. This could imply that, university students are likely to experience depression, anxiety, frustration and troubles sleeping among other mental health issues due to stress associated with their academic lives [14, 23, 25]. They may be distracted by other challenges in life or may be feeling the strain of their mental health. This may mean students are unable to contribute to sessions in their usual way, take longer to understand concepts or are simply not able to focus on the task in hand. ADHD, anxiety problems, behavior problems, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children.
How students improve their mental health?
Get regular exercise and enough sleep. Evaluate your priorities, work on managing your time, and schedule restful activities in your daily life. Students who feel in control of their lives report feeling much less stress than those who feel that circumstances control them. Research indicates that when we feel overwhelming stress related to school it not only demotivates us to do the work, it reduces our overall academic achievement and can lead to increased dropout rates. Not to mention the negative health implications, including depression, poor sleep, substance abuse, and anxiety. Research indicates that stressful events cause significant psychological such as anxiety, distress, and depression (27). Similarly, severe and long-term academic stress leads to loss of welfare of the victims. Students suffering from academic stress are likely to perform poorly in their schoolwork (27). Stress, life events, past experiences and genet- ics all play a part in determining our mental health. Student life exposes in- dividuals to risk factors affecting mental health including financial worries, periods of transition, substance use, parental pressure, culture shock and disconnection from previous supports.