The Anxious and The Absent – Renee Okoroafor-Ossai, St Philomena’s

Between constant testing, social pressures, homework, revision, friendship groups and personal factors, students are becoming increasingly anxious. You can’t help but wonder the impact this would have not just on the students themselves, but their results, social skills and relationships both in the long and short term.

It is shocking that in this day and age, students’ mental state is affecting them so deeply that it prevents them from performing average daily activities – sadly, many feel unable to speak up about how they feel and therefore suffer in silence.

A number of unnamed students aged 16 and 17 have recently reported that they “feel a lack of proper support in school for their mental health”, and that they feel that “people wouldn’t be able to understand how they feel”.

It is inevitable that if students feel unable to attend school, their education will eventually be negatively impacted, but if a person is not in the right mindframe to be able to learn effectively, their attendance in school will not change this…

In today’s society, despite mental health being an increasingly spoken about topic, it doesn’t mean that sufferers of mental health disorders will all find it easier to be open about their struggles.

Some people feel incapable of expressing themselves to other people, scared of judgement or rejection when they go to ask for help, so the question is, what sort of support can be given to students that struggle with their mental wellbeing that takes this into account?

Patience and reassurance is key.

Personally, I believe that it is mandatory that students take care of themselves emotionally, mentally and physically as it is extremely significant in allowing them to participate in studious activities. Especially with the pandemic, students have been left uncertain about their futures inside and outside of education, throwing themselves into hours of revision, entering new courses without properly understanding what they entail etc. Without ample support, students will be unable to function healthily in school, leading to increased stress, anxiety and absences.

An enquiry into secondary schools done by Mind Charity also revealed that ‘three in five young people received no support from school for their mental health’. Some schools place more value on the results that students achieve, ignoring the fact that what produces these results includes having a calm mental state.

Students are being conditioned to think that grades and exams are what brings success, but in actuality, high grades will be unattainable if a student doesn’t have balance in their life. Self care is often completely disregarded in conversations surrounding achievements, making students believe that their exam results are all that matters, even if they’re putting their mental health in jeopardy for these results.

Evidently, a lot of work needs to be done across the UK to tackle this issue. Part of the resolution to increased absence and mental health issues in students is creating open and non-judgemental conversations about how students feel that they are currently being supported for their mental health concerns in schools, how students would feel comfortable to return to school consistently and what implementations are necessary in order for schools to properly support students who are struggling mentally and emotionally.

References:

https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/almost-two-thirds-of-young-people-receive-no-support-from-school-for-their-mental-health/