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In this article, Kai Blackmon discusses the issues that are caused by the overload given to teenagers.
Teenage overload
Teenage overload
By Kai Blackmon
By Kai Blackmon
On this earth that can seem full of hatred and suffering, it can feel as though not everyone is heard for every one of their issues. While the worries of a teenager should be heard by the millions of others who suffer from the same problems, they are sadly not. Suicide rates in young adults have been rising. According to Visionsteen, a teenage mental health and diagnosis treatment center, about 1.9 million kids between the ages of 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. As said by the ADAA (The Anxiety and Depression Association of America), 31.9% of children between the ages of 13-17 are affected by anxiety disorders. This is all to say that teenagers are in need of help. Whether they are suffering because of harassment due to race, gender, sexuality, religion, political view, or interests; overload of school, family life, or drama between peers; and mental illnesses between anxiety, depression, sensory issues, or a neurodivergent mind (ADHD/Autism among others), current day teenagers are going through massive levels of mental overload between all of these subjects.
Harassment and bullying should need no introduction. Everyone has heard the stories adults tell about being beaten up after class, and the vision that many people have of bullying is getting shoved into a locker like in the movies. That is a rare sight to see nowadays, so bullying is often seen as something that is not super common; that is not the case. According to the statistics posted on the BullyingStatistics blog, “about 30 percent of teenagers in the U.S. have been involved in bullying, either as a bully or as a victim of teenage bullying.” That may not seem like a large number to anyone, but that 30 percent represents 39 million teenagers in the world.
Besides the sheer number of teenagers who are bullied, the victims of bullying are often affected by it for a long time. In an article by StopBullying, it is mentioned that resulting factors such as decreased academic achievement, health complaints, and depression/anxiety can continue being an issue even to adulthood are all listed as experiences for victims of childhood bullying. The situation does not only affect the victim, either. Those who are actively bullying others or are just watching from the sidelines also deal with a great deal of lasting issues. Bullies will often take part in other violent activities that hold consequences into adulthood. These include abusive tendencies to close ones, abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and having criminal convictions early in their life. This is rather sad, given that many of them have past traumas or mental issues that already make life difficult for them. Teenagers who witness bullying are also more likely to use addictive substances, have increased mental health problems, and skip school more often than an average student. Overall, anyone who is a part of the act of bullying will often have lasting problems.
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High school students have a lot of responsibilities between their schoolwork, extracurriculars, and their family lives. Teenagers should have it pretty easy, right? Just finish 15-30 minutes of homework and you’ll be fine to do whatever you want. Wrong. The average teenager has about four hours worth of homework assigned each week, according to research done by University of Michigan. That, on top of 40-hour weeks, is not going to leave much time for downtime, fun, or happiness. Thes statistics do not even include the loads of advanced students, students with extracurriculars, or any extra work that may be assigned. Overworking oneself, especially as a teen, can cause a major amount of burnout. The feeling of burnout can affect teens by creating a lack of motivation and feelings of disillusion attached to school.
A student's family and home life can cause issues for students, as well. In a research project done by the TeenHelp website, a resource for teens and parents of teens, it is found that 62% of teens suffer from neglect, 25% receive physical abuse, 7% endure sexual abuse and between 45-70% of children physically abuse themselves. As stated in an article by Children's Lifetime, neglect in a household can result in disruption of a child's development, causing the following: attentional, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disorders; difficulties with emotional connections and being close with others; and academic issues. A large majority of young people struggle with household issues. The level that it can affect them even outside of that zone is something that will hold them back both mentally and emotionally.
If everyone's brain functioned the same way, then it might be possible for teenagers to all survive their teen years. This, however, is sadly not the case. Once again, Visionsteen says that 1.9 million kids between the ages of 3-17 have diagnosed depression, and the ADA points out that 31.9% children between ages 13 and 17 are affected by anxiety disorders. Both anxiety and depression can cause difficulty in academic areas, trouble connecting with other teenagers, and can cause a high schooler to lose interest in most subjects. There is also the topic of those who are neurodivergent. Neurodivergence is the label given to people who have been diagnosed with disorders such as ADHD, autism, and bipolar disorder, among many others. School is generally built for a neurotypical mindset (those who are not diagnosed with anything listed under neurodivergent), so education and social settings can often be difficult for one whose brain functions differently from others. If someone learns differently from everyone else, then a neurotypical education simply is not going to work as great as one geared toward their learning style. This can cause a lot of emotional and mental separation from the rest of their peers, a lack of focus or interest in the subject matter, and will often cause them to have raised stress levels. Just one more thing to stack on the pile.
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There are too many issues stacked onto a teenager's plate to put it all here. Think about those who are planning on college and how much they have to work towards that goal: teens with jobs that take a lot of energy from them each day, and those who have parents that live in separate homes. The most anyone can do is be there for each other. High schoolers are often more separated than any should be, and it is very important to open up to others and to always think about what is going on behind their minds. Even a small event can greatly affect someone's day, for better or worse. Teens are constantly going through a lot of overload-- both mentally and emotionally.
Sources:
Sources:
visionsteen.com/how-many-teens-have-depression/
adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics
www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects
howtoadult.com/the-effects-of-too-much-homework-on-teenagers-9648936.html
www.teenhelp.com/teen-abuse/child-abuse-statistics/
www.childrenslifetime.org/the-science-of-neglect
www.healthyplace.com/abuse/child-physical-abuse/effects-of-child-physical-abuse
The link between mental health and school performance – United Way Northeast Florida
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