The Epidemic of Generation Z

stress

defined broadly by the oxford dictionary

as a state of mental

or emotional strength we all experience

it

whether it be in the form of oh my god i

have a five page essay due tonight and

tons of math homework that i don’t

understand

or in the form of my significant other

just left me my kid broke their leg and

i don’t know how i’m going to pay next

month’s bills

they’re drastically different examples

yet they’re both a form of mental

or emotional strain we as teenagers

tend to experience stress in the form of

the first example where we have

so many assignments that we become these

balls of anxiety that will flow up with

the smallest of triggers

these balls of anxiety seem to be most

commonly formulated

in college preparation classes which we

as teenagers feel forced to take

in order to place ourselves in a good

position for acceptance to college

a 2017 report by the bureau of labor and

statistics states

that pressures to increase achievement

and to better prepare high schools for

colleges have grown

as shown by changes in coursework high

schoolers are taking tougher

and more advanced courses including

those specifically designed for college

preparation and credit

advanced leads and courses in the last

20 years

ap participation has quadrupled with

nearly 3 million

students sitting in for an exam in 2018.

in the last 10 years ib participation

has gone up by 250 percent

with 18 000 students sitting in for an

exam in 2018.

the s.a.t and acc are no exception to

the sudden growth and participation

either

without a doubt these classes and tests

take a lot of time

and studying out of a student’s day with

many ap

teachers recommending an average of two

hours of study time

per day per ap class on top of the time

we must spend studying for these sats

and att’s

with less and less time to enjoy

ourselves we fall into this cycle

homework study tests repeat

which failed to allocate time to

non-academic activities

leaving us in a state of longing for the

fun we once had before these classes

this state of longing has been shown to

lead to depression and or

anxiety which is not as uncommon as it

used to be in prior years

this should make the positive

correlation between intelligence and

suicide

as well as intelligence and mental

illness not come as a surprise

on that note a 2017 report by the bureau

of labor and statistics states

that 13.3 of teens aged 12 to 17

had a major depressive episode in 2016.

that makes for roughly four kids with

depression

in an average sized classroom of 30.

and that only accounts for those who are

brave enough to report it

because let’s face it none of us want to

own up to the fact that we’re flawed

none of us want to own up to the fact

that we could be imperfect in a society

where anything

but perfect is unacceptable

however the data disagrees the national

alliance on mental illness estimates

that it is actually one in six teens

who suffers from a form of mental

illness every year

furthermore multiple studies conclude

that teens resort to doing their own

research

on google or webmd when they feel the

symptoms of mental illness

rather than confiding in an adult due to

the stigma surrounding mental illness in

older generations

these older generations are also the

ones who have named us the

reckless generation contrary to that

belief

the real reckless behavior is presented

when we decide to lock ourselves in our

rooms and deal with these symptoms alone

nothing is more disastrous for children

and families struggling with mental

health

challenges and isolation says

childmind.org

parents also play a role in this

exchange of emotions

a mother on childhood.org stated even

amongst parents and families struggling

with mental health challenges

many cringe at the idea of exposure i

learned to be quiet

this quietness is not just limited to

this parent

it exists within every one of us

whether regards mental illness or

another topic that society has placed

into the

tab of the topic umbrella this quietness

is then passed on from parents onto

their kids

and all this does is create an invisible

wall between parent and

child prohibiting them from speaking

about such taboo topics

this wall once again exists within every

one of us

whether it be with our parents peers or

counselors

so our mission as individuals of this

society is to be held accountable

and break down this wall because the

pressures to take academically rigorous

courses

is not going anywhere so our only course

of action

is to work towards stopping the stigma

because someone may look happy on the

outside and may be miserable

someone may be quiet and have the

loudest of minds

every person every teen is fighting a

silent battle we know nothing

about so let’s talk

one of my dearest friends went through a

battle of her own

when she was diagnosed with gender

identity disorder

general anxiety disorder and major

depressive episode in the sixth grade

the year i met her she states i had

episodes of depression that lasted a few

weeks that left me without motivation

bedridden and wanting to die

thankfully i’m glad to say that i was

there for part of her journey

and i’ll never forget that day she

called me and talked to me about how

nice her day was

and how pretty this guy was that day and

then couldn’t remember a single word of

that conversation the next day due to

the strong medication she was on when

she called

it was devastating to say the least to

witness such a beautiful person

not remember such recent parts of her

life and react to the news as if it were

nothing new

thankfully she’s a lot better now

through various treatment methods and

medications

she overcame her symptoms just last year

and i cannot begin to describe the

happiness i felt when she told me her

battle was finally over

we as a society need to come to terms

with the fact

that seeing a therapist isn’t the end of

the world

it doesn’t make someone a bad or

necessarily sick person for seeing one

this is just what the societal system

has made of it and it’s taught from a

young age

this is our epidemic we all make up a

community

and schools are no exception so if we

all work together

to combat this stigma and make an effort

to become more aware

we can cultivate a healthier environment

both in school

and out of it small steps can lead to a

greater tomorrow

so start off with something simple like

asking that quiet girl lunch hour a day

has been

or reaching out to an emotionally

distressed peer

parents you can make efforts as well

ask your kids how their day has been ask

again in 20 minutes if they give a one

word

response and maybe a shrug reach out

notice signs and don’t be afraid to

speak up

by doing all of this hopefully we can

remove the stigma

one person and one action at a time

thank you