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