Imagine. Your alarm wakes you up at seven in the morning and you drag yourself to get dressed for the long day ahead. You skip breakfast and hop in your car because you cannot be late to school again. You travel through the traffic, still tired from the day before, and get to school milliseconds before the first bell rings. You pull out the homework you stayed up until one in the morning trying to finish because you had to work late. You realize you have been working late a lot lately because you must pay for your car, food, and those college applications that are going to be due soon. So many deadlines. You try to balance your current school work and focus on your future education and the cost that goes along with it. Remember you have school projects due, work shifts to cover, volunteer hours to acquire and extracurricular activities that you are dedicated to. They tell you it will make your resume and application look better so of course you continue to push yourself. Obviously, you are overwhelmed. Everything feels like too much and the things you love are now a burden and take up too much of your precious time. Everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you are standing still. 

Stress plays a huge part in depression in adolescents. Many are being asked of more academically and they are more prone to stress. In reality, the increased amount of stress from academics is causing the higher amount of mental health issues in adolescents. Those that are struggling with depression and anxiety or the parents of the depressed and those involved with the education system all have a connection to the stressful situations that can cause mental health issues. I feel that I am well suited to make this argument because I have experienced this myself and know others that have been overwhelmed by academic stress. I, as an adolescent who is still dealing with an excess amount of responsibilities and expectations from the education system, feel as though I am qualified to discuss this very important topic. 

Depression can be defined as a mood disorder that causes a feeling of sadness and/or loss of interest. (Hankin 1) Depression consists of certain symptoms associated with impairment according to Professor Anita Thapar, an expert in child and adolescent psychiatry. Professor Thapar states, “Depression in adolescents is a major risk factor for suicide, the second-to-third leading cause of death in this age group, with more than half of adolescent suicide victims reported to have a depressive disorder at time of death” (Thapar 1). This is extremely concerning because so many young people are dying. Adolescents everywhere are losing their fight against this serious disorder. Depression has taken a mental toll on so many and it is only getting worse. Also, agreeing with depression’s association with impairment, Professor Gemma Lewis who is a colleague of Professor Thapar, puts the urgency of depressive disorder in young people into perspective. Professor Lewis states, “Depression in adolescence is associated with marked psychosocial impairment, including educational failure and risk of suicide and self-harm and shows continuity with adult depression, predicted to become the second leading cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide by the year 2020” (Lewis 1). The more depressed our teenagers become the more lives are at risk. This issue of this mental disorder is so important to be aware of because it is very common in adolescents around the world and many are suffering because of it. Currently, adolescents are more likely to experience overwhelming stress because of their academic responsibilities along with other aspects of their lives. Stress being one of the main causes of depression, The Washington Post did a survey on teenagers in the United States and they found that out of the 1,018 teenagers surveyed that 60 percent said that managing too many activities was a significant stressor (Shapiro 1).  With that being said, a large number of adolescents are suffering mentally because of the increased amount of pressure put on them by the education system.

Depression in adolescents is mainly caused by too much stress and the majority of that strain comes from the requirements and demands of our education system. Children and adolescents exposed to high stressors early on are more sensitive to them in the future. The amount of homework assignments and projects that young people receive in school is a lot to handle in addition to everything else going on in their lives. Also, adolescents that are just starting out college are faced with a whole new set of stressors in addition to the ones they have already experienced. Depression caused by stress can lead to poor mental health and lack of sleep, which takes a more physical toll. These poor mental health issues have to be treated in one way, shape or form, because if you experience it once the depression is more likely to reoccur later on. Adolescent depression can affect you as an adult. If one struggles with the stability of their mental health they are at risk of more severe depression as an adult. Although some believe that stress from academics is beneficial for adolescents because it helps prepare them for the real, they are expected to do way more in this generation compared to the generations before them. Depression in young people is definitely being overlooked and this is an extremely relevant issue.

Many adolescents are required to complete an excess amount of school work outside of the classroom such as homework, projects and studying in order to be successful in the course. Students are also encouraged early on to dedicate one to two hours per class to studying outside of school. According to an article from the L.A. Times, “A poll of public school teachers finds that on average, high school students are assigned 3.5 hours of homework per weeknight, or more than 17 hours a week” (Klein 1). More than 17 hours of homework a week in addition to everything else you have going on would be very stressful to anyone and cause an endless overwhelming feeling. The large amount of course work given then conflicts with other aspects of the adolescent’s life such as work, community service, sports or other extracurricular activities. According to a Healthline News article written by Sandra Levy, a reporter that specializes in health-related topics, research does show that many students regularly get higher amounts of homework than experts recommend. Sandra Levy also states, “Both the National Education Association (NEA) and the National PTA (NPTA) support a standard of ‘10 minutes of homework per grade level’ and setting a general limit on after-school studying” (Levy 1). Based on this information we know that so many students are being assigned homework that takes way longer than 10 minutes and this can be a major stressor in adolescents’ lives. Having to do hours of homework in a time frame where you have none can not only be demanding but can also affect mental health and sleep patterns. 

Not only do adolescents in high school have to worry about their school work and applying for college or jobs but adolescents that are just starting college have other stressors. Based on research done by Dr. Mahmoud, a professor at the University of Kentucky, young adult college students have increased levels of stress thus contributing to depression and anxiety in their lives. (Mahmoud 1) College students, especially medical students according to Dr. Akhil D. Goel’s research on burnout, are already dealing with so much as far as the schooling transition goes and any increased or added stress can be detrimental and cause many problems for them as individuals trying to figure themselves out. After dealing with the stresses of high school, American college students are also struggling with depression due to the overwhelming amount of academics according to the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. In an article by Dr. Pamela Aselton, the director of the graduate nursing department at Saint Joseph College, she discusses the causes of stress in American college students that have been diagnosed with depression. Based on her research Aselton states, “Depression has increasingly been diagnosed in the college age population, with the American College Health Association (ACHA) reporting that 16% of all college students suffer from depression at some point in their college years” (Aselton 1). Being that these are only based on the students that have been professionally diagnosed, there are many that suffer from depression that have not been. We know many of the depressive symptoms stem from how we educate the youth. College students are already more likely to be more vulnerable to feeling weighed down from the stresses of their high school career and they are now dealing with a different environment. Their stressors include but are not limited to being away from home, roommate issues, trouble making friends, academic issues, time management, family, pressure and financial/career concerns (Aselton 3). With more being demanded of adolescents more is at risk as far as their mental health is concerned. 

Also, when adolescents experience too much stress over an extended period of time it can make them more prone to anxiety and depression. With stress being one of the main causes of depression along with genetic vulnerability and interpersonal vulnerability. If adolescents are dealing with too much this can lead to them feeling extreme sadness and possessing little to no motivation. Depression can lead to issues not only in school but at home as well. Some of the symptoms of this disorder are extended depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure in activities and decreased energy or increased fatigue (Thapar 1). When teenagers experience stressful life events and are overworked mentally it can also affect their physical health in the form of depressive disorder. Having many assignments due along with other demanding parts of their lives can be the source of a lot of anxiety and may lead one to lose sleep or eat less. 

With high stress levels in adolescents there is so much at risk. When an adolescent is overstressed to the point of a depressive episode, not only does that affect their current situation but it can have lasting effects on their future as well. Being overwhelmed with responsibilities from school and other parts of life consistently can make you more vulnerable to depression and anxiety every time you experience it. Based on the research of Dr. Barbara Maughan, an educated professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, repeated depressive episodes are common in depressed youth. In her article on depression in childhood and adolescence Maughan states, “Clinical studies of youth depression confirm that it is a chronic and recurrent condition: although most episodes remit within a year, the risk of recurrence in clinical samples is high, with 50-70% likely to develop a further episode within five years” (Maughan 2). When too much pressure is being put onto these teenagers through the excess amount of homework and projects it can cause lasting mental issues. Imagine being put in a dark place while trying to excel in school is already hard. Based on the statistics every time you reach that point of stressfulness you more likely to continually be put into that dark place. If adolescent depression is not treated or attended to early on not only can it reoccur in their adolescent years but also in adult life.

Not only does depression have a strong hold on an adolescent’s school and home life but it can also affect their adult life and future mental health. Many are not paying close attention to the increased amount of youth that are experiencing mental health issues such as depression. Having depression in one’s adolescent years makes it very likely that one may have depression in adulthood. (Hammen) Kiyuri Naicker, a professor from the University of Ottawa that specializes in psychology, did research on the health outcomes and social consequences that occur in the ten years following depression in adolescence. There is evidence presented that shows the negative effects of adolescent depression such as social anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behavior, trouble with employment and substance abuse are more likely as an adult. The research done on adolescents with depression as they transitioned into adulthood revealed that in addition to depression recurrence they experienced “severity of symptoms (i.e., psychological distress), migraine headaches, poor self-rated health, and low levels of social support” (Naicker 4). This research done on 1,027 adolescents tells us that the higher amount of adolescent depression can eventually lead to a higher risk of depression in adulthood. More and more pressure is being put onto adolescents and because many are not being treated for mental health issues they carry over into their adult life. 

On the other hand, some people believe that academic stress and pushing for them to do more is helpful for adolescents. Based on Dr. Carl E. Pickhardt’s article in Psychology Today homework should be encouraged to be done by the adolescents’ parents. Pickhardt goes on to discuss how parents should push their children to complete all their homework by saying, “…This way the practice is there to be relied upon when the young person enters the more demanding high school years” (Pickhardt 2). It is believed that this type of demanding workload helps to better prepare them for more schooling and the pressures of adulthood. However, instead of pushing children to stretch themselves out to meet the even more demanding requirements of high school and college, we should be paying attention to how it is affecting them mentally. Instead of trying to get young people used to the harmful and stressful environments we should be relieving some of that stress in any way possible to protect their mental health. Yes, it is true that some stress can be beneficial for you, such as acute stress. According to the American Psychological Association’s definition, acute stress is the most common form and can be thrilling and exciting in small doses but can be exhausting if one experiences too much.  Experiencing too much stress can be detrimental to one’s mental and physical health. Some also believe that the stress that causes depression in adolescents is from a separate source such as trouble at home or difficulty socializing. Although having a negative living situation or lacking social skills can cause stress to an adolescent’s life, added stress from school work and school related extracurricular activities is not helpful. Teenagers from different walks of life are experiencing stress from school and their academic responsibilities which can be a main source of depression and anxiety.

 Also, as opposed to what many experts believe, some feel that adolescents in this day and age are more sensitive and they are being enabled in a way that makes them weak or unprepared for living in the real world. According to Susanna Schrobsdorff’s article in TIME Magazine, adolescents have a reputation of being less resilient, more fragile or even more lazy than their parents before them. With this argument people are not considering the fact that adolescents are dealing with so much more than what their parents did. Society has changed in so many ways, including what is expected of those in the adolescent age group and the size of the workload given to them. Jobs that people could get with only a high school diploma before now require a college degree and adolescents are currently pushing themselves to do more. In order for adolescents to be as successful as their parents were at this age as far as a job and providing for themselves, they have to work harder and work more hours inside and outside of schooling. This heavier workload then leads to much higher stress levels and more mental health issues. To some people adolescents may appear “more fragile” but they have more to worry about and try to balance in their lives. 

In conclusion, adolescents are struggling so much this day and age in an attempt for the education system to make them better prepared for our advancing world. Between going to school for so many hours and trying to balance so many aspects of your life of course stress is likely to occur. Too much mental strain is not healthy for anyone. Adolescents continue to push themselves beyond their limits in order to excel in school, secure their future, please their parents and do whatever it takes to reach the goals set for them. In the process of trying to be the best and do well in all their classes, play a sport, volunteer and have a job they struggle with overwhelming pressure that is a major cause of depression and loss of interest. The education system needs to take the higher adolescent depression rates into account and schools should understand that young people of this age group are struggling to maintain everything and keep good mental health. It is so important to understand that depression is a very serious issue that affects so many people. Relieving a struggling teen of a reoccurring or pressing stressor whether it be from home, work, school or any other aspect of their lives. Hopefully very soon adolescents will be able to still learn and continue to educate themselves without endangering their mental state in the process. Too many teenagers and young adults are being put into a dark place where they are unable to do what they love because they are too worried about everything that is required of them. Less school work being assigned outside of the classroom not only leaves more time for the other aspects of their lives but still does not pause the learning system. Adolescents can still learn what they need to in school without there being lasting negative effects on them. 
