High school students everywhere have reached levels of mental stress unheard of in the history of child education. Nowadays, the general high school system that young adults have become accustomed to is one of the biggest stressors that affects them in their daily lives. Teenagers are expected to have the mindset of an adult as soon as they enter high school, and it’s becoming mentally draining to manage.

Students will be at school for anywhere between 5-10 hours on a normal day. Even when they get home and try to relax, school follows them as they normally have hours worth of homework to complete, all in the name of good grades and passing the test. Many students will skip meals and miss out on time spent with their family and friends, all for school.

Statistically, the numbers of high school students with clinically diagnosed depression and general anxiety disorders have risen drastically. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 25% of teens have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders as of 2015 and 20% of teens have diagnosed depression. As research finds, the numbers are only growing larger, especially since over 80-60% of teens are not being properly treated. Teens and even young children are now being compared to 1950’s asylum patients because of their mental well-being, and without proper treatment, especially with the present day rigorous high school system, they will only continue to get worse.

So what can be done about this? Unfortunately, there isn’t much that the people as a whole can do today about the public school system, and private schools/homeschooling can prove to be either too expensive or time consuming. What needs to happen is awareness. Adults, especially parents and teachers, need to realize what stacking kids with six hours worth of homework is doing to their mental health; and no, it’s not preparing them for the “real world.” Teenagers need to stop stressing out about being above everyone else, in academics, sports, fine arts, and other activities alike. This has to start with the source, the adults; parents that push their children to perfection, teachers that tell their students that they won’t get anywhere without a 107 GPA and a place in the top 10%. In the end, adults that push the younger generation like that will only lead young adults to believe that they will never be enough. They’ll believe they aren’t worth the air that they’re breathing because they can’t amount to adult expectations.