Students’ mental health can impact them at any point during their time. Mental health issues can significantly affect a student’s capacity to engage with their studies, form friendships, and get the most out of their university experience, whether they are battling loneliness, anxiety, or even depression.
In this article, we examine how students’ mental health may affect their educational experience and what the school can do to support them.

Mental Health & Behaviour

Anger, emotional outbursts, aggressive behavior, and boredom that results in disobedience and disruption are all common in kids who have mental health issues. Detentions or suspensions are frequently used as a form of discipline for kids who display these behavioral problems to lessen the chance of them disrupting other students.

Children with behavioral issues brought on by mental health issues find it challenging to build relationships with their classmates, particularly when school administrators separate them from the other students.

Friendships and connections with classmates can enhance learning, subject comprehension, teamwork abilities, and self-esteem. Before removing children from what could be a very beneficial classroom environment, schools should ideally work on the mental health issues causing the children’s behavioral issues in the first place.

Mental Health & Academic Performance

Many kids actually receive poor grades as a result of their mental health issues because:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Lack of optimism
• Difficulty sleeping

All of these factors make it challenging for students to concentrate on their academic work and give it their all. Therefore, you must ensure that each child’s mental health is taken care of if you want to see an improvement in grades.

That’s not to say that only students who perform poorly have mental health issues; a lot of students who perform well also experience stress, anxiety, and other problems as a result of their heavy workloads. These kids run the risk of burning out or choosing risky outlets like drug abuse or gang violence.

Mental Health & School Attendance

Many kids miss school or call in sick because of mental health issues. It can be difficult for anyone, let alone a schoolchild, to cope with the stress and anxiety brought on by work, peers, and social pressures.

Similar to this, children who have identified and acknowledged their mental health challenges may experience bullying (or the fear of it) as a result of the stigma that surrounds mental health issues.

How are kids supposed to learn if they don’t feel mentally healthy enough to attend their lessons in the first place?

How Do Mental Health Affect Students?

Concentration

In seminars or lectures, students who are experiencing mental health issues may find it difficult to focus. Other difficulties in life might be keeping them from paying attention, or they might be feeling the effects of mental stress. This could indicate that students are unable to participate in class as they normally would, that they understand ideas more slowly, or that they are unable to concentrate on the task at hand. A student’s performance may differ from what they are accustomed to, and lecturers or course directors may notice signs that the student is off-task or distracted.

Engagement

Institutions frequently highlight students who struggle with mental health issues as having lower engagement in their studies. Many universities now monitor student engagement levels to spot those who might need assistance. Mentally ill students may appear less engaged in their classes, be reluctant to participate in discussions, and show less overall attendance.

Students who are depressed or anxious may find it difficult to attend lectures or seminars or to deal with the social interaction that comes with day-to-day university life. Academic engagement is frequently found to suffer as a result of this. Students who are experiencing mental health difficulties may abruptly change their levels of engagement or appear less proactive. These withdrawal symptoms are typical warning signs of a student who may experience mental health issues.

Attainment

Often, the effect on academic engagement and focus can have a direct impact on attainment. Students who are struggling with their mental health may see a drop in their grades or find it difficult to meet the high demands of exams and assignments. A student’s performance in a course and how it compares to prior work can frequently tell lecturers and professors whether or not they should be concerned about their mental health.

Expectations related to performance and results can frequently exacerbate mental health problems and serve as the focal point for anxiety, stress, or depression. See more about Is Welding Bad For Your Health?

Energy And Enthusiasm

The effects of mental health are not always felt in the academic setting. A student’s character and personality may be impacted by mental health issues. A student may not participate in extracurricular activities and social gatherings as a result of having less energy and appearing less enthusiastic about college life.

Students who are at risk for mental illness might feel unable to leave their dorms or to take on the challenges and novel experiences that come with university life. They may become more isolated and less able to interact with their peers and studies as a result of this lack of enthusiasm.

Progression

People who struggle with mental health issues may also come off as uninterested or disengaged in their future development. Mental health risks can frequently prevent this long-term thinking, which can obstruct progress through the course or consideration of long-term career goals and future employment. There’s a chance that students won’t be able to think past the day they’re having or their current issues.

Lower retention rates and higher levels of dropouts are frequently associated with mental health risks. Any institution should work to make sure interventions are provided as early as possible to avoid the need for a student to drop out of their course. Poorer academic performance and a lower likelihood of continuing their studies at the next level are frequent outcomes for students who struggle with their mental health.

Sociability And Relationships

Students who are at risk for mental illness can frequently lose their social skills or interest in forming relationships very quickly. People close to the student might notice that they become reclusive and reluctant to engage in social activities. Many students who are at risk for mental health need friends and a support system to help them, and changes in these relationships can be a major red flag.

How Do Schools Support Students’ Mental Health?

Spot Signs Of Mental Health Struggles

During the week, teachers spend a lot of time with the students; during this time, they should be on the lookout for symptoms of mental health issues. Here are a few typical warning signs of mental health issues in kids:

• Tiredness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lack of confidence
• Reduced socializing
• Big changes in weight
• Losing interest in things they used to enjoy
• Frequent absences
• Complaints of physical pain like headaches and stomach-aches

Reduce Mental Health Stigma

Schools need to lessen the stigma associated with mental health in order to encourage kids to seek help when they are having problems and to lessen bullying that occurs when they do. We have a variety of guides and activities you can use with kids of all ages to help them understand mental health and initiate conversations without feeling judged.

There is a fantastic selection of children’s books available from Trigger Publishing that teach kids about mental health.

Mental Health Training For Teachers

School administrators should make sure teachers are trained in the fundamentals of mental health so they can more easily recognize the warning signs and provide the necessary support. Teachers are expected to be the mental health first responder in the classroom.

By 2025, Shawmind will have trained 151,000 teachers in the fundamentals of mental health support at no cost to the schools. This means that our goal is to provide mental health first responders with the tools they need to assist 2.5 million schoolchildren. Get in touch with us if you’re a teacher or other school official interested in learning more about mental health.

To fund this training, we will need the cooperation of the neighborhood businesses and communities. Imagine the difference you could make by making a donation or signing up for one of our mental health training courses. It only costs £5 per child to train a teacher in the fundamentals of mental health support.

Conclusion

It needs to be emphasized that no two students are the same. The above effects of poor mental health are important warning signs that a student may be experiencing mental health issues and may require support. Some students, though, might give completely different answers. While to outsiders a student may appear completely happy and engaged, they may be going through serious personal difficulties. As a result, it is crucial that institutions of higher education make sure that everyone has easy access to mental health support and awareness throughout the course of their academic careers.