The Impact of Mental Health on Academic Performance

Mental health is an essential component of student success. Students struggling with poor mental health will face overall poor academic outcomes.

According to a student survey, over 50% of students at every high school grade level cited depression, stress, and anxiety as obstacles to learning—making these conditions ubiquitous in the culture of American teenagers. Additionally, the survey results indicated the percentage of students who feel happy about their lives declines 3–12 grades.

What is even more alarming is that fewer than half of secondary students—regardless of grade level, gender, race, or LGBTQ+ status—report they have an adult at school they can talk to when they feel upset or stressed, or have a problem.

It is abundantly clear mental health and academic performance are intertwined. Schools must take action if they intend to maintain their commitment to their students’ overall well-being and academic excellence.

The Connection Between Mental Health and Academic Performance

Mental health challenges affect every facet of student life. Low self-esteem leads to decreased motivation and a lack of confidence when completing tasks or taking tests. Anxiety can make it difficult for students to study or attend classes. Depression can lead to decreased focus and concentration, making it hard for a student to remain engaged or complete work on time. But those are just a few of the complex challenges students face when managing their mental health and academic performance.

Left unaddressed, students with mental health challenges can experience adverse outcomes in their young lives. These include:

• trouble making friends,
• inability to learn, concentrate, or complete work,
• poor grades,
• absences,
• suspension, and
• expulsion.

Ultimately, left without support, students may even consider death by suicide.

When a student’s unique needs are recognized, understood, and supported, they can showcase their strengths and reach their true potential. Student mental health needs are part of them, and it is your job as an educator to understand mental health implications in their learning.

What about students with learning differences?

Learning differences such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also play a harmful role in academic performance, particularly when they are not addressed in a learning plan. In fact, 70% of students with learning disabilities experience more symptoms of anxiety than students without learning disabilities, with anxiety and reading disorders co-occurring in approximately one in four students.

For example, students with ADHD may need help focusing, even when placed in supportive learning environments. Poorly managed ADHD and learning could lead them to fall behind in their studies or fail classes altogether. In the most extreme cases, students could experience bullying because of their ADHD, leaving them feeling stigmatized, which could impact an undiagnosed or co-occurring mental health challenge.

Schools must recognize that all mental health conditions are real and take steps to provide accommodations. Doing so better allows students the opportunity to learn effectively despite any mental health challenges they may be facing.

Solutions

Schools should implement policies that empower teachers with more flexibility to accommodate students with special needs due to mental illness or disability—for example, allowing extra time on assignments or tests without penalty for late submissions.

Additionally, schools can train staff members in caring and thoughtful ways to manage and support students with mental health issues.

Telehealth allows students to connect with a professional on the student’s terms, by the way of technology they’re familiar with—reducing the social stigma teens may feel in seeking mental health support. In addition, with telehealth, teens can receive care without worrying about being seen or traveling to a psychiatrist’s office with their parents. Ask your teen’s school if they would allow them to step out during school day to a quiet room to have a telehealth session with their psychiatrist.

If you are a current client of Dr. Grosu and need a 504 letter for your teen’s school that confirms required accommodations for your teen, you can call us at 908-839-2008. Dr. Grosu will provide it to you after you complete and sign a Records Release form.