STUART SLAVIN, a pediatrician and professor at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, knows something about the impact of stress. After uncovering alarming rates of anxiety and depression among his medical students, Dr. Slavin and his colleagues remade the program: implementing pass/fail grading in introductory classes, instituting a half-day off every other week, and creating small learning groups to strengthen connections among students. Over the course of six years, the students’ rates of depression and anxiety dropped considerably.
But even Dr. Slavin seemed unprepared for the results of testing he did in cooperation with Irvington High School in Fremont, Calif., a once-working-class city that is increasingly in Silicon Valley’s orbit. He had anonymously surveyed two-thirds of Irvington’s 2,100 students last spring, using two standard measures, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The results were stunning: 54 percent of students showed moderate to severe symptoms of depression. More alarming, 80 percent suffered moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety.
I do think that with students, there are higher rates of mental ailments due to the nature of the education system. It’s a business more than anything. Pay lots of money to get a degree. Work ridiculous hours to get the degree. Compete with peers to get into graduate school, be at the top of your class, pass certifications.
Yes there are some issues.
I myself was awarded a scholarship, with strings attached- I am obligated to make the school look good with my performance because I am practically employed to be an outstanding student. The thing is. I am smart enough and also, more importantly, passionate, motivated and dedicated enough to where I have no problem meeting the expectations placed on me. But that’s not fair to others- not everyone can say they have those qualities, which are backed up by people who have seen me work.
I’m very lucky for someone who is unlucky. I just am a certain way, and my issues motivate me. I just got out of bed at 615am on Sunday from spotty sleep disturbed by nightmares, but I take that pain and make motivation to improve myself. Not everyone wakes up ready to take on the world when they wake up from nightmares and have to take a bunch of psychotropic drugs to be normal.
Yes, the drive for success is damaging to some, if not most. There are those who seem to be more resilient than others. But it’s first a matter of what you can do. After realizing what you can do, it’s all a matter of what you are willing to do. But what mediates what one is willing to do with their capabilities?
I like what you said about finding what you’re able to do and then it’s a matter of doing it (horrible paraphrase); ) anyway, it made me think that motivation/self discipline are essential to success in whatever form you choose. That inspires me!
I see it. I mean look at pop culture across the board. This is a bit off topic but I think it dovetails into the subject.
-Music - Money sex violence.
-Sports - Kids are getting scholarships for sports and in turn get a pass on academic shortcomings. Many end up with serious injuries that deny them life after sports, and no real education.
-Social media - Serving narcissism fresh daily.
-Politics - nuff said
-Corporations - ANYTHING to grow the profit margin.
-Etc…
Kids are under more stress and are way more visible to the rest of the world these days. However, I see a good percentage that are brilliant, way more informed than I was as a child. This gives me hope. There is no more sheltering kids from the stressors and negativity that is currently thrown at them. Educating them to make correct decisions and keeping an open line of communication is key.
I think this generation of kids will do more positive for the world than the last 5.