How to Cope With Depression Due to Failing in High School? (+7 Parenting Tips)

In this guide, we will explain what failing high school depression looks like and what can be done by the student and their parents to combat it.

Failing high school depression

Adolescence depression in schooling is becoming more prevalent. For different causes, teenagers are at high risk of depression through middle school and high school. One such cause can be failing high school. In the case of a student’s academic performance is so poor that they end up failing high school because it leads to severe depression in a student.

Sadly, there is also the social stigma surrounding mental illness by individuals of all ages. As a result, high school students frequently refuse to get treatment for depression. About 60 percent of teenagers who experienced a major depressive episode did not undergo any medication in 2016.

Depression that increases above the extent of compliance with diagnostic criteria may be generally understood as depression that is extreme enough to interfere with a person’s capacity to function in any way. Failing school results can create a feeling of disappointment and significant anxiety, worsening depression. 

There is a strong connection with adolescent depression as well as how good a teen is at school. In particular, lower grades can be the first visible symptom of depression. Data suggests that youth who suffer from mental health issues are less likely to go to college. Sadly, it’s common for family and friends to miss this mental illness. There is a widespread propensity to misinterpret the teen’s sullen disposition, detachment, and infrequent contact with the puberty period itself, assuming that the child is just “going through the process.” Nevertheless, a decline in grades does provide strong proof that something may be wrong.

Some parents also wonder why their junior children are depressed.

Failing high school depression: Signs and symptoms

Here are some signs and symptoms that can be observed in students who suffer from failing high school depression:

• Focusing attention issues will lead to bad work and results in grades.
• Difficulty in the preparation, coordination, and execution of tasks can contribute to missed deadlines and not to the completion of reports as delegated.
• Hypersensitivity can lead to quickly hurt emotions, tears, and frustration at school, which can lead to unhealthy social interactions between teachers and classmates, and even to dismissal and dropping out of school.
• Lack of attention can lead to distraction and restlessness.
• Carelessness may lead to a failure to submit on schedule in activities
• Low self-esteem and poor self-esteem can result in repeated absence from school and antisocial behavior, peer exclusion, and loneliness.
• Low self-image may lead to negativity and thoughts of suicide.
• Recurrently depressed moods may lead to addiction, substance abuse, sexual activity, and other dangerous and emotionally unstable behavior.

Also, depressed adolescents can sometimes refuse to perform tasks that they feel are too challenging or frustrating, especially if they have doubts as to their potential to accomplish the assignment. Failure to completion of tasks implies promotes a negative concept of self of being stupid, incompetent, or deserving of rejection. 

Failing high school depression: Medical treatment

There has been a range of approaches used to combat depression, including antidepressants. The right course of action will be decided by the psychiatrist.

The FDA warns that antidepressant treatments will seldom raise the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior in children and young adults with depression and other psychological conditions. Any use of antidepressants in pediatric people also requires, in particular, careful supervision and follow-up by the practicing practitioner.

The main forms of antidepressant medication available for adolescents are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and atypical antidepressants.

SSRI drugs affect the amount of neurotransmitters, especially chemical serotonin. For several medical practitioners, these medicines are the first option due to the obvious high degree of efficacy and general safety of this category of medications. Examples of these drugs are given here. 

• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

Failing high school depression: Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a type of psychological treatment that includes working with a professional psychiatrist to find solutions to fix issues and deal with depression. It can be an effective intervention and can also induce beneficial physiological improvements in the brain. In comparison to interpersonal psychotherapy, group therapy has been proven to be effective modes of care based on the natural cognitive willingness of teenagers to trust their peer partnership.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

This type of psychotherapy aims to ease anxiety symptoms and tries to make the patient learn more successful skills to deal with emotional and interpersonal interactions. The IPT uses two methods to accomplish these objectives: The first one is aware of the concept of depression. The psychiatrist would stress that depression is a serious ailment and that most patients should anticipate better treatment. The second approach is to describe the issues. If the issues have been established, the psychiatrist may help set concrete targets to address these problems and collaborate with the troubled youth by using different therapeutic strategies to accomplish these goals.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) 

This form of psychotherapy is beneficial as a primary treatment for even serious teen depression. This method tends to relieve stress and minimize the possibility that it will come back by making the teenager improve his or her mindset about such topics. In CBT, the psychiatrist uses three strategies to reach these goals. The didactic aspect aims to set realistic standards for rehabilitation and encourages engagement between young people and the recovery process. The cognitive aspect of CBT helps to recognize ideas and perceptions and points of view that affect the actions of the adolescent, especially those that can lead the adolescent to become depressed. The behavioral aspect uses behavior-modification approaches to teach teens more constructive methods for coping with conflicts.

Failing high school depression: Lifestyle changes

Get enough sleep

High school students are known for doing all-nights, and doing so frequently places a burden on the mind’s wellbeing and will eventually intensify the effects of depression. As per the University of Michigan Depression Centre, between 60 and 80 percent of students with depression report some type of poor sleep. Sleep needs are different for each adolescent, but it is optimal for adolescents to spend between seven and nine hours of rest every night.

Move your body

Workout can also alleviate the effects of depression by secreting hormones (feel-good hormones in the brain) and creating mental stimulation that can effectively eliminate unpleasant thinking patterns that can lead to depression. If you don’t want to visit the gym, consider bringing your friend or a football to the school center for a daily jog. Every kind of daily movement will give you help.

Prevent drugs and alcohol intake

Substances also increase the signs of depression, particularly when abused. They can contribute to risky habits that can affect a student’s mental health.

Eat balanced diets

Fast packaged foods can be enticing, but refined foods rich in sugar can not supply the bodies and minds with the energy it requires to excel at school. Not only can your diet boost your general well-being, but research.

Practice conscientiousness

A 2015 research by Oxford University showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in the management of recurrent depression may be almost as successful as antidepressant medications in trying to avoid regression into one of the worst signs. 

Build a support system

Establish a network of two or three people you will look in frequently to see how everything is depression-provoking.

Steps parents can do for failing high school depression 

Here are a few things that parents can do to help their children who have failing high school depression:

• Replace guilt and retribution for positive motivation for good conduct when reprimanding your child. The guilt and humiliation will make the child feel depressed and incompetent.
• Please encourage your child to make a lot of mistakes. Overprotecting or taking decisions for adolescents may be viewed as a lack of confidence in their ability. This will make them feel less positive about themselves.
• Give your child room to breathe, please. Don’t ask teenagers to do exactly what you’d expect all the time.
• Don’t push your child into the road you choose to take. Stop seeking to recreate your childhood through the experiences and interactions of your child.
• When you think your child is depressed, try and listen to their issues. Even if you don’t think the issue is of actual significance, note that anyone who’s growing up might feel real about it.
• Remember not to tell the child how to go about it. Alternatively, listen carefully and you may find out something about the concerns that are creating the problem.
• If your child is connected to and relaxed with a family member or friend, you may recommend that your child speaks to this individual about their problems.

In this guide, we explained what failing high school depression looks like and what can be done by the student and their parents to combat it.

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

FAQs: Failing high school depression

References

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/adolescent-depression-in-schools/

https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/teen-depression#

https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-help-depressed-children-succeed-in-school-4098394