While mental health is a prominent topic today, many people, including even well-known celebrities using their voice to point out the struggles a person might face everyday: such as depression, stress, and anxiety. While the term “people” doesn’t exclude high school students, I want to put focus on exactly this demographic in today’s piece. In the USA, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that in 2023, 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, both indicators of depression. Additionally, The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that suicide is the third leading cause of death in those aged 15-29 years old. But is it a silent struggle or one the society is aware of? 

Awareness of students’ mental health struggles has increased in recent years, however there are still obstacles in addressing such issues worldwide. Many students around the world continue fighting this silent war due to various factors like limited resources and stigma around mental health that still persists today. 

Actions to improve the wellness of have been taken around the world, however. Well-known singer Lady Gaga founded a non-profit foundation with her mother in 2012, committing to supporting young people and prioritizing promoting kindness and mental health of the youth, validating the emotions of young people. 

Despite the efforts around the world by important figures and impactful foundations, the barriers still persist, especially the stigma around mental health, which poses mental health issues as a negative attribute to young people, making the people struggling with it refrain from seeking help purely from the fear of judgment and other stigmatized emotions. Taking the term “worldwide” as a base for my next point, I will point out that judgement of mental health struggles varies from country to country as well. In some being more severe than others. PubMed Central compares the stigma around mental health in 3 countries: Canada, Spain and Russia. With more that 1500 people participating, Canada is found to have the lowest score of stigma, while Spain is the country with the highest. When analyzed by factors (stereotypes and social distance), the same results are found. This notes that the view toward mental health struggles strongly vary when comparing countries. 

In addition to the struggle a student faces, according to Mental Health America, the academic pressures of school and exams, social media, and community have been found to add up to the struggle even more. 

In conclusion, despite the progress made around the world in making the world a safer space for young people struggling with mental health challenges, there is still a silent battle being fought around the world, and one of the biggest things we can do is to take action and target different demographics, facing these issues head on as the serious case it is, shedding light on it in most schools, as much as it is possible. Improving the world starts with us, no matter how small or considerable the impact is.