Introduction (Slide 1): ​My name is ____ (everyone introduces themselves) and the topic of our

a presentation is depression and anxiety in the school system, guided by our research question,
“What does the rise in teen depression and anxiety in America suggest about the need for change
in the school environment?”

(Slide 2):​ The relevance of the question can be immediately addressed by the evidence presented
to us by Ramin Mojtabai, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who
also has an MD in mental health, this evidence states “The odds of adolescents suffering from
clinical depression grew by 37 percent between 2005 and 2014.” Depression, a mental illness
characterized by a depressed mood that can interfere with daily activities, is becoming more and
more prevalent in today’s society. In some cases, it can also manifest alongside anxiety disorders
that prohibit functioning due to heightened fear and stress while facing everyday situations.

(Slide 3):​ This has specifically manifested itself within the teens in America. In a survey
conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety is seen in nearly two-thirds of
participants, showing a rise of 5% within the span of one year.

(Slide 4): ​In order to have a better comprehension of our topic, we define the following terms:
depression: a mental illness that is caused by genetic or situational factors that trigger a
depressed mood which interferes with daily activities and can lead to symptoms as severe as
suicide.
Anxiety: a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension,
typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks.
Common Core: a set of educational standards for teaching and testing English and mathematics
between kindergarten and 12th grade.
School Connectedness: the belief held by students that adults and peers in the school system care
about their learning as well as about them as individuals.

(Slide 5):​ Our team chose to focus on teenagers within America. Adolescents who have
depressive symptoms have been seen to be more at risk to have depression later on as adults, so
addressing the problem early on is key. In school particularly, where adolescents’ main source of
social interaction are, their lives are greatly affected by school. School can become either a
source of stress or a source of relief for students due to the workload and social interaction.
According to Mina Fazel, who is in the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford,
schools play a key part in children’s development due to peer relationships, academic attainment,
emotional control, behavioural expectations, and moral development.

(Slide 6): ​According to Tom Rosenstrom from the University of Helsinki, there is reason to
believe that lack of sleep and depressive symptoms are correlated. Teens reporting irregular and
inadequate sleep patterns are more likely to suffer from depression and/or anxiety. According to
the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, most teenagers get less than seven hours of sleep a
night. A potential solution for this issue is for schools to amend their opening hours and time of
dismissal. It is potentially unreasonable to schedule school in the early morning when it could
interfere with the mental functioning of teens.

Counter Argument: ​The administering of a later start time by schools may not eradicate teen
depression and anxiety. Depression inflates the amygdala, which in turn causes poor sleeping
habits according to Bruce McEwen, head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory
of Neuroendocrinology at Rockefeller University. The lack of sleep may not be a preventable
cause of depression, but rather just a side-effect. In a study conducted by Robert Marx, later start
times showed little effect on the percentage of teenagers facing depression in the school
environment. The weaknesses of this potential solution suggest that adjusting school scheduling
will have minimal effect on eradicating the high numbers of depression in teens, pointing to
another solution that is more connected to the school curriculum.

(Slide 7) Thesis: ​Our team solution to the rise in teen depression and anxiety is to selectively
remove stressful and straining aspects of the curriculum, and replace them with preventive
programs that spread mental health awareness.

(Slide 8)​: Another possible solution that our group came up with is for schools to figure out a
way to positively encourage the use of mental health or preventative systems in order to reduce
its stigma. According to Mandy Gizjen, PhD student at Trimbos Institute, states, “Stigma has
been identified as an important factor that impedes help-seeking among youth. Thus, it is
important to develop a universal strategy aimed at reducing stigma.” Stigma is usually referred to
as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance. This is an important factor to
consider especially when discussing this type of issue since society has negative perceptions on
mental health. As a result, students may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable and may end up
staying in the position they are currently in instead of attempting to receive any type of aid. As
students grow to adopt this method to escape the stigmas regarding mental health, they are
consistently making it much more difficult for them to get out of that habit. We believe that by
destroying stigmas surrounding mental health, the chances of success will at least be possible
and in range. Another factor that may aid the likelihood of success in preventative systems is
mental health literacy. Mental health literacy has been defined as "knowledge and beliefs about
mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention”. By destroying the
negative stigmas surrounding seeking aid for depression or anxiety, it could potentially pave a
path into promoting mental health literacy in a warm and welcoming way. If students were to be
motivated to seek aid rather than being afraid or embarrassed to, prevention early on would be
more feasible.
Counter Argument: ​Although mental health preventative programs may increase one’s ability
to cope with depression or anxiety, they may not prove to be effective in fulfilling their purpose.
According to Audra K. Langley, who works at a Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
“National policies encourage the dissemination of evidence-based prevention and early
intervention services in schools, yet researchers have found that programs are frequently
implemented unsuccessfully or with poor quality”. These results indicate that even if mental
health institutions were implemented and encouraged, the success rate may not reach an ideal
amount.

Counter Argument to the Counter Argument:​ Though the preventative programs did not
result in favorable conclusions, evidence stands that they did increase mental health literacy. By
increasing mental health literacy, students can easier identify their depression and anxiety.
Knowing and identifying the problem is generally the first step in finding help. Programs can
also inform students of ways that they can find help.

(Slide 9): ​In 2016, 3193 thousand students aged 12-17 used mental health services in educational
settings, the second largest source for mental health services, next to specialty mental health
services by not a large margin.

(Slide 10):​ Another feasible solution towards preventing the epidemic of adolescent mental
illness is the revision of school curriculum, especially when considering that many teenagers cite
schoolwork as a major stressor. In fact, Elizabeth Scott, MS specializing in stress management
and quality of life, has found that the school system applies great anxiety to teenagers through
being placed into extracurriculars that may be unmanageable in order to provide them an edge
when applying to college. Since college is the only viable option for most teenagers, this kind of
environment negatively impacts their mental health because students are constantly being
pressured to do better than others. This kind of strain on students can be relieved by the aid of
school connectedness and a change in curriculum however. School connectedness appears to also
be both directly and indirectly protective for suicidality. By affirming that the school system
cares about the students, the students will be assured that they matter and it will improve the
likelihood of students seeking mental health services if needed as well.

In addition, though Common Core has decreased costs for states, Common Core standards have
been shown to be detrimental to students as well, especially with an increased value being put on
standardized testing where students are constantly comparing. Instead schools should shift focus
on activities that have been proven to enhance a student’s well being such as attempting to
increase the rates of exercise, good nutrition, and connectivity with nature. This can ensure that
adolescents are healthy not only physically, but mentally as well.
Conclusive Statement:​ Overall, despite the limitations of past negative implementations of
preventative programs and seemingly unreasonable expenses in changing curriculum,
introducing preventative programs that promote mental health literacy and changing the focus of
curriculums is the best solution to combat the rise in depression throughout American schools.