When a teen fails or does poorly in school, parents may react with understandable frustration and try all sorts of strategies, from bribery to punishment, to get their teen to turn things around. When all else fails, the tension rises and everyone gets exasperated and doesn’t know what is the cause and cure of the problems at school.
Depression, and not stubbornness or laziness. Approximately 4% to 12% of school-age children (depending on their age) meet the criteria for being depressed, and since depression isn’t just experienced at home, it likely affects the performance of a teenager at school. Adolescents who experience symptoms of depression often have difficulty completing school work and are at risk for failure and poor academic performance. Without early diagnosis and treatment, an adolescent is likely to have a negative cycle of depression > school failure > increased depression due to failure.
School failure has a negative impact on an adolescent’s self-esteem. A depressed teen may have a hard time working up to her intellectual and academic ability. He rarely completes his homework and his test scores are likely to drop because he is tired and has trouble concentrating. To complicate matters, your teachers may not recognize the symptoms of depression.
School can also be a source of stress for your teen. For a depressed adolescent, school can be the main situation where substantial demands are placed on him. Significant social stress can result if your teen is having a hard time adjusting to her peer group.
Depression is likely to affect your teen in the following areas at school:
Ability to concentrate and pay attention. The depressed adolescent is often preoccupied with negative thoughts and feelings and finds it difficult to give full attention to school work. Concentration problems at school are one of the main complaints of adolescents suffering from depression. A depressed teen can improve her ability to sustain attention by getting plenty of sleep and feeling rested.
Completing class work. When an adolescent is depressed, they have little energy to engage in activities that they perceive as stressful or of little interest. A depressed adolescent may withdraw from typical activities and become resistant to teacher requests to participate in classroom activities. In this situation, it is good for teachers to be able to provide parents with daily feedback on the teen’s homework completion. It works best if used in a positive rather than a negative way, so that it doesn’t add undue pressure to a teen’s stress level. If he’s having a bad day, you can ignore it and try to focus on making the next day better.
Completing the task. Teenagers who are depressed often have great difficulty finishing their homework because they lack concentration, energy, and motivation. Most teens, of course, prefer not to have homework, but they do it because they know they have to. They are also aware that if they don’t, they may pay a price in the future. The depressed teenager is stuck in an unpleasant here and now. She’s not thinking about the future, and when she does, it’s without much hope or interest. She can create a behavior plan to set rewards for completing the task well. If homework is still a problem, you can try enrolling your teen in an after-school homework program or suggest they find a study buddy.
Get to school. Many depressed teens have a hard time getting up in the morning and going to school. Because they are tired and have a hard time dealing with stressful situations, they may try to avoid school. You can help by encouraging your teen to develop good bedtime and wake-up routines. The less your child has to think about what she has to do in the morning or at night, the better. The process should become automatic, so that it runs smoothly.
Relationships between peers. Depressed adolescents often have difficulties that lead to social isolation. It’s another cycle of depression. A teenager can withdraw and isolate himself from friends and classmates, leading to loneliness, which can perpetuate depression. Having friends and a social support system can be a big help for a teen with depression. You should encourage your teen to attend extracurricular activities that teach a combination of academic and social skills, through activities such as non-competitive sports, special interest clubs, or skill enhancement programs.
