At the weekend but warning was given at the Headmasters and headmistresses conference about the rise in levels of depression, self-harm and eating disorders due to the increased pressure over exams and increasing anxiety of social media.
Though bullying and drug and alcohol misuse has reduced, there’s been a dramatic increase in self-harm and eating disorders among pupils. Former chair of HMC Bernard Trafford said that exam pressure due to higher grades required at top universities has meant stress levels for both genders to reach unacceptable levels. A greater worry is the way social media exaggerate worries such as body image and sexual behaviour in ways that has never been experienced previously.
In the past, children were able to leave school issues at school, but now texting, Twitter and Facebook means it’s difficult to avoid. The problem is they can’t turn it off because they feel they may miss something. The HMC report also found that cyber bullying had doubled over five years and that self-harm had increased by 45%. Increase in technology use such as using their phones or laptops at night could also be increasing the risk of depression and anxiety as it disrupts sleep, so important for teenage brain development.
This year the NSPCC reported an increase of 200% in young people seeking counselling, that has also been my own experience, with the age of those seeking help becoming lower. I work mostly with university students, but this year I saw those studying A-level and GCSE.
The survey suggests parents take more control over the time spent on devices, which is fine for those living at home, but not so easy for those that boarding school or away at university. One client of mine earlier in the year found she was missing her essay deadlines because of constantly checking her Facebook page. Realising she had to do something about it she made herself turn off her phone whilst writing her notes for her essay. The constant alerts her phone made by texts and Facebook drove her mad, and she found stopping difficult as it has a similar withdrawing sensation not far removed from addiction.
So if self harm is a problem in your life and you need some help with some of those changes – especially sleep and time management – then call or text “harm” to 07508 658934, contact me or read up more on my student well-being page.