For some reason, it has been a long road for both public and private academic institutions to take this link between mental health and academic functioning seriously.  We are seeing more and more robust and dedicated mental health services and systems in our educational programs, however time spent with many families has shown me that the direct link between mental health struggles and academic struggles is hardly common knowledge. 

If you grew up in earlier decades, then you might remember experiencing many common themes and ideas that drove a wedge between mental health and school.  These themes may have included only measuring a child’s success by a report card, never bringing your problems to school, or the saying “you are there to learn, not to feel good”.  These types of thoughts promoted the culture in which academic success or failure was mostly front and center while mental health struggles were not something you talked about or told anyone at school.  

Services like Effective School Solutions in New Jersey have strived to eliminate the divide between commitment to mental health and academic success.  These types of services have fully licensed and dedicated mental health counselors providing individual, group, and family counseling during and after the school day on school grounds.  This promotes the idea that any challenges with mental health and school are well addressed together.

In a study by Daniel Eisenberg , Ezra Golberstein and Justin B. Hunt in 2009, they used a longitudinal study to examine this link between mental health and GPA in college students. Their results strongly showed that students who were found to meet the diagnostic criteria for depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder were also found to have significantly lower GPAs than students who did not meet the criteria.  This study suggests that if academic success is a goal you have, then managing your mental health should be as much a priority as managing your education. 

If you are a student, a parent of a student, or anyone who wishes more people knew about this, then take some time and reflect on whether the balance of academic success and emotional success feels even in your student’s life.   Modern Therapy works with many school-aged kids often right after school in a virtual setting and helps bridge the gap between being successful in different life domains. If you feel that this is relevant to your life or something you need support regarding, whether you are in elementary school or college, or a student or parent, feel free to reach out to Modern Therapy and make an appointment.