Mental health challenges loom for students at the end of historic school years
Year 12 students in 2020 have braved a final year like few others in Australian history, but while they’re being lauded for their resilience, they also need help as the pressure peaks. As exams loom, here’s how to get through a stressful time. SEE THE TIPS
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The state’s Year 12 students have been congratulated for coping with a disrupted year, and urged to put upcoming exams in perspective in order to keep their stress levels in check.
Schools have reported more students facing mental-health issues and, consistent with other years, Year 12s who have faced “profound” personal problems – which could include issues related to coronavirus – have been allowed to apply for special exam provisions. But there are no across-the-board provisions.
SACE Board chief executive Martin Westwell said assessments had been as rigorous as ever, despite the COVID-related disruptions, but believed students were well prepared.
He acknowledged that students would be anxious as they went into the final exams.
“But at this time of the year, most of the learning has been done and a great deal of the assessment has already been completed,” he said.
“The exam counts for 30 per cent of a final grade and it’s another way for students to show what they can do with what they know.”
The first handful of foreign language exams are on Tuesday, ahead of the major exam period, which starts on Monday, November 2. Prof Westwell urged students to remain calm when they opened their question papers. “Let the emotion go and engage your thinking,” he said. “You probably know more than you think you do.”
He said 2020 had been “a year like no other”.
“But the hallmark of our shared response has been to continue the learning, allowing students to complete school assessment and prepare for exams, with the existing and extra flexibilities that the SACE Board put in place.”
Parafield Gardens High School assistant principal for wellbeing Danny Librandi said the year had been very intense.
“It’s brought a lot more to the surface,” she said.
“Anxiety and mental illness, domestic violence, all those sort of things escalated so much. We had parents who’d lost jobs so that put more stress on students.
“We organised food hampers to try to help ease pressure on families so the students could focus on looking after themselves.
“A lot of students are accessing mental-health support. One of the biggest problems is getting access to external support for school holidays and, for psychologists, there are really long waiting lists.”
Among students facing exams after a tough year will be Bailey Willis, 17, also from Parafield Gardens High. Earlier this year, Bailey and her mum were forced out of their home because of an incident that left her without a study base for six weeks. Fortunately, the school had staff to provide counselling and support.
Now Bailey has almost caught up on missed work and, as the year end nears, she has mixed emotions.
“It’s extremely stressful and exciting at the same time,” she said. “There’s the exams, the formal and graduation.”
The lack of jobs for young people worried her but she hoped by the time she graduated prospects would be improving.
“I want to go into interior design,” she said.
Rethink needed to help kids cope
The treatment of youth mental health needs a rethink to prevent poor outcomes for an already stressed cohort of young people, experts say.
Mike Kyrios, director of the Orama Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Flinders University, said prevention rather than cure and addressing less serious cases sooner would free up a clogged system and help young people most in need.
“There is a lot that people can do to rethink their futures when their world is in turmoil, but in order to do that you need to be strong and resilient,” Professor Kyrios said.
“That’s where preventive and early-intervention programs can be very effective.”
He said that, on top of the usual pressures on teens and the anxiety that often comes at that developmental stage, young people this year faced disruption and uncertainty as a result of COVID-19, which also prompted fears about their family and reduced job and career options.
Professor Kyrios called for a rethink of the mental health workforce so outreach programs run by, say, psychology graduates could pick up low to moderate cases, leaving highly trained professionals to deal with severe or complex cases.
“Early intervention is the key because it’s always harder to bring people back once they’ve gone too far,” he said.
He said data collected in conjunction with the South Australian Health and Research Institute shows depression, anxiety and stress levels are all increasing and “the pipeline of cases coming into mental service will grow.”
“The longer this (COVID-19) drags along, there will be key groups that will suffer more and youth is one of those groups.”
Professor Kyrios said young people relied on peer relationships that were affected by diminished face-to-face contact.
And, as a result of the pandemic forcing more young people online, this allowed bullying to be more prevalent.
Uncertainty of this year had amplified stress for teens, Joe Tucci, chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation, said.
“And they missed out on those usual rites of passage – of playing in the top footy team, of the formal dance, graduation might not be the same,” he said.
“These are all markers that they are growing up.
“If you don’t have that reinforcement that change is OK, and you’ve got all this uncertainty going on around you, you’re not going to be as positive about your future. It all becomes just a bit more threatening.”
Dr Tucci urged the community to consider other ways to celebrate with young people as they hit milestones.
In launching the Sunday Mail’s Let’s Talk campaign last weekend, South Australia’s chief psychiatrist John Brayley said mental health and drug and alcohol emergency department presentations across Adelaide hospitals increased 10 per cent in August compared to same time last year. He said half of the increase were young people aged 25 and under.
Adelaide’s Wellness and Healing Centre founder, Keyvan Abak, said his service had been overwhelmed with referrals for young people this year.
Dr Abak this month won a scholarship from NGS Super, an education sector fund, to develop an anger management program for school students.