Depression is a major factor in teen’s high school life. According to a recent study, 15% of teens have depression at any time. There is no doubt that students are put under large amounts of stress, which can lead to depression, the many common mental health disorder in the U.S. Of those teens, 65% do not receive treatment. Most therapists blame schools for overloading the students of responsibilities and schoolwork.

Students have enormous amounts of schoolwork, and even homework, teachers and parents expect them to complete it, as well as get good grades. That adds up to almost two hours of homework each night, not even including practice, dinner, and spending time with family. That hardly even leaves time for a good night’s sleep. With all this pressure, there is no wonder students get stressed.

When these students feel they are not living up to their parent’s and teacher’s expectations, they become upset with themselves and that is where most cases of depression begin. Half of all cases begin at age 14 and only get worse as age increases.

However, there is a simple fix to this growing epidemic. If we reduce pressure put on teens, and lower our expectations, less students will feel as stressed. Therefore, the number of depressed students would greatly decrease.