The effects of specific disorders, such as anxiety and depression, amongst Atlanta teens are neglected by the Georgia public school counselors and teachers, which can lead to an increase in social withdrawal and isolation amongst teens in treatment for these mental health disorders.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), teens having mental health issues often lead to negative effects, such as tardiness in turning in school work and a lack of school attendance. That can cause them to withdraw socially, and loneliness and isolation quickly follow. While teens struggle with social withdrawal and a loneliness epidemic, teachers and counselors tend to dismiss them.
“It would be helpful for schools to recognize that many students are starting their day in a heightened stress state, and stressors accumulate throughout the day,” said Hannah Reed, MS, LPC. “Understanding this reality would shift how they approach student behavior and mental health support, and that perspective could make all the difference.”
“There’s this idea that children are resilient and adaptive, so the toxic stress they experience doesn’t manifest immediately. But it shows up as they get older, especially after puberty. We’re seeing teens today struggling with higher levels of anxiety and depression than in previous decades, yet adults tend to write it off,” said Reed.
Counselors are continuously distracted when teens visit them because they always have an extensive amount of work on their plates. There is a ratio of kids to counselors at DeKalb schools that backs this up:
In his VOX ATL article, “When ‘Talk To Your Counselor’ Feels Pointless,” Jaden Holtz notes that counselors aren’t just for academic guidance and that they are also intended to support mental health and “stresses that come with being a teen and transitioning into adulthood.” However, in a DeKalb County report he cites, only 183 full-time counselors are reported in that county, resulting in a student-to-counselor ratio of almost 500:1, double the recommended 250:1.
“The broader problem is that our education system is fundamentally underfunded and overloaded,” said Reed. “Schools are sensory nightmares, especially for neurodivergent teens. Every part of their day is timed, crowded, regimented, and loud.”
“On top of that, school counselors operate in a conflicted role, trying to support teen mental health while also ensuring students meet educational and behavioral standards. These two rules are often directly in conflict with each other and put school counselors in a very precarious position,” added Reed.
A five-county study conducted in the Metro Atlanta area by Atlanta Women’s Foundation “found that anxiety, depression, and trauma are widespread among women and youth, with challenges intensifying in recent years,” according to CBS News.
In recent years, teenagers have been under different pressures, unlike other generations. When teens end up spending more than three hours on social media a day, they are at higher risk of having anxiety and depression, according to WSB-TV.
“Schools would benefit from a mix of both school counselors and licensed mental health professionals. Having access to therapists who can provide consistent, specialized mental health treatment alongside the counseling support that school counselors offer could greatly change a student’s mental health experience,” said Reed.
In an ideal world, additional counselors and professionals in the mental health field would bring positive help into the school system; however, according to FOX 5, “district leaders say many campuses are operating far below capacity, which limits academic programs, extracurricular options, and specialized services.”
