Could mental depression/illness be a reason why someone isn't doing well in school?

Question

Could mental depression/illness be a reason why someone isn't doing well in school?

Answer 1

Abosolutely.

Despite persistent myths to the contrary (even among health professionals, as scarey as that is), young chidren, teens AND adults are vulnerable to major depression. Among many other symptoms, poor concentration/focus is not an uncommon manifestation. Doing poorly in school can definitely occur in children, teens and adults with depression.

If you suspect your child (or teen or adult loved one) may be depressed, I really encourage you to have him or her evaluated. The bad news is that depression can be debilitating. The good news is that it is VERY treatable.

Best of luck to you,
~M~

p.s. If the individual is a child or teen, your psychologist may want to consider using the CDI (i.e., Children's Depression Inventory) and/or the MMPI-A to assist in the identifcation of the root of the problem (whether depression or another factor).

Answer 2

I'm not going to tell you if a child is at risk for a specific reason and that is for you to figure out with people you know can tell you better. That student may have literacy problems in math or reading, dyslexia...

The thing is that ALL mental illnesses tend to be overlooked, serious or not, until the worst happens (and we only really know the cases we see on the news or in books and video).

This is tragic. Mental illness, while the most misunderstood illness (the ego trip of the brain itself being ill vs. the realization that all brains have some problem and the rest of the body is sitting there waiting for it to do something...)

Okay, I'm bipolar myself if you hadn't noticed...there are a ton of things called mental illnesses, all of them important, few of them leading to evacuation of schools and such but all of them involve all of us.

Whatever is the matter, if that child doesn't get the message that those about love them and are going to stand by them, where does it go from here?

Answer 3

Yes be it situational depression or a more permanent form like bipolar. Get it checked out. Alot of teens going through puberty have periods of depression. I speak from experience. I went through the severe blues from 16-17, not constant but pretty often and went from an A student to a C student. Totally lost interest in everything. Get some help for whoever it is.

Answer 4

Yes, depression can impair a person's ability to concentrate and focus. It can also impair motivation, interest, and energy level. When I've had my more severe bouts of depression I lost interest in everything. It was difficult to even get out of bed.

Answer 5

Depression is a reason why anyone wouldn't be doing well. Its a serious condition that requires urgent treatment.

Answer 6

Not doing well in school, not doing well at work, not doing well in life. It can affect every aspect of a person's life.

Answer 7

Absolutely. I struggle with it at work and at school. It affects every part of your life

Answer 8

Yes defiantly!

Answer 9

Of course.

Answer 10

Depends, if the school in question is college, sure, depression is always a potential diagnosis. High school? not likely, much more likely it's a hormonal imbalance, the one we all go thru as teenagers, and it will pass.