Title: Mental Health & Drop Out Rates: Connection? | High Focus Centers
Headings: Mental Health and High School Drop Out Rates: Is There a Connection?
Mental Health and High School Drop Out Rates: Is There a Connection?
Mental Health and Educational Performance
Link to High School Drop Out Rate: Inconclusive
Mental Health and Substance Use
Getting Help

Content: Students who are struggling to maintain good grades may develop mental health issues like anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. When these illnesses develop, they are likely to interfere with a student’s ability to cope, and that can make educational performance even poorer. There is a downward spiral in which performance and mental health continue to decline. In a report drawn from the European Union, researchers found that between 10 and 20 percent of adolescents had some form of mental disorder. The report also revealed that up to 50 percent of diagnosed mental disorders began during adolescence. 1
Link to High School Drop Out Rate: Inconclusive
However, little research has been conducted to find out if the high school drop out rate is directly linked to mental health problems. A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists many factors that play a role in the decision to drop out. 2 These include issues like low acceptance of authority, social and economic background and poor grades or test scores. The report makes no reference of mental illness.