Our high school years are infamous for being a very stressful time. Stress can be good; it can motivate us to reach for our goals and to get our work done. Unfortunately, stress can also be harmful and affect our mental and physical health, which includes contributing to the development of anxiety and panic attack disorder. With student stress reaching all time highs, teachers want to take action.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), about 2.75% of high schoolers (aged 15-18) have this disorder, and that number jumps to 18% with adults. Because stress can be one of the main causes of anxiety and panic attacks, school naturally contributes in some cases, and Massachusetts General Hospital’s School Psychiatry Program corroborates this correlation here.

Psychology teacher Erin Lehmann says that she has had “loads of students with diagnosed anxiety disorders” and has also witnessed two panic attacks in her class. Lehmann believes that there is a correlation between anxiety and panic attacks and the stress with which WHS burdens its students.

“I honestly don’t know how kids who are taking full schedules and are involved in extracurriculars can get their work done and still sleep,” Lehmann said. “Students get to the point where they feel completely overwhelmed, and they don’t know where to begin. Kids just break down, and it’s understandable.”

Lehmann says that her students who have had anxiety disorders have gotten help, but that doesn’t stop the anxiety from happening.

“I think students should think carefully about their schedules and not overextend themselves,” said Lehmann. “I think teachers also should think very carefully about how much homework they should assign. Is it really necessary and is there any way to boil down the homework to what’s essential? Teachers play a role here in trying to make sure students don’t have to stay up until 1 in the morning to get their homework done.”

Math teacher Megan Forsberg, who is part of the WHS professional development committee that is researching stress and anxiety at WHS, says that she has taught students with anxiety disorders and believes, like Lehmann, that there is a correlation between school and this disorder.

“I think a lot of it has to do with time,” Forsberg said. “People can’t get done everything that they want to get done.”

She also believes that the college application process contributes to the stress that students experience.

“Students have to write their essays and get everything completed, and at the same time they have to be well-prepared for any assessments that they’re having because they want their grades to be as high as they possibly can,” Forsberg said.

Forsberg has been involved with the professional development committee since day one and chose to be in the committee.

“So far, we have discussed the sources of stress that we think students are experiencing, and what kinds of things can be done to lower that level of stress, or eliminate any stress at all,” Forsberg said. “We’re looking at other area high schools and seeing what they have done to lower stress levels.”

Forsberg believes that WHS administration can play a big part in helping reduce anxiety and panic attacks.

“I think that the school can offer guidelines for time limits on homework assignments,” Forsberg said. “I think days like the Wayland Connects Day we had, where students have a night with no homework, help eliminate stress. [The school could stop] giving homework over vacations, so students have time to decompress and step away from their schoolwork for a week or two.”

These teachers agree that a combination of students, teachers and administration working together can help reduce overall stress for students.