Persona Profile
This is important as low mental health in teenagers will affect them heavily in adulthood and make them less able to cope with stress, anxiety, depression and similar problems. It impacts them in teenage life as well, leading to problems in school and while socializing. They can slack off on schoolwork, become easily frustrated or angered, shut themselves away from friends or family, use bad coping mechanisms like vaping or smoking and much more. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental health disorders in teenagers. It is caused mainly by traumatic experiences and childhood environment. We believe that schools play a massive role in one's childhood and may be the single environment that amplifies the effects and causation of Social Anxiety Disorder. What amplifies the effects and causation of SAD? School environments expect students to respect teachers and fellow students. What actually happens is the complete opposite. Bulling is common in schools due to differing interests, hobbies, race, sexuality, religion, etc. Interest and hobbies are very prevalent in Irish schools, being interested in something that the popular people aren’t marks you as “weird” or “different”; which makes students force themselves to do things they may not like to avoid being that person. Expression of someone's interests in a school environment is almost impossible without being judged or mocked, making finding friends and staying positive just as impossible.
Proposal Poster
Mental Health 