#StudentMentalHealth

A recent report warns that many students overwork themselves to chase grades and resumes. (This habit can cause anxiety, stress, and burnout.) (KVIA)

Parents and schools should notice signs of anxiety and burnout early. Early detection can prevent long-term mental health problems.

Experts say students often join many activities to build resumes for schools and jobs. Those activities can overload students and harm their wellbeing. (KVIA)

A therapist at a community health network warns that overwork can become obsessive. The therapist says anxiety, stress, and lack of motivation can follow. (KVIA)

In Bangkok’s hospital wards, teenagers tell a common story: sleepless nights cramming formulas, anxiety before exams, and a belief that their worth hinges on grades and university placement. What many families see as normal stress has grown into a mental health challenge that affects a full generation. International studies corroborate a global pattern of student overwork, underscoring the urgency for Thai-specific solutions.

The Hidden Cost of Achievement Culture

Mental health professionals report rising anxiety, depression, and stress-related symptoms among Thai students who appear academically successful. Even while maintaining high GPAs and juggling tutoring, volunteering, and clubs, these youths report chronic fatigue, panic, and thoughts of self-harm. Research on community health patterns points to a phenomenon some call “achievement addiction,” a compulsive chase for accolades that delivers little lasting satisfaction and eventually heightens anxiety. When the drive for perfect transcripts dominates, deep learning and personal growth suffer.

In quiet hospital rooms across Bangkok, teenage patients describe the same crushing symptoms: sleepless nights spent memorizing formulas, chest-tightening anxiety before exams, and an overwhelming sense that their worth depends entirely on grades and university admissions. What many Thai families dismiss as normal academic stress has become a mental health epidemic that threatens an entire generation’s wellbeing—and new international research reveals the devastating scope of student overwork that mirrors patterns emerging worldwide.

Student mental health has become a central concern for universities around the world. Experts, families, and students are debating how much responsibility institutions should bear for psychological wellbeing. New research, high-profile cases, and growing demand for support are prompting reforms abroad and in Thailand. The key question is what an effective duty of care looks like in higher education and how it can be sustained.

A recent UK analysis highlighted gaps in campus mental health resources. A student with anxiety described being shuffled between services after seeking counseling. She said she felt like she was being passed from one service to another. Another student criticized a one-size-fits-all approach, where support sometimes amounted to clickable links rather than practical help. This narrative resonates beyond borders and underscores the need for robust, accessible support.

Student mental health has become a pressing issue at universities worldwide, prompting critical debate over how much responsibility higher education institutions should bear for their students’ psychological wellbeing. Recent research, high-profile court cases, and unprecedented demand for support services are driving reforms both abroad and in Thailand—yet students, parents, and experts alike continue to wrestle with what “duty of care” means in practice and how it can be sustainably achieved.

A surge in anxiety among students is reshaping how schools view attendance and well-being. In Northern Ireland, thousands of children have missed substantial numbers of days, and experts warn that emotionally driven school avoidance is disrupting education at a scale that demands urgent action. Data shows that 85,000 pupils have missed more than 10% of school days this year, underscoring a crisis that goes beyond truancy. This international development offers timely lessons for Thai educators and policymakers navigating post-pandemic mental health and learning challenges.

School-related anxiety among students has reached an “epidemic” scale in Northern Ireland, with absenteeism numbers and emotional distress rates sparking urgent calls for intervention and reform. Recent reporting from the BBC revealed that 85,000 children in Northern Ireland have missed more than a tenth of school days this academic year alone, with experts warning that emotionally-based school anxiety is “off the Richter scale” and significantly disrupting education systems (BBC News). As Thailand contends with its own mental health challenges among students—exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic—this global surge in school anxiety offers critical lessons local educators and policymakers must urgently consider.