5 Signs You Need to Take a Mental Health Day from School

If your teen is struggling with anxiety, depression, or another mental health challenge right now you’re not alone as a parent. It’s been over 3 years since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) joined with other organizations to declare a national mental health emergency among youth, and many teens are still struggling today [1]. 

Across several demographics, youth report school and academic pressure as their number one source of stress. High expectations, academic competition, and future success can increase feelings of anxiety, stress, and burnout in teens. 

Students who struggle with their mental health are more likely to fail classes, drop out of school, and struggle to retain or remember information. Research on teen mental health strongly suggests allowing your teen to take occasional mental health days from school can reduce stress, the risk of burnout, and improve academic performance in the long term. 

Read on to understand the value of taking mental health days, signs your teen may need one, and what your teen can do on a mental health day to maximize the benefits. 

What is A Mental Health Day? 

Many parents wonder, is a mental health day a sick day? The short answer is yes. A mental health day is when teens are allowed by their parents to take a day off from school if they are struggling with their mental health, and is considered a kind of sick day. By caring for teens’ emotional well-being, we are also supporting their physical health. 

Mental health days allow teens to rest and recharge, especially helpful if they wake up with high anxiety, struggle to sleep the night before, or are dealing with family stress or grief. Allowing teens the chance to take mental health days within reason can offer them several benefits, including [2][3]: 

• Reduce Stress and Burnout: Mental health days provide teens with essential breaks from academic stress and social pressures, helping them recharge and promote increased well-being. 
• Improve Academic Performance: Untreated mental health problems negatively impact student performance, such as attendance, grades, and standardized test scores. Studies show that when students’ mental health is supported (including through taking mental health days off), they are more likely to achieve higher grades, better focus, and return to school ready to learn.  
• Early Intervention: Mental health days promote early intervention by helping students address emotional challenges before they escalate into a serious crisis, such as prolonged absences, dropping out of school, or substance abuse. 
• Promotes Self-Care: Mental health days teach teens to prioritize their well-being, protect their emotional energy, and seek help when needed. 

Why is School So Draining for Some Students? 

Students are impacted by school due to a variety of social, emotional, and academic stressors. Some of the most common include [3][4]: 

• Academic Pressure: The pressure to succeed through straight A’s, high standardized test scores, and constant assignments can cause chronic stress. Expectations from family, teachers, the school, and self-imposed expectations can worsen this. 
• Repetitive Routines That Lack Engagement: Students often describe school as monotonous, lacking engagement, and participating in the same activities each day. Lack of excitement or variety in learning can decrease motivation and make school feel pointless for many students.
• Busy Schedules: Homework, extracurriculars, family time, and for some even jobs leave little time to rest, with many students constantly worrying about their next deadline. 
• Lack of Sleep: Most high school students wake up by 6 am and don’t get home until after 4 pm. This, paired with homework, peer pressure, and general academic stress, can create a cycle where fatigue impacts mood, memory, and cognitive functioning. 
• Unsupportive Environment: Teens who come from high-risk homes that lack social supports or perceive their teachers as uncaring may feel more detached or isolated. 
• Mental Health Challenges: Teens with unresolved mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and trauma, are at increased risk of underperforming in school and burning out more quickly. 
• Digital Overload: Excessive social media use, video games, and screen time have been linked to increased mental exhaustion and poor cognitive functioning in youth. 

Burnout Stages: Signs Your Teen Needs A Break 

There are five stages in school or the workplace that can lead to burnout. Each stage has distinct signs and its own way of affecting youth.  

• Honeymoon Phase: This is when you start a new class, project, or job with high energy and optimism. Your teen may be excited to start a new class or activity, but they may overcommit to projects or neglect the early warning signs of stress. 

• Onset of Stress: Minor stressors begin to become noticeable. Teens may feel chronic anxiety, irritability, or fatigue. This may resemble schoolwork or deadlines that begin to pile up, making it difficult for teens to keep up. 

• Chronic Stress: Stress becomes constant, leading to mental health and physical health issues such as social withdrawal, apathy, mood swings, stomach aches, and a decline in functioning. 

•   Burnout: At this stage, symptoms intensify, and it becomes hard to cope. Teens may begin to fail classes, withdraw from classmates, skip school, or argue with teachers. 

• Habitual Burnout: Burnout becomes a daily part of life, and mental health disorders may emerge or worsen at this stage, such as anxiety or depression. Professional intervention is often needed at this stage to build coping skills and recover mentally. 

What To Do On A Mental Health Day 

Encourage your teen to make the most of their mental health day by participating in activities that promote their overall emotional well-being. If you can, consider taking a mental health day off with them, as this can promote feelings of solidarity and be an effective way to bond with your teen and model to them the importance of self-care. 

Some things your teens can do to maximize the benefits of their mental health day include: 

• Have your teen disconnect from school for the day. Delay homework, checking emails, or social media notifications. 
• Talk to your teen about the purpose of a mental health day and how it can help their emotional well-being. 
• Encourage your teen to connect with nature, art, music, or a creative hobby that helps them relieve stress. 
• Take the day off with your teen and have a self-care day. Get a massage, go for lunch, or take a walk. 
• Connect with a professional or schedule a therapy session for your teen if you believe they require professional intervention for their mental health. 
• Help them plan to return to school, such as organizing homework, reaching out to teachers for missed assignments, or finding a trusted adult, such as the guidance counselor, they can talk to when they are struggling. 

How to Ask For A Mental Health Day: Communicating With The School 

It can feel a bit odd as a parent calling your teen out of school if they are not physically ill; however, more schools are understanding the importance of a mental health day, and many have policies that make it easy for teens to take one. Here are a few steps for parents to request a mental health day from the school: 

• Check the school policy. Many states do not allow mental health days as excused absences. You can find these policies on the school or district website or by calling the attendance office. 
• Communicate with the attendance office by calling the school or sending an email. Use direct and respectful communication such as:
  • “My teen needs to take a mental health day today.” 
  • Or for extra privacy, you can state, “My teen is taking a health day and will be absent from school.” 
• If your teen feels comfortable doing so, encourage them to email their teacher or guidance counselor directly that they are taking a day to focus on their mental health, and they will catch up on missed work as soon as possible. This teaches self-advocacy and accountability.

More Than Just A Rough Patch? Support Is Available for Students in Texas

Clearfork Academy is a network of behavioral health facilities in Texas committed to helping teens recover from behavioral addictions, substance abuse, and mental health disorders. Our licensed and accredited facility is dedicated to providing comprehensive, evidence-based care and education for parents and caregivers of youth. 

We are also committed to educating the community on youth mental health and supporting local initiatives to promote awareness on the struggles of teens. We work with local schools to provide early intervention and prevention to students struggling with mental health challenges.  

Sources 

[1] Connors, E. et al. (2022). Addressing the Child Mental Health State of Emergency in Schools-Opportunities for State Policy Makers. JAMA pediatrics, 176(6), 541–542.

[2] Theisen, A. 2022. Recharge With A Planned Mental Health Day. Mayo Clinic. 

[3] Patel, M. (2024). Adolescent mental health and academic performance: determining evidence-based associations and informing approaches to support in educational settings. Pediatric research, 95(6), 1395–1397.

[4]  Schulte-Körne G. (2016). Mental Health Problems in a School Setting in Children and Adolescents. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 113(11), 183–190.