PRINCIPALS WARN: STRESSED TEENS STARVING THEMSELVES

TEENAGERS stressed out by school assessment pressures are ending up in mental health units and starving themselves, say Wellington principals.

At Wellington Girls’ College the mounting pressure on students has seen a number of girls become anorexic and principal Julia Davidson said the school did not have the training or resources to cope.

Wellington East Girls’ College has resorted to employing two social workers at the school this year to cope with the increasing number of girls with mental health issues.

‘‘I think the problem is definitely connected to academic stress and other factors that are harder to pin down,’’ principal Sally Haughton said.

The expectation students put on themselves was huge, she said Parents and teachers encouraged teenagers to do their very best, she said.

‘‘In some ways we’re all part of the downfall.’’

While Ministry of Health figures do not show that eating disorders are on the rise nationally, its director of mental health, John Crawshaw, said there had been an increase in demand for eating disorders services in the Central region.

‘‘As a result of the increased awareness and availability of eating disorder services . . . the number of people accessing services more than doubled between 2009 and 2013,’’ he said.

Davidson said while having 10 students in a year group with anorexia was not an overwhelming number to some, the effects on the girls, their peers, and family was huge.

Her school planned to reduce each NCEA course by one stan- dard for years 11 and 12 to try to alleviate some pressure.

‘‘Next year will see us ... try and regain the balance we have definitely lost since NCEA was introduced 12 years ago and since things became so high stakes in the world of tertiary study and employment.’’

While it would not erase the issue of assessments being due at the same time, there would be fewer of them.

The Ministry of Education recently agreed to set up a committee to co-ordinate schools dealing with increasing mental health issues.

Schools had considerable discretion, and taking stress and anxiety into account was wise, ministry head of student achievement Graham Stoop said.