The time of year is approaching when senior year teens in high school are anxiously waiting for their grade school years to end. Your teen may already know what college they are going to, they may be waiting to see what college(s) they get into, or they may be figuring out something different to do after graduation. The final countdown to the end of high school is quickly approaching which can be a very exciting time, but it can also lead to many emotions and sometimes issues. It could be hard to tell if your teen has a lack of motivation, is feeling depressed, and/or has senioritis. I am here to help talk you through some of the differences to look out for.

Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah.

Lack of Motivation:

This is the most common symptom that teens experience for both senioritis and depression. If you notice that your teen is lacking motivation to do the things they typically enjoy doing or that they are finding tasks harder to do now then that is something to take note of.

If this lack of motivation coincides with negative thoughts such as, “All my friends hate me anyway so why bother reaching out to them?” or “I’m not a good student so there’s no point in trying anymore” then the lack of motivation is coming from a place of depression. On the other hand, if your teen is saying things like, “I’d rather spend time doing other things since I know I’m already going to college and I’m over this schoolwork.” then they’re experiencing senioritis. The key difference is that depression causes people to have negative thoughts that are typically not even real.

They are negative thoughts that their brain will focus on or obsess over until their mood plummets. Senioritis is something normal that a lot of teens experience, but it shouldn’t be causing them to have sad or negative thoughts.

Feeling down or moodiness:

It is normal for most teens to feel moody as they’re navigating their life, identity, and relationships. If your teen’s mood is shifting and they seem agitated or down at times then that is typically not a cause of concern. If you notice this then you should still have a talk with them to see what’s going on and if you can help in any way. It is possible that your teen doesn’t want to talk about their feelings. This is how therapy can be so beneficial for teens as it’s a safe place to process their feelings and learn how to cope through them. Even if your teen is just experiencing senioritis, it can still feel overwhelming to see a shift in mood. If your teen is open to talking with you, try to see if their mood is down most days or if it comes and goes based on situations that arise. If your teen seems to be feeling down for no exact reason and it is lasting many days at a time then that may be an indicator of depression.

If your teens emotional issues persist beyond graduation, therapy can be a great outlet for your teen, specifically Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Check out our blog “How Can CBT Help College Students With Anxiety?” for more information.

The Pandemic:

This is not a normal time to be in your senior year of high school. With the pandemic, it is likely that your teen spent all or most of their time at home with online classes. The joy of senior year comes with your last season of a sport, your last school play, your senior dance recital, prom, graduation, and many other milestones. If your teen is feeling down about missing out on these last opportunities as a senior then that is normal and makes sense. This brings on a whole new meaning of senioritis in which they feel robbed from their last chance to do all of these things they were looking forward to for their 4 years of high school.

The pandemic has increased depression, social anxiety, and low self-esteem amongst teens. If your teen is struggling with self-esteem, we recommend having them check out our blog “Do You Understand Your Self-Esteem?”. This is a really hard time to be a teen and especially in senior year of high school. All of the positive aspects of senior year are taken away and the only thing left is the schoolwork that requires even more motivation to get it done on your own time at home. The pandemic has caused a lot of mental health issues for everyone, especially teens.

If you find that your teen is withdrawing from others around them and is feeling down more than usual then this could be directly related to the pandemic. If you notice any of this within your teen then it could be good to get them set up with a professional mental health therapist to help them through this difficult time.

Grades:

Have your senior year teen’s grades slipped recently? If their grades are slipping in the second half of the year then this is typically from senioritis. Especially for teens who already got into college or expect to get into college soon, they recognize that their current grades don’t matter as much. This is a time for a teen to feel a weight lifted off of their shoulders and that they can take a deep breath. All of their hard work payed off and they can focus on things that make them happy rather than only their schoolwork.

As your teen progresses into college, for instance, it is important that they still prioritize their mental well-being while staying on top of their studies and additional responsibilities. Check out our blog “5 Ways I Prioritize My Mental Health in College” for some tips.

An example would be that your teen studied on the weekends previously for the SAT/ACT and their classes. With the SAT/ACT tests behind them and the pressure of getting good grades behind them, they can spend the weekends doing activities they enjoy. While your teen shouldn’t have a huge decrease in their grades and they should not be failing a class, it is normal for their grades to slip a little during this time. Colleges are aware of senioritis and that teens will focus on other things in their life rather than schoolwork as they approach the end of high school.

If you noticed that your teen has had slipping grades all this year or longer then that is not from senioritis. There is typically something else going on there. Talk to your teen’s school counselor, their teachers, and your teen to help figure out what’s going on and how they can be helped to bring their grades back up. If the only response as to why their grades have slipped is due to negative thoughts then it is possible that your teen is experiencing depression and you should seek an evaluation from a licensed mental health professional to start treatment.

If you want to assist your teen, check out our blog “How To Help Your Pre-Teen or Teen Who’s Struggling in School.”

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Some questions to ask your teen to help you:

How are your grades now compared to the beginning of the year and this time last year?
How has your energy levels been lately?
Do you feel as motivated to get your work done for school?
Is there anything you feel you’re missing out on senior year due to the pandemic? How are you feeling about that?
Have you been feeling down lately? How often?
What are some thoughts running through your mind when you are deciding if you want to do schoolwork?
Do you want to talk to someone who can help you through this that’s not me?

These questions are a start to help you figure out how your teen has been doing lately. If they don’t want to answer these questions or if their responses warrant any worries then it would be a great idea to reach out to a licensed mental health therapist who specializes in helping teens.