Samaritans: High stress levels are a problem

"High stress" levels are a serious problem for many school pupils, according to the Samaritans.

The emotional support service says it has seen issues resulting from exam pressure and family break-ups through its helpline and work in schools.

Tonja Schmidt, development coordinator at the Samaritans, told inthenews.co.uk that a survey recently conducted by the group revealed young people's top stresses are pressure from school work and problems at home.

Her comments follow a poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers which suggested that stress and family problems are causing more pupils to self-harm and become anorexic.

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of teachers questioned said they thought children are under more pressure now than ten years ago.

Ms Schmidt explained that 'stress' is used as an umbrella term for problems such as feeling anxious and dealing with bullying.

"Young people have to cope with a lot of things," she said. "They don't have the life experience to deal with major events in their lives."

Ms Schmidt urged young people to discuss their concerns as "bottling up feelings won't help to get them resolved" and makes them seem too overwhelming to deal with.

"Young people, especially young men, don't always seek help - partly due to stigma - and people aren't very good at talking about how they're feeling," she explained. "Samaritans and other organisations are there for them; no problem is too small."

As well as talking through problems with parents and friends, Ms Schmidt said it is important for young people to look after themselves physically by exercising and eating healthily as that can help mental wellbeing.

By doing this, stressed pupils can face their problems "one step at a time".