To the editor:

I agree with Kelly Kelin that kids are feeling very stressed and overrun by the pressures to perform and achieve. Mental health problems for kids are on the rise. Not enough attention is paid to the effects that stress has on students, families and society.

Kids are juggling hours of homework, the many demands of their extracurricular activities and after-school jobs. We’re all too familiar with this trend, which starts with elementary and junior high kids who are signed up for way too many things by well-meaning parents. When are things going to balance out for families?

I read about the lack of support in Lawrence for existing mental health services, and Lawrence Memorial Hospital has actually reduced services.

The effects of stress on students has been published by Stanford’s School of Education. The Stressed-Out Students Project reports a sharp rise in cheating, plagiarism and consistent worry about achievement, which leads to more students seeking mental health services.

When a community such as Lawrence isn’t large enough to support diverse services for mental health needs, where does that put our kids? Worried all the time, looking for ways to escape the pressures by becoming addicted to No-Doz and Red Bull energy drinks.

Is this a picture of educated, healthy individuals or robo-students who are anxiety-ridden, sleep-deprived and miseducated about how to be successful in life? The effects of stress are not being taken seriously enough. We need to wake up and start making some important changes very soon.

Annie Stevens,

Lawrence