Hidden Cries: When Struggling Grades Are a Secret SOS

Ever think missing homework is just laziness? Your child's quiet withdrawal or slipping grades might be an early cry for help.

A recent international study following more than a thousand adolescents found that academic troubles and social struggles often appear years before psychosis. Before anyone talks about hallucinations, these young people lose motivation, joy and connection. They struggle in class, drift away from friends and seem to stop caring. These are not teenage quirks - they're warning lights.

Unpopular Fact: Studies showed that negative symptoms like apathy and lack of pleasure often show up before any psychotic episode. Waiting until voices appear is waiting too long.

Ritual: Spend twenty seconds each day checking in with your teen. Ask about a moment they enjoyed, a problem they faced, or simply how they feel. Listen without judgement; you'll learn more from what they don't say than from what they do.

Mini Case: One parent thought their daughter's drop in grades was a phase. It turned out she felt isolated at lunch and couldn't focus in class. Early support, therapy and community resources turned things around before symptoms escalated.

It's a paradox: the earlier you intervene, the less you may ever have to. Pay attention to the subtleties, and you could change a life.

Study reference: International research led by Michigan State University on adolescent social and academic struggles and their connection to psychosis risk, January 2026.