While most people consider essays to contain either mere fantasies (in the case of fiction), or cold, hard facts (in the case of non-fiction), the content of essays can also be an indicator of the writer’s mental and emotional state. This fact has long been used by test graders across the United States to check for signs of child abuse, depression or even threats of violence.

But it seems that only recently (i.e. since the 1999 Columbine High School incident) has more stress and sensitivity been placed on this kind of “mental and emotional screening”. In fact, since the September 11 terrorist attacks, more and more of these “crisis papers” are appearing.

The interesting thing about this is that not only can you see the mental and emotional state of the writer from essays, but also from any form of written response, such as math or science questions - though the conclusions drawn are far more limited.

So, perk up when you’re writing your essays. After all, you never know when you’ll be recommended for counseling for writing an angst-filled essay in your exams.

mental+state, crisis+papers