Supporting Youth’s Mental Health
Photo by Nathan McDine on Unsplash
Youth Mental Health Illness on the Rise
The social discourse about youth mental health issues has become a topic of conversation, especially since the COVID-19 global pandemic. Regardless, youth mental health awareness has gained popularity (thanks to social media) as mental health issues among youth and young adults have increased.
Rates of mental illness among youth have increased significantly that in 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a “Youth Mental Health Advisory.” It is not a coincidence that this advisory was issued in the thick of the COVID-19 global pandemic, when mental health concerns were on the rise during quarantine and e-Learning mandates, causing youth to become isolated from their peers and teachers, during a formative time when social-emotional skills are just as important to develop as academic skills.
The goal of this advisory was to raise awareness about the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health as a public health issue while also providing resources and recommendations to support children, adolescents and young adults battling mental health issues (U.S. Surgeon General, 2021). According to the advisory, a survey of about 80,000 youth globally found that depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled, with 20% experiencing anxiety symptoms and 25% experiencing depressive symptoms (U.S. Surgeon General, 2021).
Since 2021, a recent 2024 Youth Ranking Survey noted that 20.17% of youth ages 12-17 reported at least one major depressive episode in the past year, with 15% of youth stating that it severely impacted their functioning at work, school or home (Mental Health America, 2024). These statistics strongly suggest the need for more mental health resources and accessibility for youth battling mental health issues.
Recognize the Warning Signs
Seeking individual therapy is a great start to addressing mental health concerns and preventing symptoms from worsening. Recognizing the warning signs of mental illness are important for individuals, caregivers and peers to be mindful of in order to provide support and steer them in the direction of seeking proper care. Warning signs vary between various illnesses; however, some examples of general warning signs to monitor include:
Excessive worrying
Fear or sadness
Confused thinking
Problems concentrating
Extreme mood changes (uncontrollable “highs” or “lows”)
Irritably or anger
Avoiding peers and social activities
Changes in sleeping habits and more
To learn more about recognizing mental health warning signs outlined by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), please click here: https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/warning-signs-and-symptoms/.
Empower Youth to Manage their Mental Health
The sooner youth can begin therapy and use therapy as an outlet to safely process their emotions in a safe, warm, trauma-informed setting, the more likely youth will feel empowered to identify, learn and implement a variety of healthy coping skills to manage their symptoms.
While schools are a major source of social emotional learning experiences for youth, schools focus primarily on academic success, requiring youth to seek services for trauma or other emotional disturbances with external resources, such as seeking an individual therapist, group therapy or youth/teen support groups.
Here at Collective Hope, it is my privilege to be able to support youth in their mental health struggles by helping youth identify their personal strengths to develop healthy coping skills. These coping skills can empower them to overcome their personal challenges, achieve goals and symptom relief. Every youth deserves a safe outlet to process the struggles of being a youth and an opportunity to learn healthy coping skills, such as mindfulness tools, to help regulate emotions, establish and maintain healthy boundaries with peers and increase their social-emotional skills.
Sources:
Mental Health America. (2024). Youth ranking 2024
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2024). Warning signs and symptoms
U.S. Surgeon General. (2021). Protecting youth mental health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s
