Source: Stocksnap’s Chattersnap
With rates of mental illness among young people soaring across America and the lack of professionals to treat them, young people often have to turn to their devices for help.
And just as parents and other caring adults encourage people to seek help when things go wrong, many young people simply don’t know where to turn and how to get help. I don’t know So it’s not enough to just say, “Find someone to help you,” but rather it must be accompanied by a strategy of what you say to whom.
according to University Hospital (2023),
Mental health status of children, teens and young adults – specifically: depression, anxiety, substance abuse Obstacles and Worrying Trends suicide – A growing problem in this country… This problem existed long before COVID, but now the pandemic has created risk factors such as isolation and overdose. screening time May be elevated and parents should be extra careful.
The role of social media cannot be overstated.In fact, January 2023 Research from the University of North Carolina found adolescent participants
People engaging in habitual checking behaviors showed greater emotional salience, motivation, and cognitive control in anticipating social rewards and punishments compared with those engaging in non-habitual checking behaviors. showed distinct neurodevelopmental trajectories within brain regions containing networks.
In other words, students who regularly check social media may be more prone to peer feedback and hypersensitivity, and may have poor impulse control and regulation.
What should I look for? Here are some signs that it’s time to seek help. Most of it comes down to “change”.
Change markers include mood, sleep, school performance, dietfriendships, and overall physical health.
Two young people, Cameron Gray, 21, and Katie Klein, 18, shared their journey to help.
Here’s what Cameron had to say.
let me draw a picture for you I was a sophomore on a college campus for the first time, thousands of miles away from home and trying to navigate a long distance relationship.When this relationship finally came to an end, it was time for the next baseball season. athletehad to prove himself in every practice to become a starter. stress Coursework and the end of a long-term relationship. i was confused.
I lost a part of myself that I don’t know how to get back. It was a very poor season with very few wins, but that was the hardest thing mentally. Classes, practices and games follow after waking up in the pre-sunrise lift.i had to find motivation Spending my days trying to process my relationship.
This feeling of not being able to wake up and feel ‘right’ was a new experience for me. Like most people, I hated how I was feeling in this situation, so I immediately started finding ways to get help. I am very close to my family and they have provided help and insight. It was at least helpful, but it wasn’t just my parents and siblings telling me it was okay.
I contacted the school’s counseling office to try and find a therapist to talk to. So I reached out to a therapist my father had recommended and began weekly sessions throughout the spring. I got
These two people have greatly helped me on my journey to peace of mind. This support, mixed with loving and caring friends who would talk to me and not necessarily give me advice, but just listen, was one of the most helpful. I was able to go home and focus on what I wanted to do.
The mixture of baseball, school, and my inability to handle past relationships sent me to a dark place. It wasn’t until I got home that summer.
Katie’s story is different, but not so important!
Often, the word that many of my colleagues and I associate with mental health struggles is loneliness. When we are dealing with something, we often feel that we are the only ones with that internal struggle, when in fact others around us are suffering as well.
Through personal experience with anxiety, I have learned that peer-to-peer support is the best way to understand that you are not alone in what you are going through. Many peers use the term to describe their mental health experience because they are pressured to appear ‘perfect’.
People try to put forward that there is nothing wrong with them, so while it is a problem that many people face, they feel that they are the only ones going through a difficult time emotionally. often I have found the best way to alleviate this discomfort. loneliness Isolation is peer-to-peer support. As the leader of my school’s mental health initiative, He BWell, I have become more aware that many of my classmates have mental health issues.
In January 2022, BWell hosted a “You’re Not Alone” conference for the high school community. At this conference, student and faculty speakers shared their personal experiences with mental health struggles.
with all speakers after the conference leadership The team invited the students to come to us and explain how they were finally able to understand that they were not alone in what they were going through. It shows how powerful peer-to-peer understanding can be.
Critically, Cameron Resilience Navigating mental health challenges Katie magnifies the importance of peer-to-peer support.
Resilience
Personal Resilience (or the ability to bounce back from adversity) is everything angerIt’s a good thing, as many of the younger generation are widely believed to have been given little, if any, at all. coaching About how to solve problems and find adults to help.
T.IPS for parents looking to develop resilience in their teens include:
- Modeling a positive attitude
- be honest
- encouragement to take risks
- help establish a routine
- deepen connections
- Listen and Help Solve Problems
- modeling mindfulness
- teach self care
Cameron’s approach to adversity is perhaps the most common. Rely on family (or friends) who can provide support and guidance.
Catie’s approach is also very general. Find support through peer groups. (sad) It was used to stop the damage of youth driving disability and fatal accidents.
It’s a rising strategy. For example, when Yale students filed a lawsuit against the university, “Lack of access to adequate support, and discrimination For students struggling with mental health [that] All too common on American campusesAs a result, an organization called LETS (Erasing the Stigmata Project)Currently a national grassroots non-profit focused on creating innovative peer-led alternatives to the current mental health system, including peer support and communication care, political advocacy, organizing and mutual aid. associations (Spencer, 2023).
Resilience Essential Lead
In the field of youth mental health, nothing is more alarming than the rising suicide rate.
according to Centers for Disease Control and PreventionlAccidents (accidental accidents), homicide and suicide are the leading causes of death among adolescents aged 15-19.of 2022, The age-adjusted suicide rate has increased by 3% since 2020 (22.0 per 100,000 to 2021 (CDC, 2021)).
At the very least, Cameron and Katie’s story offers insight into how today’s young people are actively coping with the epidemic. On the decline in youth mental health in America.
If you or someone you love has suicidal thoughts, get help right away. For assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, dial the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or send a TALK to 741741 to contact the Crisis Text Line. To find a therapist Psychology Today Therapeutic Directory.
