Written by Deborah Foster
Our world is at a crossroads, especially in terms of mental health; over the past 15 years, the mental health of young people in the United States has been greatly affected.
Between 2007 and 2018, the suicide rate among Americans ages 10 to 24 increased by 65%. Paired with concerns about social media, violence, natural disasters, climate change and political conflict, these issues have compounded the normal ups and downs of childhood and adolescence. More people are sharing their personal struggles with depression, anxiety, anger, trauma and difficult relationships.
We need more support systems in place to take care of these needs including prescribed medications, psychotherapy and community/government support. There is a common stigma against mental health problems that limits our ability as a society to embrace and address mental health problems and to learn the skills to reduce illness.
In addition to stigma, contributing factors to ongoing mental illness issues likely include misinformation, discrimination and online bullying. Female students also report much higher levels of sexual violence than their male peers, which further harms their mental health.
There are family limitations that affect millions of U.S. children, including poverty, food insecurity, homelessness and lack of access to health care and educational opportunities. These lead to stress responses such as anxiety, withdrawal and anger, which are known to underlie mental health challenges and perpetuate physical illness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over the last 10 years there has been a 40% increase in feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness, which includes suicidal thoughts and behaviors; major depressive episodes also increased by 52%. These are the highest rates we have ever seen. One in four people are experiencing more stress; an increase from last year, which saw one in five people.
The good news is that adults in the U.S. have been becoming increasingly committed to working on their own mental health. This directly helps our teen population because they learn about self-care from others. New mental health recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are working to evaluate and implement preventative health services for our youth. Anxiety screenings for youth ages eight to 18 have begun, as well as regular depression screenings for adolescents ages 12 to 18. These essential screenings are moving in the direction of increasing preventative medicine and intervention. Some are already being administered and being utilized in our community.
Some actions family members and caregivers can take to help our youth include being a healthy role model by getting enough sleep, taking technology breaks, exercising, eating nutritious food and spending time with family and friends. Cultivating safe and caring relationships with others leads to open communication, positive validation and acceptance. Creating consistent and persistent routines help with navigating the daily demands and expectations. Practice check-ins with one another to take a mental health temperature and find out what is going on in one another’s lives to stay connected. If there are issues that need to be addressed, the sooner you work on those the better off the individual will be.
Our culture is moving toward a more responsive mode, instead of a wait and see approach. It will be essential for each of us to continue the process of reorienting our priorities to create greater access to resources and build a culture that normalizes and promotes mental health. We need to look at emotional hygiene the same way we focus on physical hygiene, just like brushing our teeth or going to an annual checkup. We can create positive change for young people.
If you have time and are able, volunteer to help our youth by being a mentor or as a big brother/big sister. Mental wellness for all of us begins in our own homes with our own family members by creating a loving, caring and healthy home, based on honesty, kindness and conflict resolution.
Deborah Smilovitz Foster, PhD, has a private clinical practice, is a wife and mother, and enjoys playing tennis and spending time in nature. She can be reached at deborahsmilovitzfosterphd@yahoo.com. Dr. Foster serves as vice president on the board of HopeNet of Carpinteria (hopenetofcarp.org), whose mission is to improve mental wellness of our residents and to lessen the number of attempted and completed suicides in our community through information, support, training and advocacy.
