The growing burden of mental illness among adolescents has fueled an urgent need for new models of prevention and intervention. Identifying and responding to these trends is especially important for vulnerable youth, including racial and ethnic minorities, foster youth, and youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Learn how to build protective relationships with teens, recognize warning signs of distress and suicide, and create supportive school environments.
Stress
Stress can be a big factor in the mental health of children and teens. It affects their mood and can even lead to serious conditions like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. It also can contribute to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Youth who are more likely to experience mental health challenges include those who are of color, LGBTQ+, living in rural areas, incarcerated youth, and those with low socioeconomic status. Many of these issues are connected to a lack of access to affordable and comprehensive mental health care.
Educating youth about how to manage their own stress can help. This can involve helping them figure out what is within their control, and teaching them to be resilient when faced with adversity. Learn more here. You can also encourage and support them to find outside sources of support, such as a counsellor. This can be especially helpful for adolescent boys who may struggle to meet expectations of what it means to be a man.
Academic Pressure
The academic pressure adolescents feel can be a result of being in a competitive educational environment, their parents’ expectations, or their wanting to fit in with friends. This can lead to them prioritizing their studies and skipping social events to spend more time on homework, affecting their sleep quality.
Students experiencing excessive stress can become irritable or withdrawn, leading to problems in their relationships with family and friends. They may also develop physical symptoms such as headaches and muscle tension.
Moreover, research suggests that suicides among youths increase as school terms begin and decrease during periods of school closure. This suggests that a positive association exists between academic pressure and mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. To reduce the impact of academic pressure on mental health, programs aimed at preventing it should be incorporated into the classroom and delivered as early as possible in high schools. These programs can be a combination of universal (all students in a class or grade) and targeted (to individuals who are experiencing distress). These programs can be implemented as part of the curriculum and run during school hours or after-school.
Socioeconomic Status
For adolescents, the social environment can have a significant impact on mental health. According to a study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, individuals from lower socioeconomic status are less likely to have a support network that can help them manage their mental health. This can also make it harder for them to seek treatment and find the resources they need to stay healthy.
In addition, those with lower SES are more likely to experience multiple stressful life events, which can exacerbate their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated these effects, with mental health problems increasing in children and teens and particularly impacting those from low SES families.
It is important to address these issues and to invest in youth mental health. This will require a broad approach that focuses on prevention and promotes positive and safe social environments. It should also prioritise non-pharmacological approaches, avoid institutionalization and over-medicalization and prioritize reaching at-risk adolescents.
Media & Technology
During adolescence and young adulthood, feelings of anxiety and depression can arise from a variety of sources. Whether you’re a teen struggling with your mental health, a parent seeking help for your child, or an educator working to bring mental health into the classroom, we have resources and support to guide you.
Digital technologies are woven into the lives of adolescents, and teens spend more than six hours per day on screen media, including potentially beneficial social interactions with friends or less-beneficial passive viewing of content. This constant connection has prompted many to fear that social media and technology are a contributing factor in rising levels of adolescent depression, loneliness, and suicidal behavior.
Educators and community leaders can support youth mental health by reducing stigma around mental illness, encouraging responsible social media use, and fostering in-person connections. Learn how to implement trauma-informed practices and support the mental health of marginalized communities, such as those experiencing homelessness or living in racial or ethnic minorities or LGBTQ+ identities.