The United States has a youth mental health crisis, a fact declared by the surgeon general last year. Feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness, as well as suicidal thoughts, have risen for a decade.
Inequalities in mental health are exacerbated by structural barriers that affect all young people, including racial and ethnic minorities, foster youths, LGBTQ+ youth, and those involved in the juvenile justice system.
Stigma
Stigma is a set of negative stereotypes that negatively impact health and well-being. It can include social stigma, such as prejudice and discrimination, and self-stigma, which is internalized. Those who suffer from mental health challenges often have to deal with both types of stigma.
Moreover, the stigmatizing experiences they encounter in the healthcare system can have an adverse effect on their help-seeking behaviors. For example, some participants reported that their first encounter with a mental health provider led them to question whether they were sick enough for treatment.
They also reported that the experience of being trivialized by providers influenced their perceptions of their symptoms and their severity. This is known as depathologization and can have a negative impact on the willingness to seek help.
Social isolation
Social connection plays a bigger role in a person’s mental health than many people think. Teenagers who feel isolated often experience low self-esteem, depression and suicidal thoughts or actions. This is why it’s important for them to have someone they can trust to talk to about their feelings. This could be a friend, parent, coach, counselor or pastor.
Personal stressors, bullying, social media, navigating climate change and globalization are putting increased pressure on youth’s mental health. This is why it’s vital to invest in mental health solutions that are informed by young people and targeted at this population. For example, Voices of Hope shares powerful lived experiences that foster better understanding and help-seeking behaviours. Other initiatives like Little Lions trains local role models to build resilience and wellbeing for young children in under-resourced communities.
Poverty
The mental health of youth in poverty is affected by a wide range of factors. These include lack of money, housing issues, and relationship difficulties. These challenges are exacerbated by adolescence, which is a time of increased vulnerability and stress. It is important for nurses to understand the effects of poverty and to provide appropriate care.
Nurses who work with youth in poverty should routinely assess for known mental health risks, including depression and substance abuse. They should also be aware of other health risks, such as poor nutrition and physical activity. In addition, nurses should be prepared to offer preventative programs and services. These interventions can help reduce the risk of adolescent mental illness. They can also improve the effectiveness of current treatment programs.
Family dynamics
Despite skyrocketing rates of mental health challenges, most youth recover with access to treatment, peer and professional support and services and a strong family and social network. State agencies that provide services to children and families such as public health, child welfare, education, insurance regulators, workforce boards, social safety net programs and juvenile justice systems can all play a role in addressing youth mental health needs.
However, addressing youth mental health challenges requires more than just investment and reforms within state systems; it requires tackling the social drivers that lead to disparities in health and well-being outcomes. These include factors like income, access to education and health care, neighborhoods and environments, and repercussions from discrimination and violence.
Adolescence
Adolescence is a critical time for mental health, and it’s important that young people have access to high-quality treatment and care. This includes universally available, age-appropriate mental health screenings as part of routine wellness checks for depression, anxiety and suicide risk.
This time can be a roller coaster of emotions, and adolescents may struggle with identity development. They can feel overwhelmed by big changes in their bodies and brains, and are often influenced by peer pressure. They can also struggle to separate their parents from themselves and develop independence skills.
This is a critical time for self-discovery, and it’s important that young people receive support during this process. They can benefit from learning to identify and manage their own emotional needs through a range of self-help tools, including mindfulness and meditation.