4 Solutions For The Rise Of Mental Health Problems In Teenagers
Poor mental health in teenagers is rising. In what should be the best days of a teenager‘s life, the teen years are becoming an adolescent nightmare.
It could be a chemical imbalance, family mental health history, image-based influence of Social Media, a PTSD, or even the break-up of the family system that causes mental health issues in teenagers. Whatever the cause of poor mental health, the reality is that we have seen a rise in depression, and, ultimately, suicide in the Gen Z set born c. 1998-2012.
And the solutions for mental health issues could be as simple as total personal wellness, clinical counseling, or as exhaustive as admission to a Mental Health facility. Whatever it takes there is no shame in working on your mental health.
As mentioned above, mental health issues could spring from simply a stressful lifestyle, or, chemical imbalances in the physiology of a person.
But, there is one cause at the moment that is front and center in the adolescent mental health crisis - the COVID-19 virus and the resulting radical lockdowns: We’ve spent the last year insisting that science says our students should not socialize in community with their friends - at a time in their life when socialization is fundamental to their personal growth and mental health.
According to a recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Allstate Foundation (2020):
• Students feel UNCERTAIN, NERVOUS, and STRESSED about the present school situation in America.
• Before COVID-19, Mental Health facilities were populated with only 19% of adolescents. Since COVID-19, that number has risen to 39%.
• Suicide is now the third leading cause of death in 15-19 year-olds.
Let me offer two major mental health concerns amongst Gen Z that have been caused by radical COVID-19 lockdowns:
1. A Socialization Gap - We were made to be with each other. Something special happens in community and interaction. Here are a few effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns upon the socialization of teenagers in America.
-A withdrawal from friends and weekly community activities like school, teams, jobs, and church or faith-based programming that normally brings personal formation to teens. We’ve also seen the loss of sporting events, shopping at the Mall, or going to the movies create a devastating social development loss among teens.
-COVID-19 lockdowns have caused isolation and forced teenagers to be with themselves. This isolation, coupled with poor self esteem, has caused mental health stress, loneliness, self-harm, eating disorders, problems in the family, and the removal of the interaction of their close circle of friends to help with critical thought, problem-solving, and dialogue.
The second major Mental Health concern caused by COVID-19 among Gen Z is complicated.
2. An Education Gap - As a parent, educator, coach, or youth leader, identifying students who are struggling with education is not always easy. But, here are a few effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns upon the educational development of teenagers in America:
-Poor academic performance in school, loss of standardization, little tactile or group learning, discontinuation of graded content and vocabulary, loss of daily routines such as waking or eating or exercise schedule, and digital fatigue from being online so much.
-The discontinuation of education has left parents at home without teaching resources, cancelled graduation ceremonies for graduating seniors, cost college scholarship opportunities to scholars and athletes, stopped lunch services for students from the school system, and taken away placement services for graduating students.
Solutions
Given these two major mental health concerns, let’s look at how to stop the nightmare of depression and ultimately the reality of suicide in a teenager’s life. Following are some practical helps for adults to counter the depression in this generation caused by the radical COVID-19 lockdowns.
Health and Wellness
We must emphasize the importance of total wellness in the teenagers around us. Life disciplines such as eating, exercise, sleep, an walk outdoors, or how we manage our relationships are all a part of total health and wellness. A complete health and wellness regime contributes to balanced physiology in teenagers and ultimately to positive mental health.
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
A positive outlook is a powerful outcome.
There is a big difference between critical thinking and thinking critical. Critical thinking is the goal because the emphasis is upon solutions. Thinking critical, however, is not the goal. Because that will end up focusing on negative thoughts.
Changing our thought patterns will change our language, create better self-awareness and respect for others, put an end to bullying, and help teenagers do critical thinking instead of thinking critical. EI is developed with a mindset of resilience, optimism, resolution, and, healthy accountable friendships.
Family
We are not just raising a fatherless generation anymore. We are raising a fatherless, motherless, and sibling-less generation. The family structure has been dis-integrated in our country. And when the home is broken, society is broken. Create family dinners, game nights, recreation, and sleepovers in the absence of school. A safe place like home will allow teenagers to be comfortable with their wins and failures in front of people who love them unconditionally.
The Sabbath (rest)
America falsely equates busyness with production. We need to slow teens down. Having a night off once a month, no-phone Fridays, or even unplugged mornings can be a stress relief. We don’t have to always be programming events and activities. The regeneration that takes place during a Sabbath is transformative to total health.
Finally
If we are going to combat the rising Mental Health issues in this generation, we must apply some of these simple principles to arrest the epidemic of depression and suicide happening all around us.
In what should be the greatest days in a teenagers lives, we have a mass public health scare that is turning the adolescent life into a nightmare. A thorough application of these practices will turn the tide of poor Mental Health that is crashing over our nation’s youth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resources:
Please see our resource page on this site. There is immediate help at several links.
Psalm 23, Isaiah 43.1-3, Philippians 4.8, and 1 Peter 5.7