Circumstances in the personal lives of youth can create challenges to their mental well-being. Caring Adults can help them by knowing what to expect, how to better handle “life” situations, and by getting refreshed about resources available.
Laura Keys, Youth First, Inc. Vice President Of Social Work/Services/Programs will help provide just that.
Her presentation aims to help us: *learn the signs of anxiety and depression; & *acquire some practical advice on how to respond.
You Can Make A Difference —
As the United States has had some time from the COVID-19 pandemic, mental illness and the demand for psychological services are at all-time highs; especially among teens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most current Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (1991-2021) has found that 46.9 percent of Indiana high school students have “felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 or more weeks in a row.” The same survey found that over 22 percent of Indiana’s high school students seriously considered suicide.
Poor well-being in adolescence is more than “feeling blue”. Trauma, adversity, media, pressure to conform/perform, family circumstances, stress, financial worries, overexposure to social media can exacerbate lived reality vs. their perceptions/aspirations. It can impact many areas of a teen’s life like academic outcomes, relationships, decision making/choices, chronic absenteeism and their physical health.
Mental health challenges in youth often go hand-in-hand with other health and behavioral risks like increased risk of drug use, experiencing violence, and higher risk sexual behaviors.
Because many behaviors and habits are established in adolescence that will potentially carry over into adult years, it is obviously important to help youth develop good mental health.
