As children head back to school for the spring semester, the U.S. Surgeon General is warning of a national youth mental health crisis. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory last month urging all of us to take action to address the mental health needs of young people.
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted the experiences of children and teenagers at home, at school and in the community. Children have been out of school and have missed out on social opportunities with peers. They have also worried about the health of their parents, caregivers and other family members. These disruptions and stressors are testing the resiliency of every child.
“Children, just like adults, need a sense of predictability. Consistency provides the child the opportunity to learn and refine a habit, which leads to a greater sense of accomplishment, belonging and identity.
Over the past decade, we have seen an increase in the number of children and teenagers reporting feelings of sadness and hopelessness, as well as suicidal behaviors. The pandemic has only made things worse. We are seeing similar trends at PACES, with more children coming in for assessments and treatment.
As the new year begins, it will be important for all sectors of our community to come together to support children and their families. PACES is ready to provide treatment and resources to any child who needs help, but we can’t address this problem alone. In his recent advisory, the Surgeon General outlined a number of actions that different groups can take to help support children.
For parents and caregivers, one of the most important things we can do is to set a good example by taking care of our own mental health. When we practice healthy coping skills and talk about the importance of mental health, kids pick up on those habits. It is also important to provide a stable home environment. Children have had to cope with nearly non-stop change over the past two years. Something as simple as keeping consistent routines at home can help provide a sense of stability for kids.
“Children, just like adults, need a sense of predictability,” says Dereck Dean, Senior Director of Clinical & Specialty Services at PACES. “Consistency provides the child the opportunity to learn and refine a habit, which leads to a greater sense of accomplishment, belonging and identity. Likewise, children are provided a safe place to make mistakes as they are learning. Children need a space and place where they can learn without fear of punishment or over-correction.”
For community organizations, we need to do our part to educate about the importance of mental health and break the stigma. We need to start positive conversations around mental health. And we need to elevate the voices of young people and their families. They are the experts in what they’re experiencing. When we elevate their voices, we help others to know they’re not alone and we bring attention to the growing mental health needs of our youth.
One step that we can all take right now is to change how we view and prioritize mental health.
“It’s important to normalize conversations around mental health and eliminate unhealthy vocabulary and phrases such as ‘you’re crazy’ or ‘you need to stop acting up,’” says Dean.
When we think about mental health in much the same way as physical health, we begin to break the stigma. It opens the doors to more open and honest conversations, which paves the way toward reducing the delay between symptom onset and treatment of mental health challenges.