Youth mental health is a growing concern for parents and policymakers around the world. Adolescence is a formative time in which personal changes and exposure to trauma can make a teen vulnerable to psychological illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and conduct disorder.

School safety is a priority for parents and teachers as summer comes to an end.

While families and educators across the nation heal from the Uvalde, Texas school shooting effects, they simultaneously prepare to send youth back to the classroom after the summer break. The tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary School was the 27th school shooting in 2022 and the deadliest since the one that took place in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The United States has more children in a youth correctional facility than any other country in the world. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) states that about 60,000 adolescents under the age of 18 are incarcerated in juvenile jails and prisons on any given day.

Research shows that children who have spent time in facilities tend to exhibit physical and mental health concerns later in life and they are more likely to fall behind in school, which is an important component of staying out of the system.

During the school year, Sabine Polak received a call from the guidance counselor regarding her 14-year-old daughter. In addition to being depressed, her daughter had contemplated suicide. Sabine brought her daughter to a crisis center to address her pressing mental health concerns and soon found out that her daughter's intense anxiety was caused by social media. The main reason for her stress was waiting for her friends to respond on Snapchat.

Mental health concerns are rising in all areas of the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth services experienced short staffing levels, too many referrals, and increasing amounts of adolescents with severe psychological issues. By expanding youth mental health services, more disabilities can be detected and treated early, which reduces the risk of adverse mental health conditions worsening in the future.

In 2019, 130 people committed suicide in the United States each day - sadly contributing to the 703,000 suicide deaths around the globe. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of the second leading cause of death worldwide for youth aged 15-24 years.

Truth be told, there are a number of barriers to mental health services in rural communities throughout the United States. The question is, why?

With October being the month of Mental Health Awareness Day, it is important to know the effects that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on juveniles’ mental health. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that between April through June, younger adults reported disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation, than the same time period in 2019. 

Today we are sharing the story of a Multisystemic Therapy Supervisor, Melissa McGreal, in New York City during the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

It was an innocuous summer day in 2009 when DeVonte Jones first exhibited signs of schizophrenia. Jones and his mother were attending a baseball game at Wavering Park in Quincy, Illinois, a sprawling facility of playground equipment, pavilions, grills, and, of course, baseball diamonds. Jones was just a teenager at the time.