Social isolation creates mental health challenges for everyone. Young people are especially vulnerable.
How might we process @EricaLG's piece about the role of school closings in generating mental health challenges?
🛑What can be done to better support youth? 🛑
1/
How might we process @EricaLG's piece about the role of school closings in generating mental health challenges?
🛑What can be done to better support youth? 🛑
1/
Hazel Grace, @johngreen:"Whenever you read a cancer booklet..they always list depression among the side effects of cancer. But, in fact, depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying....Everything is, really."
↪️Covid=dark times all around. 2/
↪️Covid=dark times all around. 2/
Rising youth distress and suicide is a tragic, morally-urgent decade+ old trend. (CDC YRBS data below.)
Between 2009 & 2019, HS kids seriously considering suicide increased from 13.8 to 18.8%.
Let that sink in. That's almost 1 in 5 HS kids. 3/
Between 2009 & 2019, HS kids seriously considering suicide increased from 13.8 to 18.8%.
Let that sink in. That's almost 1 in 5 HS kids. 3/
Girls, in particular, need our support.
1 in 4 HS girls seriously considered suicide in 2019. Girls' rates of self-harm have also increased. 4/
1 in 4 HS girls seriously considered suicide in 2019. Girls' rates of self-harm have also increased. 4/
In 2019, 1 in 10 girls, and more than 1 in 20 boys, attempted suicide. What's more, the rate for kids 5-14 more than doubled btw 09-19.
Every American should have been screaming from the rooftops for the last decade. And, to be clear, we should keep screaming now. 5/
Every American should have been screaming from the rooftops for the last decade. And, to be clear, we should keep screaming now. 5/
That adults have abdicated responsibility for protecting our most vulnerable members is a major failing of our society.
This is a choice we make; no other nation makes firearms as easily accessible, & half of suicides involve them. 7/
nytimes.com/2020/11/17/hea…
This is a choice we make; no other nation makes firearms as easily accessible, & half of suicides involve them. 7/
nytimes.com/2020/11/17/hea…
This is not to take away from kids' suffering at present.
I wish this was a new problem, but it isn't.
That some kids are less mentally healthy during school year than the summer also is well-documented. One example from @marissadking, @jasonmfletcher, & my work below. 8/
I wish this was a new problem, but it isn't.
That some kids are less mentally healthy during school year than the summer also is well-documented. One example from @marissadking, @jasonmfletcher, & my work below. 8/
Resuming school may help some kids.
For others, resuming school may hurt them.
I don't have the answer, & neither does anyone else.
Key point: this is a much larger public health issue than any reopening decision.
9/
For others, resuming school may hurt them.
I don't have the answer, & neither does anyone else.
Key point: this is a much larger public health issue than any reopening decision.
9/
So, what can we do?
☑️Increase access to evidence-based mental health services
☑️Restrict access to guns
☑️For individuals: @taylorswift13 "bandaids don't fix bullet holes," but join me in volunteering at @CrisisTextLine /end
crisistextline.org/become-a-volun…
☑️Increase access to evidence-based mental health services
☑️Restrict access to guns
☑️For individuals: @taylorswift13 "bandaids don't fix bullet holes," but join me in volunteering at @CrisisTextLine /end
crisistextline.org/become-a-volun…
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