The article that I chose was “Is Teen Mental Health in a State of Crisis?”. I agree with the statistics at the beginning of this article that suggest that teenagers in the United States are in fact experiencing a mental health crisis. Many of my friends and even myself have expressed strong feelings of exhaustion or depression or anxiety from time to time. I think that a big reason that teens are struggling with mental health is because we are often overworked, and underestimate, but yet a lot is expected from us. Events such as the pandemic have only exaggerated the effects of social media, of isolation or the simple feeling of not having anyone to lean on, or just feeling lost and plain out confused. I also believe that schooling is also a major factor in the mental health of teenagers. We often are left to deal with large amounts of work on our own, with not enough guidance or time, i have also experienced having teachers who lacked communication or transparency which only added to the stress that I and I’m sure many other teenagers face daily.
I don’t necessarily think that the advice that is given to support teenagers going through mental health will guarantee a difference. Like the article states, mental health has a large stigma behind it, especially in minority communities, and these communities are were mental health struggles the most. I can personally attest to these stigmas, seeing as many people in my community frown on the ideas of therapy and counseling, or even medication, which are all important and helpful ways to battle mental health once it becomes a debilitating problem for teens. Even if we do express these issues to the adults in our lives many fully wont be able to understand, or relate to us. They even might know exactly how we feel but haven’t dealt with it themselves due to the stigma, many parents especially in my community have a terrible ideology that teens do not have a reason to be sad or upset, and that we have it “easy” which is wrong. I think the best form of advice for teenagers would be to seek professional help in the form of a therapist or their doctors. Those who are trained to aid those suffering with mental health will be most useful in solving or bettering the situation.
Personally, I’m not too such on how i cope with mental health, but i think having a schedule and routine is helpful, because it blocks out any confusions and gives you a routine to follow which helps for stability, sleeping regularly is helpful too. Overall having a day by day routine is very helpful when it comes to keeping your mind and body well. Making sure that we eat properly too is another way to maintain peace of mind, and a healthy body. Taking action and doing things like riding bikes or exercising is also another way to battle anxiety or depression. One thing that i think adults can do to help teenagers that may be struggling with mental health, is to learn to view teens as people to, with emotions, stresses, and differences. Adults often disregard the feelings and needs of teens due to stigmas and outdated traditions, and once they learn the faults in that, they’ll be able to connect and aid us in a way that WILL help those battling mental health. Schools need to learn flexibility and moderation when it comes to assignments, school hours, and deadlines, because instead of learning, most teens end up stressed and confused. There needs to be more consideration for teenagers, who already have big lives to plan ahead of them, while trying to grow and find out who they are.
