Adolescents are surrounded by imbalanced challenges and it’s not uncommon for them to experience mental health crises. Often times, these can lead to dangerous behaviors like self-harm and thoughts of suicide.
Youth crisis receiving and stabilization facilities can offer important services that can help adolescents in crisis. They can provide safety plans, family therapy sessions and connect them to intensive care coordination.
Mental Health Issues
For the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic began, mental health challenges increased substantially in young people, with high rates of anxiety and psychological distress, low wellbeing, self-harm and suicide among youth. This is particularly the case for racial and ethnic minorities, LBGTQ youth, and other marginalized populations.
This trend worsened during the pandemic. POLITICO polled 1,400 clinicians who work closely with kids to understand what is driving these rising issues, and the respondents told us that kids’ problems are getting worse, not better. They pointed to a number of factors, including social media, isolation, stress from external events beyond their control and family instability. They also said that many kids are being overlooked for treatment, and they want governments to make more sustainable investments and reforms. Investing in prevention and early intervention is essential. This could include integrated behavioral healthcare in primary care and community-based programs to reduce risk factors. Such efforts can save lives, build resilience and future proof societies.
Substance Abuse
For many youth, substance abuse is a serious problem that can lead to serious consequences. In the case of alcohol, these can include accidents (including traffic fatalities), physical disabilities and diseases. In the case of drugs, they can include addiction and other behavioral problems like depression, social isolation, alienation from peers and poor academic and work performance.
Teens use a variety of substances, including marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin (“mushrooms”). Substance abuse is often linked with mental health issues, and can also cause other behavioral problems such as impulsive and dangerous behavior or changes in school performance and attendance.
States are working to ensure that crisis receiving and stabilization facilities provide comprehensive support services that include family involvement, such as having family representatives on advisory boards. They are also integrating intensive treatment services into these settings, such as partial hospitalization programs that last several hours a day, multiple days a week, and residential treatment of variable lengths.
Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is any erotically motivated behavior between an adult and a child, including physical and verbal touching, fondling of genitals or oral-genital contact and rectal or vaginal penetration. CSA may also involve non-contact behaviors, such as indecent exposure (“flashing”) or forcing children to watch pornography or participate in other sexual activities. Abuse can occur in person and online, as well as by family members or other acquaintances.
Survivors often have a difficult time coming forward because of shame, fear of retaliation or the belief that they are somehow to blame. But reporting CSA has been shown to improve outcomes for victims-survivors.
Victims of CSA are more likely to experience other forms of violence, including intimate partner violence (DV) and gang violence. DV and gang violence disproportionately affects girls, particularly in early and forced marriages or in romantically involved but unmarried adolescents. It is important that health professionals recognize the signs and symptoms of these abuses, and make referrals where necessary.
Family Conflict
Family conflict can be a major source of crisis for children and teenagers. A recurring cycle of heated arguments, disapproval and negative messages can wreak havoc on a family and create wounds that are difficult to heal.
Youth who sought help from the hotline reported family conflict resulting from varied sources. Most of the conflict reported stemmed from exacerbated child or caregiver mental health concerns, violence in the home and issues transitioning to normal productivity norms while sheltering-in-place (see Figure 1).
While it can be hard to discuss these types of issues with one’s parents, it is important to find time to calmly and reasonably bring them up. It is often helpful to talk with a family therapist or to seek residential treatment for teens in need of an alternative environment. Online student wellness centers and schools that offer therapist consultations can provide resources to help families find healing. Additionally, residential options like The Wave can provide a safe space to process that is away from high conflict home situations.