Across the United States, youth are facing mental health challenges at unprecedented rates. This has strained behavioral health systems and increased emergency department visits.
In 2019, one in six students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, with girls, Hispanic students, and LGBTQ+ students at higher risk. This needs to change.
What is a Mental Health Crisis?
A mental health crisis is any situation where a person’s behavior causes them to be a danger to themselves or others. A person in crisis may have a variety of symptoms or feelings, including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. A person in a crisis may also have unpredictable and dangerous behaviors.
Some common signs of a mental health crisis include missing work or social events, not eating well or sleeping enough and using drugs or alcohol. Other signs are feeling hopeless or helpless, having a lack of interest in hobbies and activities, being easily irritable or having erratic behavior.
Often, there is a specific cause for the mental health crisis, such as recent severe personal tragedy or loss, ongoing family stress, financial hardship, job-related stress or the worsening of a chronic medical condition. People in crisis need immediate assistance and support. The best first step is to call 988, a toll-free hotline that provides crisis counseling and mental health and substance use support 24/7 by phone, text and online chat.
What is a Suicide Crisis?
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among youth. It’s also very expensive, costing society over $500 billion in medical costs, lost wages, value of statistical life and other losses. There’s no single cause, but there are risk factors and warning signs that can help you recognize a suicide crisis and get the person the help they need.
Signs include talking about suicide, writing a note or making preparations, giving away or discarding personal items, cleaning living spaces and saying goodbye to friends and family. Mood changes including acting anxious, agitated or recklessly, sleeping too little or too much, and showing rage can also be signs of a suicide crisis.
If someone you know has a plan for suicide, it’s important to remove all lethal means of self-harm from their home or car and help them create a safety plan. There are also brief interventions like Safety Planning Intervention and Lethal Means Counseling that can help.
What is a Sexual Abuse Crisis?
A sexual abuse crisis is unwanted sexual touching and non-consensual penetration (rape) of any gender by someone with whom the victim has a relationship of trust. Sexual violence is often perpetrated by people that victims know, including friends, current or former intimate partners, coworkers, neighbors and family members.
Victims of sexual violence and trauma can experience a variety of reactions. Some of the most common include: fear and anxiety; depression; disorientation; flashbacks and intrusive memories; self-blame and shame; PTSD symptoms; isolation; suicidal thoughts; and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.
It is important that service providers understand the immediate needs of sexual assault victims and the factors that can assist them in recovering from their traumatic experiences. Service providers should also be familiar with mandatory reporting laws as they pertain to sexual assault. In addition, they should be prepared to quickly connect sexual assault victims with local advocates for additional crisis intervention services, hospital accompaniment and follow-up support.
What is a Dating Violence Crisis?
Abuse in a romantic relationship can involve physical violence — hitting, shoving, punching — or non-physical abuse, including insults, making threats, destroying belongings, and controlling access to money, cars, and other resources. It can also include forcing you to take part in sexual activity that you don’t want to or exposing you against your will to sexually explicit material.
States can promote mental health through schools by providing social-emotional learning and integrating mental health literacy into curricula for younger students, as well as through treatment services in school-based behavioral health clinics for teens. They can also connect youth to community-based crisis receiving and stabilization facilities and intensive care coordination services in their area.
State agencies can involve youth, family members, and those with lived experience in service provision by incorporating them into advisory councils. For example, Kentucky’s State Interagency Council for Services and Supports to Children and Transition-Age Youth includes a youth member. They can also work with youth-serving organizations to ensure that youth voice is included in service provision.