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For the average US parent, the last 18 months have probably been a stressful and worrying time. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic brought not only a new airborne virus but a host of social distance restrictions and other knock-on effects for every member of the American population.
Living with the coronavirus has now become the “new normal” the world over. In fact, the many effects of the pandemic are sadly still with us and will probably be for years or even decades to come. One of the most important and impactful of these effects is worsening mental health, which many medical experts believe will be the next US national public health crisis—if it’s not here already.
Like substance addiction and mental health disorders, the wide-ranging effects of the pandemic hit members of the population indiscreetly and randomly, from the rich to the poor, the Fortune 500 CEO to the local high school janitor, and the senior citizen to the innocent youngster.
This article looks at the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the nation’s mental health, how teenagers became innocent victims of the pandemic’s wide-ranging knock-on effects, and the 10 most important things every parent should know about their teenager’s mental health.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US mental health
During the last 18 months, anxiety, stress, and depression have affected the US population like never before. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO International), negative personal life-changing events, such as family bereavement, social isolation, loss of employment income, and basic fear are either triggering new mental health disorders and behavioral issues or exacerbating existing ones.
As more and more people experience anxiety and worry (and resulting random bouts of insomnia), the temptation to self-medicate issues away with addictive substances has come to the fore. Both research studies and online alcohol sales suggest a marked increase in both drug and alcohol use during this time.
And let’s not forget the health implications of the virus itself. COVID-19 can lead to several neurological and mental health complications, and the causes of so-called “long COVID” have yet to be fully uncovered. Those with preexisting mental, neurological, or substance use disorders—the “at risk”—are also more vulnerable to coronavirus infection. It has been demonstrated that those with such demographics stand a far higher risk of severe outcomes, including death, from COVID-19 infection.
US adult mental health: Facts and stats
According to the latest version of The State of Mental Health in America, which is published by Mental Health America (MHA), one of the US’s leading community-based nonprofit organizations, the coronavirus pandemic has compounded an already bad and growing national public health crisis.
- Research data from 2019—just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—showed that 19.86% of US adults experienced a mental illness, equivalent to nearly 1 in 5 (or close to 50 million).
- Suicidal ideation (i.e., thoughts of suicide) continues to increase among adults in the US, with 4.58% reporting serious thoughts of suicide.
- Over half of US adults with a mental illness receive no treatment at all. That means over 27 million receive no specialized medical assistance.
- The percentage of adults with a mental illness who reported needing of treatment has increased every year since 2011. In 2019, 24.7% of adults with a mental illness had their treatment needs unmet.
As more recent statistics clearly demonstrate, the general US population is struggling to cope with mental illness.
Recent data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey show that mental health issues increased significantly following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 36.5% of US adults in June, 2020 reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from just 11.0% in 2019. Whichever way you look at it, these findings suggest a national public health crisis just waiting to happen.
According to the Behavioral Health Workforce Report published by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), offering full access to evidence-based mental health care in the US to all those who currently need it would require training 4,486,865 new mental health professionals.
The stark reality is this: meeting the growing mental health needs of the US population with our current mental healthcare system is impossible.
What about youth mental health in the US?
Obviously, the mental health of children and teenagers is not immune to the effects of the pandemic, and research has been revealing that they consistently suffer similar symptoms of anxiety, depression, and high stress.
Here are the latest confirmed statistics, also from The State of Mental Health in America:
- An ever-increasing number of youth in the US are living with major depressive disorder (MDD). For example, 15.08% experienced a major depressive episode during 2019, a 1.24% increase from the previous year. In the worst-ranked states, around 19% of teenagers (aged 12–17) experienced major depression—nearly 1 in 5.
- Over 2.5 million youth (10.6%) in the US have severe depression (depression that negatively affects everyday functioning), and multiracial youth are at greatest risk. The rate of severe depression is highest (14.5%) among youth who identify as more than one race—that’s more than 1 in 7 multiracial youth.
- In our so-called civilized US society, over 60% of youth with major depression receive no mental health treatment whatsoever. Even in the states with the greatest access to specialist treatment, nearly 1 in 3 are going without treatment.
Substance abuse in the US: The impact of worsening mental health
The signs and symptoms of high-functioning depression (PDD) are similar to those caused by major depressive disorder (MDD) but are less severe. Both conditions, however, have a clear impact on substance use and abuse rates, as people with untreated mental health disorders sometimes attempt to self-medicate to alleviate symptoms.
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of substance use were increasing for both youth and adults. The pandemic, however, has accelerated these trends.
The following are statistics cited in the SAMHSA’s 2020 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
Alcohol use and abuse
- In 2020, among the 138.5 million people who were then alcohol users
- 61.6 million (44.4%) were classified as binge drinkers.
- 17.7 million (28.8% of binge drinkers and 12.8% of alcohol users) were classified as heavy drinkers.
- The group with the highest percentage (31.4%) of past-month binge drinkers was young adults (aged 18–25).
Illicit drug use and abuse
In 2020, the following statistics on illicit drug use were reported:
- Among those 12 or older, 59.3 million (21.4%) had used illicit drugs in the past year, including 49.6 million (17.9%) who had used marijuana.
- The percentage of people who used marijuana in the past year was highest (34.5%) among young adults aged 18–25.
- Among those 12 or older nearly 9.5 million (3.4%) had misused opioids in the past year. Among these, 9.3 million had misused prescription opioid-based pain relievers and 902,000 had used heroin.
Teenagers: Innocent victims of the COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly created a “new normal” for everyday life. However, the changes it brought to our ways of living have been extremely detrimental to the youngest members of our society—children and teenagers.
Through no fault of their own, youth are less equipped to handle massive and fundamental changes to their lives. In this respect, they are the most innocent of victims.
During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, US youth have had to contend with many significant social changes, such as social distancing, online schooling, and team sports bans. Many have also suffered traumas at home, such as a family member dying from the virus or a parent being furloughed or losing their job.
For those entering or amid the naturally tumultuous and challenging life stage of adolescence, such fundamental shifts have the potential to dramatically impact their mental health.
Here too, the scientific research data are clear, prompting a rare response from the Office of the US Surgeon General, which issued the Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis Further Exposed by COVID-19 Pandemic in December 2021.
“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide—and rates have increased over the past decade.
“The COVID-19 pandemic further altered their experiences at home, school, and in the community, and the effect on their mental health has been devastating.”
– US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (December 7, 2021)
Teenagers often find it extremely difficult to express their feelings fully. Instead, many choose to suffer in silence. They may therefore not realize that their feelings are extreme or that there are strategies they can use to mitigate them.
Additionally, it is not always obvious when a teenager is struggling with a common mental health issue, such as anxiety or depression. To all outward appearances, they may seem fine: making their usual grades, being considerate and respectful at home, and continuing to maintain friendships. Indeed, as feelings of anxiety or depression may be new to an adolescent, they may think they’re a normal part of growing up.
Compounding this oversight, parents may view signs such as personality changes, sudden mood shifts, and altered sleeping or eating habits as the effects of adapting to a new routine. For some, this may well be the case. However, these may be signs that their teen is struggling with difficult feelings about what’s happening around them or even a mental illness. They can also be signs of substance use and abuse.
Teen mental health: 10 essential things parents should know
Parents, guardians, and caregivers all over the US have been struggling throughout the coronavirus pandemic—with their own mental health, their financial needs, and the well-being and schooling of their children.
For many parents, concern over their teenage children is enough to cause stress during the best of times. It’s therefore understandable that they are anxious about the abrupt academic interruptions the pandemic has brought. However, how many US parents are proactive about fostering their teen’s mental health and well-being? Unfortunately, not enough.
The following guide for parents, guardians, and caregivers is designed with the simple intention to offer practical advice for adults concerned about the mental health of adolescents in their care.
As all parents know, kids do not come with a user manual or to-do list. As moms and dads know too well, the first rule of parenting is that there are no rules. However, the following guidelines offer food for thought and a framework for proactively fostering your teen’s mental well-being.
1. Focus on your relationship with your teen
Like many families in the US, yours may be enduring a stressful time. As a parent striving to do their best, you may feel like the glue holding it all together, from organizing your child’s school and other activities to preparing family meals each evening.
The best response to this added stress? Focus on your relationship with your teen, their well-being, and your close connection with them. Forget the rest—nothing is more important than the well-being of your children.
2. Do your best—You can’t do more
Don’t set unrealistic goals for your teen or yourself. While you should always try to do your best, don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go exactly to plan. Concentrate on quality time together and forget about being the best parent at your kid’s school.
3. Don’t compare your family to others
Every family has had to make changes during the pandemic, but these changes are unlikely to be identical. So don’t judge your family in comparison to those of your teenager’s friends. Each family fundamentally different.
4. Focus on being the parent you want to be
Social media and other online media, such as news channels, are full of the latest ideas on “pandemic parenting.” Forget about all that and simply focus on being the parent you would like to be. If you concentrate on being the parent of a happy and content child, most everything else will fall into place.
5. Feeling stressed? Press “pause”
Parents feeling stressed and anxious should certainly employ this strategy: press “pause.” Take a breath, walk away from a troubling situation, and regain control. The last thing you want is to take your frustrations out on your child.
Intense and hostile reactions never help. They could, however, damage your relationship with your child. Sometimes, the best reaction is no reaction at all.
6. Learn from others
Every US state sponsors a family-run organization that advocates the education of youth with mental or behavioral health struggles. These organizations offer parents and caregivers special tools, workshops, and conferences on mental and behavioral health in children and teens.
7. Practice self-care regularly
Self-care is about finding small opportunities to sustain yourself each and every day and is especially important for stressed parents. Beyond helping you, it provides an excellent self-care model for your teen. As part of self-care, limit your screen time. Endlessly scrolling through social media and news channels can take a toll on mental well-being.
8. Get help from a friend
If you’re overwhelmed, why not ask a friend or family member to help you? Reach out to a sibling, close friend, or another local parent. There is no shame in asking for a little assistance.
9. Seek mental health support
If your own mental health is concerning you, seek mental health support. In the US, online mental health services (i.e., telehealth) have created greater access to help. Speak to your primary care doctor for recommendations.
10. Watch for the following signs that your teenager may need help
- An abrupt change in overall mood, especially if the change persists
- Taking a break from normal friendships
- Loss of interest in favorite sports or activities
- Change in sleeping habits, such as having a hard time falling or staying asleep or sleeping much more than usual
- Changes in weight or appetite
- Difficulty remembering things or concentrating for long periods
- Changes in appearance, like poor hygiene or not caring about how they look
- Self-medicating behaviors, including drug or alcohol use
- Thoughts about death or suicide (known as suicidal ideation) or talking about hurting themselves
These are warning signs that your teen’s well-being may be at risk. However, even when such signs are not apparent, a child may still be struggling. Therefore, try to keep lines of communication fully open. Remember, the best way to find out how your child is feeling is to ask them directly.
Modern Recovery Services: Online adolescent therapy programs
If your teen has come to you asking for therapy or if you are concerned and would like an outside perspective, Modern Recovery is here to help.
Our online adolescent therapy programs feature the following benefits:
- Personalized treatment approach
- Group, family, and individual therapy sessions
- Intensive outpatient programming that employs an evidence-based curriculum
- Personal coaches matched to specific situations and conditions
- Online behavioral and mental health visits with a licensed therapist
Modern Recovery’s online adolescent therapy is available to anyone looking for an affordable, safe, and professional teletherapy option for their child.
Contact us today to ask questions, get more information, or get started.
Author: Modern Recovery Editorial Team
NOVEMBER 28, 2023