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What is Driving the Increase in Adolescent Mental Health Issues?

adolescent girl with depression

Adolescent suicide, depression, and other mental health disorders were serious issues long before the onset of the global pandemic. Now, a year into the pandemic, experts are releasing statistics showing the drastic rise in mental health issues in all age groups, including adolescents.

A pre-publication, peer-reviewed report in the journal Pediatrics found significantly higher increases of adolescent suicide in the months “when COVID-related stressors and community responses were heightened, indicating that youth experienced elevated distress during these periods.” The authors based their findings on the comparison of positive suicide risk screens for January-July 2020 as compared to January-July 2019.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline also reported a four percent increase in call volume between December 2019 and December 2020.

Risk Factors that Increase Mental Health Issues in Adolescents

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates ten to twenty percent of adolescents worldwide struggle with mental health issues and warns, “The more risk factors adolescents are exposed to, the greater the potential impact on their mental health.”

Adolescence is a time when young people are struggling to fit in, socially and emotionally. They are especially vulnerable to bullying, social ostracization, family dysfunction, problems in school, and trauma, any of which may trigger a mental health issue.

Many of these factors are particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 crisis. A report by the Surgeon General on Mental Health entitled Risk Factors for Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders in Adolescents includes factors that teens have widely experienced since the onset of the pandemic. These include:

  • Increased stress, fear, and anxiety
  • Parental depression
  • Negative family environment (may include parental substance abuse)
  • Child mistreatment or abuse by parents
  • Family conflict
  • Loss of school, sport, church, community routine
  • Loss of supportive relationships with friends, extended family members, mentors

How is The Increase in Adolescent Mental Health Issues Linked to COVID-19?

COVID-19 has given rise to what we now call the “new normal.” Unprecedented school closures, loss of face-to-face support systems, enforced isolation, disrupted routines, family problems and more have created an environment of stress, anxiety, and fear that has triggered or worsened adolescent mental health issues.

Many studies have linked isolation and loneliness to an increased risk for depression, anxiety, substance use and eating disorders, and other mental health problems. Isolation from their peers is especially difficult for adolescents and may increase suicide ideation in that population.

As COVID-19 continues to make widespread isolation the new normal, a review in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, states that “loneliness is associated with mental health problems, including depression and anxiety-potentially affecting them [children and adolescents] years later.”

Tampa Bay’s ABC Action News also reports that “new numbers show children’s mental health issues are on the rise amidst COVID-19.” They cite statistics released from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, which found a 35 percent increase in children with mental health issues and a rise in suicide attempts from April through November 2020 as compared to that time period in 2019.

Link Between Social Media Use and Increase in Adolescent Mental Health Issues

While teens using social media to stay connected to their social communities can be positive, extensive use of social media also carries risks. Experts say risks increase when adolescents obsess about gaining “likes” on their posts and make comparisons between their own physical appearance or life circumstances and that of others. This can lead to anxiety, depression, and even thoughts of suicide.

Unfortunately, the anonymity of social media has made it easier for people to engage in cruel, hate-filled cyberbullying. Studies have found adolescents who experience cyberbullying are about twice as likely to engage in self-harm, including attempted suicide, as those who do not experience such bullying. Interestingly, bullies themselves are about 20 percent more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors than non-bullies.

As we mentioned in our recent blog, “What is Driving the Increase in Adolescent Eating Disorders”, about 63 percent of teens are using social media more than they did before the pandemic, according to surveyed parents.

Warning Signs an Adolescent May be Considering Suicide

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) warns that young people most at risk for suicide are those who have a history of suicide attempts. SAVE lists the following warning signs that may signal an adolescent suicide attempt.

  1. Talking about or making plans for suicide
  2. Expressing hopelessness about the future
  3. Displaying severe/overwhelming emotional pain or distress
  4. Showing worrisome behavioral cues or marked changes in behavior, particularly in the presence of the warning signs above. Specifically, this includes significant:
    • Withdrawal from or changing in social connections/situation
    • Changes in sleep (increased or decreased)
    • Anger or hostility that seems out of character or out of context
    • Recent increased agitation or irritability

If you or a loved one are considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Resources and Tips for Parents

It is vital that parents educate themselves on how to recognize a mental health issue in their child, what steps to take if they suspect a problem, and who to contact in case of emergency.

Suicide can be an impulsive act. Experts urge parents to reduce or eliminate access to “lethal means.” This means keeping weapons like guns or sharp objects and prescription and nonprescription medications locked away.

Resources

The National Institute of Mental Health Children and Mental Health provides resources for parents.

If you are a parent, a teen, or you know a teen in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-TALK) 24 hours a day to be connected with the nearest crisis center in your area.

Turning Point of Tampa’s goal is to always provide a safe environment and a solid foundation in 12-Step recovery, in tandem with quality individual therapy and groups. We have been offering Licensed Residential Treatment for Addiction, Eating Disorders and Dual Diagnosis in Tampa since 1987.

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