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As Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy addressed students across the Yale campus this fall, I remember hearing these four words repeated:
Youth mental health crisis
Months later, I still think about these words and what they mean. How did this crisis come about? Why isn’t it said enough? And what does this mean for our young people and their futures?
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 49.5% of adolescents ages 13 to 18 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives. This high price cannot be ignored. There is a real crisis. To conceptualize this, I think of my younger brother and his friends who just started high school last August. When I think about their current vulnerability to mental health concerns, I start to get anxious.
If half of young people are experiencing a mental health disorder, the first thing we need to understand is what it is. symptoms. This can adversely affect daily functioning, school performance, family and social relationships. disease) and depression.
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health disorders because of their developmental stage. Many neurobiological, emotional, and social changes occur during this time in life, exacerbating conditions such as anxiety and depression. According to CDC’s Debra Houry, Ph.D., it is being “eroded” by individual changes, as well as by external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.[d] student mental health. “
But this problem will only improve if we do not identify new ways to provide the mental health support young people so desperately need. Currently, the supply of mental health care is not meeting that demand (this applies to all age groups, not just adolescents).
The lack of mental health professionals, which limits service delivery and access, calls for innovation in mental health care delivery.
First, let’s look at where adolescents spend most of their time: schools. Schools are the primary environment and primary access point for students to receive mental health care. However, adolescent students may face stigma from peers if they are unaware that they are experiencing mental health ailments or decide to seek help. They can play a central role in looking for common signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and being trained to understand changes in student behavior and emotional patterns.
In addition, screening should be conducted at the beginning of each school year and at regular checkpoints for long-term monitoring of students’ mental health. Students who experience mental health changes based on these screenings can be referred to appropriate services for additional support, such as school nurses, psychologists, and social workers. The strategy emphasizes the importance of prioritizing student mental health in schools.
The nascent field of digital health can then be leveraged to stem the tide of the mental health crisis facing young people. Technology is an excellent modality for providing mental health care because physical examination is not required for the management and treatment of mental health conditions. People simply need someone to talk to, and it can be done in a virtual format. We know that the use of “telemental health care” has increased since the onset of COVID-19 and will continue to increase. As such, technology is a powerful tool for expanding mental health care and meeting the high demand for mental health disorders among young people.
Finally, a combinatorial approach is also available. One such example is his Boston-based startup Cartwheel. Learn more about the startup here.
Sure, some might argue that it’s not the school’s responsibility to monitor the mental health of its students, but as a society, we need to start somewhere and pool our resources. is particularly advantageous as it does not burden the school as it is introduced to the provider on the platform.
Rethinking how we care for the mental health of today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders can untangle the same four words that have profoundly affected me.
Maya Tawil is a student at Yale University.
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