NAVIGATING TEENS & MENTAL HEALTH
CBC Youth Ministry // YOUTH MATTERS
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
What factors contribute to mental health? Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: biological factors (such as genes or brain chemistry), life experiences (such as trauma or abuse), and family history of mental health problems.
Source: Chip Bragg DYM
WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.
Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function.
A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy). (Source: Mayo Clinic - Mental Illness)
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States (43.8 million) experiences mental illness in a year. During that same year, approximately 1 in every 5 teenagers in school will have mental health problems. Research shows that half of all mental illnesses start by age 14 and three-quarters start by age 24.
Thoughts from the video
- We are grateful for Amanda's testimony and her bravery in order to speak out about such a tough topic in her life. It is a shame that more students don't feel comfortable in talking about such a painful thing in their life to those who are the closest to them...even more hurtful that they can't do this in the church. Let us seek out these testimonies and give them spaces and the ability to do so within the walls of the family, community, and the church.
- While we are grateful that she found a constructive outlet that allows her to contribute to society, mentor others, and connect to many...we believe that she doesn't go far enough. What her soul truly needs is a remedy, not a temporary fix. The solution is always Jesus that gives her a new identity, a new purpose, and a new community. Healing only comes through the free gift of grace that extends to her identity, her emotions, her whole being. Her solution must go above and beyond herself and must look towards the only sustainable source of life - Jesus.
- Imagine with us if she was transformed by the power of the gospel in this process? Not only would she be able to provide a powerful testimony, but now she gets to do this in front of a massive audience with long-term sustainable hope.
SOME EXAMPLES OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Anxiety Disorders: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issues in America. They can cause both an emotional and physical reaction. Psychological symptoms are unexplained or unreasonable feelings of fear and obsessive or negative thoughts. (ex: generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder)
Attachment Disorder: Attachment disorders are psychiatric illnesses that can develop in young children who have problems in emotional attachments to others.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): ADHD symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and very high levels of activity. Any child may show inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, or hyperactivity at times, but the child with ADHD shows these symptoms and behaviors more frequently and severely than other children of the same age or developmental level.
Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is a serious medical condition that causes dramatic mood swings from overly “high” and/or irritable (mania) to sad and hopeless (depression), and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between
Depression: is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least two weeks.
Eating Disorder: Eating disorders are characterized by extremes in eating behavior—either too much or too little—or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disorders frequently occur in people with other mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse issues. (Ex: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating disorder)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Children and teens could have post-traumatic stress disorder if they have lived through an event that could have caused them or someone else to be killed or badly hurt. Such events include sexual abuse, physical abuse or other violent crimes.
Self-Injury: Self-injury is the act of deliberately hurting oneself, often to change a way of feeling. Much self-injury becomes a pattern of behaviors that are ritualistic (use the same tool, cut in the same places, etc).
However, only 1 in 5 of these children is receiving appropriate treatment. Before young people get help an average of 6 to 8 years pass after the onset of mood disorder symptoms and 9 to 23 years for anxiety disorder symptoms.
WHY IT MATTERS
More Americans of all ages, racial, and socioeconomic categories now are dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety than before, according to the American Psychiatry Association.
Anxiety and Depression was the highest ranked concern among teens ages 13 to 17 as of 2018 surpassing bullying, drug and alcohol use, poverty, teen pregnancy, and gangs (Pew Research, 2019) Serious depression has been on the rise among teenagers for the past several years, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Between 2006 and 2014, the suicide rate among Americans 19 and under rose from 2.18 to 2.75 per 100,000 people. At least 36 states have experienced an increase in suicidal trends. In 2015, a Texas law required all public school teachers, counselors and principals in the state to receive training to be able to recognize and respond to the signs of suicide risk in students, with schools having to notify parents if their child might be at risk for suicide (Pew Charitable Trust)
WASHINGTON POST Suicide rates rise sharply across the United States, new report shows, by Amy Ellis Nutt
"Suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with increases seen across age, gender, race, and ethnicity." The Washington Post went on to say, "Increasingly suicide is being seen not just as a mental health problem but a public health problem. "Among the stark numbers in the CDC report was the one signaling a high number of suicides among people without a known mental health condition."
FURTHER RESOURCE: https://albertmohler.com/2018/06/11/briefing-6-11-18
WHAT ABOUT ASIAN AMERICAN TEENS?
Asian American youth are particularly vulnerable to these pressures, as a result of the immigrant culture’s tendency to emphasize top grades, extracurricular activities, and getting into the most prestigious colleges and universities. Perhaps due to a need to survive in a competitive, capitalist society, Asian American parents instill in their children a requirement to succeed by attaining a higher education from the best college possible to enter into the best possible profession.
Asian American youth, along with African American youth, are found to be about half as likely compared to their Caucasian and Hispanic peers to seek professional help when dealing with mental health issues. (American Journal of Psychiatry. 162, no. 7)
It’s been found that only 17% of Asian Americans faced with mental health issues receive professional help, contributing to the increased risk of suicide among this population. ( President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific-Islanders)This fact alone makes AA youth more vulnerable to the risk of suicide in high school and in later years such as college. Unfortunately, the decreased likelihood to seek mental health treatment and care is often a result of the stigma and embarrassment associated with not being able to help oneself out of whatever life problems a young AA adult may be faced with. (George Qiao. “Why are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?”)
2 MAJOR FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ANXIETY & DEPRESSION IN TEENS
- When it comes to the pressures youth face, academics is the highest source of stress for U.S. teenagers: 61% of teens across all racial and socioeconomic groups say they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades. In contrast, about 29% say they feel a lot of pressure to look good, 28% feel a lot of pressure to fit in socially, and 21% are pressured to be involved in extracurricular activities.The need to do well in school is generally linked to students’ post-graduation goals, with 59% of teenagers saying they plan to attend a four-year college. (Pew Research, 2019). After talking with many families and students to further understand the source of this anxiety and stress it became more clear that it wasn't one single issue that caused it. For many of our students, the anxiety and stress came from a mixture of 1) being overwhelmed by the amount of work rather than the difficulty of work. While there were some students that clearly neglected basic discipline, many of the students would say that they averaged 3-5 hours of homework a day (especially if there were in multiple AP classes). The sheer volume of work from classes, extracurricular activities, sports, music, leadership responsibilities all contributed to over-tired, over-worked students. Speaking to the school district about this, although they were aware that many of the students were stressed out more and showed signs of anxiety more than previous generations, they were left helpless to answer because they were accountable to district standards, national standards, parent advisory boards, etc. They were stuck in this no-win situation. 2) anxiety also came from parents almost at the same intensity. The fear of disappointing their parents or shaming the family was something that constantly came up when talking about anxiety and stress. A Student communicated, "My parents keep saying, 'we spent all this time and money on you and we just don't you to waste it.' and I understand where they are coming from but it puts too much pressure on me not to let our family down." 3) Anxiety from peers with regards to academics came in the form of social reputation. "I hated spring of senior year because everyone was asking me where I was going to college and I didn't know how to tell them that I didn't get into the major much less the school that I applied for." Others would say, "When it was concerning grades, I always had to lie because I didn't want my friends to know that I didn't make a certain grade. I felt like I was stupid around them and didn't want them to make fun of me." It is one or a combination of all of these factors that lead to serious mental health issues for a teenager already dealing with other things.
- Another source of depression and anxiety for teenagers cited by research is social media. Teenagers often look to Facebook and other social networking sites as a social barometer to gauge their popularity and attain social acceptance. Kids usually portray the best possible version of themselves on social media, which can not only give a false portrayal of a person’s life but lead kids to measure the quality of their lives and their self-worth according to the number of likes or comments they get from their social circle. ( Katie Hurley, LCSW, “Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health,”)The tendency to judge oneself and one’s peers is fueled by comparison and dissatisfaction, sometimes leading to real-life depression, body image concerns, and disturbances in sleep, according to research. (Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) Studies have shown that limiting social media time in young adults suffering from major depression may successfully lessen the symptoms of depression. (Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology) As a student continues to binge on other people's lives on social media, it inevitably leads to a comparison mentality. We have found that this trends either towards jealousy, discontentment, or self-loathing. As they compared the awesomeness of other people (some with much more access and privilege than they will ever experience) they focused in on their own lack of image, wealth, intellect, or social status and it would lead them towards a form of depression.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
1. THE MIND & THE HEART
While the following solutions are good and right, the first step is to engage the heart of the individual. It is to acknowledge that the heart is broken and constantly desires what is ultimately destructive left to its own devices. Theologian John Calvin once said, "The human heart is a factory of idols. Everyone of us is, from his mother's womb, expert in inventing idols." He affirms what is written in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" The broken heart that chases after futile things will never be fully satisfied because it chases things for which it was not made for. Only a redeemed heart can have the power and the ability to correct one's thinking and one's mind. It is a heart freed by the Gospel to the purpose of its creator that can truly move forward. As one's heart is changed, their mind then follows. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
As our students struggle with the pressure points and really deep pain points in their life, the only real remedy is the Gospel. In it contains the power for true healing and power for sustained hope. If the student truly understands that their identity is found in the perfected life of Christ, then they are set free from idolatry of comparison, idolatry of acknowledgement, and the idolatry of power. They are set free to succeed or fail and that not affect their already secured love of Jesus. They can live in light of the cross that exposes the guilt and shame of sin and remember that on Christ all their sin and shame was laid and so they do not have to bear that weight. The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, reminds them of a future hope that was secured for them in Christ and that this world is merely a passing moment and one day, as promised, our joy will be made full in light of glorious face. This is the true hope for the student. It is that they are loved more than they can full understand exactly as they are.
2. COMMUNITY, COMMUNICATION, & COUNSELING
We know that we are poor in this area as a church. Often churches are the places where it is easy to find hypocrites and judgmental people and it becomes a difficult place to truly be honest with struggles. But just because there are bad examples or misguided Christians in the churches does not negate the validity of the church. Our youth group seeks to be a place where hurt, pain, anxiety, stress are welcomed and shared. We try to be a place where we want to be proactive in talking about such things (not simply to be fixed, but to be felt). But we want to always go beyond the empathy towards healing and growth. We recognize that being a community that welcomes mental illness or those headed in that direction requires mature, patient, and gracious people. And we want to strive to cultivate a place where it is the norm. And as we try to communicate with our students about these issues, we want to ask them how they feel, what's going on in their hearts, what has been going on. It's learning how to ask hard questions and learning how to listen empathetically. In the youth group, we try to avoid asking "How is it going?" because the respond typically is, "It's ok." And that seldom gets us anywhere of real progress. However, when we ask, "What are some things that triggered you this week? What kind of emoji would describe your life right now?" those tend to gives us a better window in the lives of our students. And so we try to communicate with our students (all of our students) as much as possible. It's extremely difficult in this day in age, but at the very least it communicates that they are cared for and someone wants to know how their life is going.
Lastly, we recognize the limitations of our knowledge and skill. We are constantly trying to remove the stigma of professional counseling with our students. We try to go ourselves in order to understand what it is like and what the process actually is. Many times our students will say, "I can't go get help from a shrink...what will people think of me?" Work closely with the parents and seek to discuss what would be the best route for the student. There are times when a counselor is needed because of a variety of circumstances (i.e. medical, suicidal, etc.) We mentioned this at our parent's meeting but as a Chinese Church, we are notoriously bad at referring people to counseling. If the statistic is correct and says that those students who are suffering from mental illness only 20% receive proper treatment, then why isn't the Church helping those who need it the most? We need to have a list of counselors that we trust that we can refer our families to and the church ought to have some provisions in order to help the families who may need resources.