Depression and suicidal thoughts among US youth is growing

A recent study done shows that one and five adolescents in America received mental health care in the year 2018. The most common reason for getting care is for internalizing mental health conditions such as depression and suicidal ideation. The Covid pandemic has worsened mental health of adolescents, college students as well as adults.

The most common internalizing problems across the US included thoughts of killing or harming themselves, depressive symptoms, feeling afraid or tense, and or eating problems. There are other externalizing problems that that adolescents and college students received mental health care for. These included breaking rules, trouble controlling anger, getting into fights, relationship problems including problems at home in the family or with friends.

Aldo school counseling centers, college counseling centers, and medical providers may be the first step towards getting care, they may not be optimally equipped to manage more severe forms of problems that account for a large chair of the mental health problems of this age group.

If you or a loved loved one is suffering with sadness, depression and/or  thoughts of suicide-please get mental health treatment immediately. You can call a counselor, a trusted friend, a parent or a psychiatrist to get help. Because mental health problems are often easily treatable.