Askwith Education Forum | The Crisis in Adolescent Mental Health

Name: Askwith Education Forum | The Crisis in Adolescent Mental Health
Uploaded: 2023-03-21T21:10:36.000Z
Duration: 1 h 56 min 1 s

Introduction

The host, Josephine Kim, introduces the topic of Adolescent Mental Health and the panelists. She defines mental health and highlights the increase in mental health challenges among high school students.

Young people are sending a strong signal of distress.

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their community.

Coping with normal stresses of life is challenging given the current situation.

The Forum seeks to offer a more nuanced understanding of teenage mental health along with new responses and interventions.

Panel Discussion

The panelists discuss various aspects related to adolescent mental health.

Landscape of Teenage Mental Health

Adolescents are growing up in an ecosystem that blurs boundaries between real life and digital life.

Managing tension between talking about suffering experienced by teenagers during pandemic without overwhelming people is important.

Strong relationships with caring adults support adolescent mental health.

Impact on Identity Development

Adolescence is a time for identity development both offline and online.

Digital space plays an important role in adolescents' lives.

Role of Schools

Schools play an important role in supporting adolescent mental health through creating safe spaces for students to talk about their feelings.

Teachers need training on how to identify signs of distress among students.

Importance of Community Support

Communities can support adolescent mental health by providing resources and support for families.

Communities can also provide opportunities for adolescents to engage in activities that promote well-being.

Q&A

The panelists answer questions from the audience related to adolescent mental health.

How can parents help their children cope with stress?

What are some effective interventions for supporting adolescent mental health?

How can schools create a culture of well-being for students?

Introduction

The speakers discuss the basic requirements of human beings and how they are consistent across cultures. They also introduce the concept of trauma-informed systems.

Basic Human Requirements

All humans have basic requirements, including food, water, shelter, safety needs, and love and belonging.

Trauma-informed systems can help meet these basic needs for adolescents in schools.

Being trauma-informed benefits not only students but also teachers and parents.

Factors Affecting Mental Health

The speakers discuss the complexity of factors affecting mental health and how it varies by race, class, culture, and community.

Increase in Mental Health Problems

There is a media narrative about an increase in mental health problems among adolescents.

Rates of anxiety and depression have increased since 2010/2012 with girls suffering twice as much as boys. LGBTQIA+ youth are also suffering at high rates.

Factors affecting mental health vary by community such as achievement pressure in Lexington or intergenerational poverty.

Conclusion

The speakers conclude their discussion on adolescent mental health by emphasizing the need for specific conversations about challenges faced by different communities.

Need for Specific Conversations

Specific conversations are needed to address challenges faced by different communities regarding adolescent mental health.

Introduction

The speaker discusses the increase in mental health problems across different age groups and countries.

Mental Health Problems on the Rise

Mental health problems have been increasing for elementary school kids, college students, and parents.

Young adults are suffering significantly higher rates of anxiety or depression than before.

Adolescents' mental health is affected by the era they live in and their developmental stage.

Factors Affecting Adolescent Mental Health

The speaker discusses factors that affect adolescent mental health.

Ecological Systems Model

The Chrono system is often overlooked in the ecological systems model.

Developmental stages play a significant role in shaping experiences.

Adolescence is about trying to make meaning and fit into a big world.

Brain Development

Brain development occurs from bottom to top, inside out, and back to front.

Managing emotions and considering others are essential skills for becoming an adult.

External cues help support healthy brain development.

Potential Obstacles to Healthy Brain Development

Toxic stress can hinder healthy brain development.

Stressful environments can negatively impact adolescent mental health.

Conclusion

The speaker gives an example of a task to illustrate how stress affects cognitive function.

Cognitive Function Task

The audience is asked to spell their name backward within eight seconds.

The Importance of Safe Environments and Peer Influence

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of safe environments and peer influence in adolescent development.

The Privilege of Being in the Top Part of the Brain

It is a privilege to be in the top part of one's brain as an adolescent.

Safe environments and systems help healthy brains, allowing for better engagement with the world.

Peer Approval and Positive Peer Influence

Adolescents hunger for peer approval, but social comparisons can be detrimental.

Peer influence can be positive and help young people thrive.

Managing Emotions and Attentiveness to Others

Growing up involves learning to manage emotions and being attentive to others.

Wellness practices should focus on being attentive to others' needs rather than just self-focused.

Crisis Language in Adolescent Mental Health

In this section, the speakers discuss crisis language in adolescent mental health.

Crisis in Adolescent Mental Health

We are currently experiencing an adolescent mental health crisis due to a surge in need during the pandemic.

The workforce cannot surge at that rate, making it difficult to meet demand for specialized care.

Clinicians of color are also lacking in the pipeline, making it even more challenging to provide care for kids from all backgrounds.

Normalizing Adolescent Emotionality

A lot of work is needed to help parents differentiate between normal adolescent emotionality and concerning behavior.

Understanding Mental Health in Children and Teens

In this section, the panelists discuss what mental health is and how it relates to children and teens. They emphasize that having reactions that fit their context is a sign of good mental health, and they stress the importance of managing those reactions effectively.

Signs of Good Mental Health

Distress can be evidence of good mental health if it is an appropriate reaction to a situation.

It's important to focus on how feelings are managed rather than just the presence of distress.

The ability to handle difficult emotions in adaptive ways can be growth-giving.

Normalizing Teen Anxiety and Depression

While anxiety and depression rates among teens are concerning, it's important not to pathologize these experiences.

Many teens are absorbing stress from the world around them, such as gun violence in schools or climate change.

Developing coping strategies can be beneficial for long-term well-being.

Screen Time: Friend or Foe?

In this section, the panelists discuss screen time and its impact on mental health. They caution against an all-or-nothing approach to screen time and emphasize the importance of considering individual vulnerabilities when setting limits.

Individual Vulnerabilities

Adolescents are not a monolithic group; everyone has their own particular vulnerabilities when it comes to screen time.

Parental monitoring and positive peer networks can help mitigate negative effects of social media use.

Avoiding Guilt About Screen Time

There is often guilt associated with screen time, but it's important to recognize that normative development can happen on screens.

Social context is crucial in determining the impact of screen time on mental health.

The Importance of Context and Shame

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of context when it comes to screen time and how shame is attached to it.

Context and Boundaries

It's important to actively think about context and what we all require.

Compassionately set boundaries for screen time.

Explain that all of these things can have advantages and disadvantages.

Shame

Toxic shame is attached to screen time.

There's so much judgment that happens around it.

We don't deal enough with the idea of shame.

Loneliness in Adolescents

In this section, the speakers discuss loneliness in adolescents and how it has significant neurobiological detriment. They also talk about simple ways to reduce loneliness.

Loneliness in Adolescents

Loneliness was the number one concern around the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, folks were saying they were lonely.

Loneliness actually has significant neurobiological detriment.

Simple Ways to Reduce Loneliness

Simple things like greeting people, looking them in the eye, and welcoming them help reduce loneliness.

Care for Parents as Caretakers

In this section, the speakers discuss caring for parents as caretakers. They also talk about specific things parents can focus on when it comes to digital technology.

Young Adults Mental Health Concerns

Young adults' mental anxiety and depression are high because loneliness rates are high.

About 40% of young adults aged 18 to 25 report being lonely more than half the time in the last three weeks.

Caring for Parents as Caretakers

Parents of young kids are lonely as well.

High rates of loneliness among parents of young kids.

Find ways through family support programs to scale programs that connect parents to each other and to resources.

Digital Technology for Parents

Adults want to be mindful of what the norms in digital environments where kids are hanging out are.

Teenagers are more vulnerable to norms in their environments than children and adults.

Algorithms establish norms for kids based on what they may have looked at or searched once, which can become problematic.

Sleep and Norms

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of sleep and how algorithms establish norms for kids based on their online behavior.

Sleep

Rising mental health concerns reduced hours and sleep.

Sleep is a significant concern when it comes to digital technology.

Norms

Algorithms establish norms for kids based on what they may have looked at or even glanced at or searched once.

Kids who started looking into fitness or eating changes received an unbelievable volume of content around fitness and thinness, which became a norm.

Screen Time and Digital Technology

The speakers discuss the nuanced view of screen time, digital technology, and social media. They also suggest a more Draconian view about children's access to these technologies in their bedrooms.

Nuanced View of Screen Time

The speakers suggest taking a more nuanced view of screen time, digital technology, and social media.

80% of young people sleep with their phones under their pillows.

Younger generations do not feel alone when they are texting or gaming in their bedrooms.

Draconian View on Children's Access to Technology

The speakers suggest that children should not have access to screens in their bedrooms.

This is because it is a public health issue as loneliness is becoming prevalent among younger generations.

However, the speakers acknowledge that technology can be an adaptive way for young people to combat loneliness during social distancing protocols or when they are not accepted in their immediate environments.

Cell Phones in Schools

The speakers discuss whether cell phones should be allowed in schools.

Ban on Cell Phones

One speaker suggests banning cell phones from schools altogether.

They argue that there was no need for cell phones during their generation as emergency situations could be handled by going to the principal's office.

Restrictions on Cell Phone Use

Some schools have restrictions on cell phone use such as putting them in pockets behind doors or keeping them in lockers.

However, parents are concerned about safety issues such as school shootings and want to be able to reach their children during the day.

The speakers suggest that parents need to learn to manage their anxiety about this issue, but they also acknowledge that it is a co-regulation process.

Teaching Technology Skills

The speakers discuss the importance of teaching technology skills.

Smart Consumerism

One speaker suggests that young people should be taught to be smart consumers of technology.

They argue that not everything deserves attention and that young people should learn how to prioritize their time.

Reality Check

The speakers acknowledge that parents are concerned about safety issues related to technology use, but they also emphasize the importance of teaching young people how to navigate these issues.

Ultimately, we cannot control everything in our children's lives, so it is important for them to develop skills and resilience.

Generating Opportunities for Meaning and Purpose

The panelists discuss actionable steps to generate more opportunities for kids to have meaning and purpose. They suggest getting kids involved in other people's lives, causes larger than themselves, and national service. At the school level, they recommend creating relationships through intentional strategies like advisory periods or posses.

Creating Relationships

Schools should be more intentional about creating relationships.

Care in Common has a relationship mapping strategy where all adults identify those kids they have a caring trusting relationship with.

Every kid should be anchored to one adult.

Intentional strategies like advisory periods or posses can build peer relationships.

Normalizing Distress and Texture of Conversation

The panelists discuss how teenagers feel relieved when we normalize a degree of distress. They also talk about the importance of distinguishing between normal ups and downs versus mental health concerns or trauma. Additionally, they mention the need to texture conversations with recognition that teenagers will have lots of big feelings that are not all very positive.

Normalizing Distress

Teenagers feel greatly relieved when we normalize a degree of distress.

Texture conversations with recognition that teenagers will have lots of big feelings that are not all very positive.

Distinguishing Between Ups and Downs vs Mental Health Concerns or Trauma

It is important to distinguish between normal ups and downs versus mental health concerns or trauma.

Making a Plan Instead of a Ban

The panelists discuss how making a plan instead of a ban is an effective way to teach teenagers about technology. They suggest understanding the motivation behind what they're doing online and not making assumptions that they're wasting their time.

Making a Plan

Making a plan instead of a ban is an effective way to teach teenagers about technology.

Understanding the motivation behind what they're doing online is important.

Creating Safe and Inclusive Environments

In this section, the speaker discusses how to create safe and inclusive environments for everyone within the system.

Perpetual Curiosity

The system should allow everyone to be perpetually curious.

Questions should be encouraged, and safety should be centered for everyone.

This is not a clinical intervention but a human intervention.

Fragility and Strength of the Human Condition

The human condition can be fragile but also strong.

We can co-construct environments that promote safety and belonging.

Quick examples in schools include hanging stars from the ceiling with students' pictures on them to make them feel seen and welcome.

Shifting Narrative Powerfully and Reframing

Life was never meant to be easy, but we can learn how to suffer well.

There is inevitable suffering, but there is also preventable needless suffering.

Teaching young people about this helps us all become better.

Supporting Adolescents Through College Transition

In this section, the speaker talks about supporting adolescents through their transition to college.

Stressful Change

Students need to understand that transitioning to college will be stressful.

Change is inherently stressful, which is unavoidable stress.

College Readiness

High school graduation does not equate to college readiness.

Only about half of kids go to college, so helping kids transition into their next step is important too.

Mandy Seventh Roamers Course

Mandy teaches a course on transitioning into college that may provide more information on this topic.

Mental Health Challenges in College Admissions

In this section, the panel discusses mental health challenges and how they are often misinterpreted in the college admissions process. They also discuss how to talk about mental health challenges in a way that suggests that they are being managed.

Talking About Mental Health Challenges

Mental health challenges often get misinterpreted in the college admissions process.

It's important to talk about mental health challenges in a way that suggests they are being managed.

Wait until you have found meaning from your experience before talking about it.

Adults can support teenagers and adolescents to talk about mental health by starting conversations around wellness and safety.

Fear and Safety in Conversations Around Mental Health

In this section, the panel discusses fear and safety as important factors when having conversations around mental health. They emphasize the importance of creating space for people to be curious, truthful, and express their needs.

Fear and Safety

Fear is often conflated with mental illness, but everyone should be concerned with their mental health.

Fear is often codified into policies and practices, but we need to create space for people to be curious and truthful.

Ask people what they need to feel safe enough to do their job or thrive as human beings.

Creating conversations around safety and belonging helps create conditions for safety and belonging.

Therapeutic Conversations Without Therapy

In this section, the panel discusses how therapeutic conversations don't necessarily require therapy. They emphasize the importance of meaningful connections between children and adults, especially in large public school districts.

Meaningful Connections

There are many things that are therapeutic that are not therapy.

Ensuring each child has a meaningful connection with at least one adult is important.

Policies and practices that improve meaningful connections include after-school programs and coaches.

Importance of Mentorship and Love in Schools

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of having enough adults in a teenager's life to find someone meaningful to them. They emphasize that it is not necessary for all these adults to be counselors but rather anyone who can provide mentorship and love.

Need for Mentor-Rich Environments

Chemistry problems exist between teenagers and adults, so it is essential to have enough adults in their lives.

Security guards or front desk personnel often do more emotional heavy lifting than anyone else.

We need mentor-rich environments where kids are anchored to at least one adult.

Reverse relationship mapping should be done to identify people kids talk to about mental health problems.

Importance of Love

Love gets lost in schools, but it is crucial for teenagers' well-being.

Community members who love kids can be leveraged, such as retired persons who can provide wisdom.

Inviting community members into schools has shown success, especially in trauma-informed school models.

Pathologization and Clinical Feedback Loops

The speakers discuss the consequences of pathologization and clinical feedback loops on students. They also talk about how education on mental health can help young people differentiate between typical responses and pathological ones.

Consequences of Clinical Feedback Loops

Students may become ensnared in a self-fulfilling prophecy after making contact with the clinical system.

The goal is for young people to feel deeply supported by everyone in their environment.

Education for young people about mental health can help them differentiate between typical responses and pathological ones.

Clear lines should be drawn about when it is time to bring in an adult, such as when hearing about depression or suicidality.

Closing Remarks

The panelists share their final thoughts and takeaways from the discussion.

Panelists' Final Words

Empowerment: One panelist shares her takeaway as "empowerment."

Nuances: Another panelist summarizes her thoughts with the word "nuances."

Love and Hope: A third panelist chooses "love" and "hope" as her final words.

Selfie Time: The moderator suggests taking a selfie with the crowd, which is agreed upon by everyone.

Selfie Time

Using Moderator's Phone: The moderator offers her phone for taking the selfie.

Turn Around to Get Everybody: She instructs everyone to turn around to get everybody in the frame.

Taking the Picture: They take a group picture together.

Thank You: The video ends with a thank you message.