Teenagers & Young Adults’ Mental Health: Organizations Bridge Gaps, Holds Assemblies To Build Trust and Connect With Young People

Teenagers and young adults aren't usually forthcoming when it comes to discussing about their issues and struggles. Young people's mental health problems such as addiction often go into the backburner until it manifests in ugly ways.

This problem is what prompted some organizations to alter their approach in helping teenagers and young adults have better mental health. Remedy Live, a non-profit organization based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, helps youngsters deal with a bunch of mental health issues like addiction, bullying, and eating disorders by making teens and young adults trust and open up to them, according to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Remedy Live's sessions focus on the question, "How are you?" The 24/7 crisis chat line entertains anonymous teens and young adults who are in need of someone who will listen to their problems and help them feel connected. Clinton Faupel, the executive director for Remedy Live, said the group's volunteers and staff ensure their callers that self-harm, substance abuse, and forms of escapism like gambling and excessive use of video games are not the answer to their issues.

According to Faupel, the reason why there are so many teens and young adults with mental health problems is because they have selfish tendencies and believe that their situation is unique. This is why Remedy Live holds interactive assemblies at area schools so young people can meet and talk with others also going through the same predicament.

Technology & Social Media

Technology and social media have made it hard to reach out to young people about their mental health. Teens and young adults use tech devices and social media platforms as escapism methods, which is their way of escaping and coping with their issues.

Because of this, young people have a harder time verbalizing their problems. Studies found that excessive use of social media damages young people's sleep and increases their chances of developing anxiety and depression, The Guardian reported.

Teenagers & Young Adults Resisting Treatment

Rita Self Barile, a licensed mental health counselor at St. Joseph Behavioral Health in Fort Wayne, said young people are resistant at first to the center's traditional 12-step program because they think it's old-fashioned. The treatment, however, is considered as successful.

Northeastern Center in Kendallville, Indiana is also seeing success in its 12-week treatment program. It centers on young adults' behavior, decision-making, morals, and thought processes.

Around 20 percent of adolescents in the United States have mental health disorders, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty. Between 500,000 and one million young people aged 15 to 24 attempt suicide annually.