Teen Mental Health Month (March 2025)
The reality of being an adolescent in 2025 is that the world is hard, you should probably be worried about something or someone around you, and you likely feel pressure to do something about it. You also likely feel like you can’t do anything about anything. This is probably why anxiety is the highest mental health disorder among teens (31.9%) followed by depression (20%). Studies suggest that starting between the ages of 11-15 (peaking 15-17) 13-17% of adolescents will engage in self-harming behaviors; 15.7% of teens have a plan for attempting suicide and 8.9% have made an actual attempt. The statistics are alarming - teens are desperately trying to get the attention of individuals around them to enter in and listen. They are living in a scary world both in reality and online.
Statistics are great, but how can we as professionals, caregivers, educators, and parents translate those numbers into action? The first step is entering in. One of the most important things that we can do is understand the world that our teens are experiencing. They go to school and are afraid of school shootings. They get online and are afraid of bullying or catfishing. They experience significant pressure athletically, academically, socially, and in their hobbies. They are being told who to be while having no idea who they are. They are faced with many things for the first time: alcohol, drugs, sex, trauma, etc. They are also bombarded by vicarious trauma and drama through online circuits like Instagram and TikTok. Are you overwhelmed yet? Imagine a teen trying to process all of this when the most important thing to them is what is in front of them - the ability to think in a critical manner is just starting to develop for teens. It is important for anyone in the helping position to understand the immensity of what teens are carrying in order to partake in the next step, listening without fixing.
Listening without fixing is very important for teens, but very difficult for adults. Individuals in that caretaker role want to take on that pain and “fix” the problems, but this often does not build confidence or resilience in the other person. Adversity and hardship are two things that force us to grow because they make us uncomfortable, teens included. The most important thing that we can do is be available. Simply listen to listen, not to respond. It is therapeutic in itself to have someone come alongside and truly listen to you and engage in your story, hurts, and victories empathetically and authentically - we owe this to our teens as well. This models a healthy way of entering in and sitting with hard things while moving through and understanding difficult emotions and spaces. However, it is important to remember that we should also communicate with our teens and kids that there are specific scenarios in which action must be taken. These scenarios may vary by family unit, but should always include instances of substance use, self-harm, suicidality, and bullying. When in doubt, reach out to a professional for guidance to navigate these issues as a family.
Below there are several additional resources listed in honor of World Teen Mental Health Day (March 2nd). Please feel free to check them out!
References (Stats)
Compass Health Center. 2025. Teen Health Facts and Statistics 2024. https://blog.compasshealthcenter.net/teen-mental-health-statistics
Resources
