Crisis help:

The pain is all around us, persistent and often hard to see.

But a youth mental health crisis demands “a swift and coordinated response” to a pandemic that has “exacerbated the unprecedented stresses young people already faced,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in an alert issued this month.

Even before Covid-19, mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people, he said. Up to 1 in 5 children have had a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder. More than 1 in 3 high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, with 1 in 5 seriously considering attempting suicide.

“The challenges today’s generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate,” Murthy said. “And the effect these challenges have had on their mental health is devastating.”

The nation’s collective obligation to act “is not just medical,” he said. “it’s moral.”

Read the full report here.

What young people can do

• Remember that mental health challenges are real, common, and treatable.

• Ask for help.

• Invest in healthy relationships.

• Find ways to serve.

• Learn and practice techniques to manage stress and other difficult emotions.

• Take care of your body and mind.

• Be intentional about your use of social media, video games, and other technologies.

• Be a source of support for others.

What family members and caregivers can do

• Be the best role model you can be for young people by taking care of your own mental and physical health.

• Help children and youth develop strong, safe, and stable relationships with you and other supportive adults.

• Encourage children and youth to build healthy social relationships with peers.

• Do your best to provide children and youth with a supportive, stable, and predictable home and neighborhood environment.

• Try to minimize negative influences and behaviors in young people’s lives.

• Ensure children and youth have regular check-ups with a pediatrician, family doctor, or other health care professional.

• Look out for warning signs of distress, and seek help when needed.

What educators, school staff and school districts can do

• Create positive, safe, and affirming school environments.

• Expand social and emotional learning programs and other evidence-based approaches that promote healthy development.

• Learn how to recognize signs of changes in mental and physical health among students, including trauma and behavior changes.

• Provide a continuum of supports to meet student mental health needs, including evidence-based prevention practices and trauma-informed mental health care.

• Expand the school-based mental health workforce.

• Support the mental health of all school personnel.

• Protect and prioritize students with higher needs and those at higher risk of mental health challenges.

The great challenge ahead of us is also an opportunity.

Said Murthy: “I believe that, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have an unprecedented opportunity as a country to rebuild in a way that refocuses our identity and common values, puts people first, and strengthens our connections to each other.”