Who’s your hero? Growing up, mine was always Spider-Man. Yes, I know Spider-Man is not a real person, but I loved his character - the combination of humor and heart in this friendly neighborhood wall crawler. Granted, the Spider-Man I grew up with was nowhere as cool as the contemporary versions (sorry, Pete!), but he was my guy and one too many posters may have adorned the wall of my bedroom as a kid (no comment if I still have these or not).
Recently, I’ve come across a new group of heroes who inspire me. They may wear sneakers and hoodies in lieu of a mask and cape, and have backpacks instead of a fancy utility belt, but deserve equal measures of awe, respect, and recognition. I’m talking about our youth and their ability to radically change the way we in society take on mental health.
In fact, just yesterday I had the privilege to participate in an event at the White House, which was all about youth and mental health. The First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Ms. Selena Gomez all interviewed amazing up and coming youth leaders who are all, in their own unique way, tackling mental health. It was at times emotional but at all times inspiring. We are in good hands with the next generation.
Teens have stepped up to lead their peers through the worst mental health crisis this nation has seen in decades. Even more admirably, they have done much of it on their own, receiving relatively limited support from adults and policymakers. If you haven’t had a chance to witness this first hand, America’s youth is taking remarkable steps to advocate for a better world and give a voice to the voiceless. They are actively demonstrating the importance of the cause to their principals, legislators, and parents to make substantive changes to our broken mental health system. In fact, just this week, I had the opportunity to see first hand some of the amazingly talented youth stand up and lead on this critical issue.
Watching our youth lead is always inspiring. I remember in 2019 watching a determined group of Oregon high school students come together and advocate the state’s legislature to pass a bill that allowed students to take days off from school to tend to their mental health. From beginning to end, they shepherded the legislation and helped show other youth (and states) how to take action for mental health through policy.
Recently Well Being Trust supported the creation of the National Mental Health Advisory Board, consisting of 20 young adult leaders whose mission is to improve education and advance policies around mental health in this country. These brilliant young minds developed Evokate, a brand new online tool designed to give young people real-time access to mental health resources and a platform to passionately advocate for mental health reform.
When mental health experts talk about legislation and the need for elected officials to propose and pass laws that better prioritize mental health, many people’s default recommendation is to vote for leaders who understand the symbiotic relationship between mental and physical health, and who are passionate about expanding and ensuring quality care. That’s all well and good, except for the fact that we still have a sizable population – including a large portion of disaffected young people – that are not getting out to vote.
In listening to our youth, it’s clear that they are fed up with seeing their peers tired, overwhelmed, and struggling. They see a system that’s too difficult to navigate and often not there for them when they need it. Severe depression affects more than 2.5 million American youth, including one in every seven children that identify as multi-racial. Over 60 percent of these youth that are dealing with depression are not receiving any kind of mental health treatment. It’s a familiar narrative in desperate need of change.
Drug use among youth is also continuing its troubling upward trend. Over 2 million teens aged 12 to 17 reported using drugs in the last month. Overdose deaths due to opioids have skyrocketed, rising 500% among 15- to 24-year-olds since 1999.
The reasons why more and more of our children are finding themselves in this emotional downward spiral are obvious to anyone willing to see the forest for the trees: teens are understandably stressed about an increasing number of converging social, economic, and environmental crises, and the lack of meaningful, direct action from the adults who are supposedly in charge.
Which brings me to action, and how you and your friends and family members can follow in the brave lead of our country’s youth. If you are an adult reading this, we have to support and understand our responsibility to make the world better for the next generation. If you’re a parent, talk to your child and really listen to what he or she has to say about themselves and how they are feeling. Make sure they know that, no matter what, they have a safe and loving environment to call home.
To the youth of America, I say, your resilience and perseverance in the face of seemingly unending obstacles is a marvel to behold, and many of us in the mental health community are rooting for you. Continue to channel your energy, to raise your unified voices and demand change from the lawmakers of today, and use your vote to choose the leaders of tomorrow. You have more power than you realize, and when you use it, amazing things can happen. You are the leaders we need to change the direction of this country - mental health and all. I am hopeful because of you.