A Call to Action for Our Youth: U.S. Surgeon General’s Public Health Advisory on Teen Mental Health Crisis
On December 7th, U.S.Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory on the adolescent mental health crisis following the pandemic. In this public call to action, Dr. Murthy notes that in recent years, there has been in increase in teen depressive symptoms and suicide ideation. In the report it was also noted that Black children (13 and younger) are more likely to die by suicide than White children, and on average children of color are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges over their White counterparts.
As pointed out by Dr. Murthy, adolescent mental health implications will quickly become a second pandemic if we do not move quickly and mobilize on all fronts to tackle the problem. The report lays out what specific groups, organizations, and politicians can do to prioritize teen mental health. It’s time for action.
“The challenges today’s generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate. And the effect these challenges have had on their mental health is devastating”.
- Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General
In the long term, there are many things that need to change. We need to see real accountability from groups like Meta, Instagram, and Twitter who benefit from time spent on their platforms, despite mounting evidence that they were aware of the negative mental health consequences being on their apps have for teens. We need politicians to push for funding mental health groups in schools, and pass policies that work to alleviate childhood poverty at a national level. And finally, we all need to increase discourse and education surrounding mental health to normalize help-seeking behavior.
In the short term, there are many groups that have been doing incredible work to increase mental health resources for teens:
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people.
Active Minds is dedicated to saving lives and building stronger families and communities through education, research, advocacy, with a focus on young adults ages 14–25.
TherapyTribe is passionate about using the power of the Internet to connect people in need. They work to help people find key mental health resources like therapists, support groups, wellness tools, as well as an overall sense of community.
Real Talk recognized this increased need for teen mental health resources and have realigned our program to meet this demand (in fact, Real Talk stories cover 94% of CDC recommended standards for mental health education). Teens want a space to share their stories, and communicate openly and honestly with one another regarding their mental health. Our goal is for Real Talk to provide a platform where they can feel less alone.
In this together,
Cristina & the Real Talk team
P.S. There are lots of ways to support our work further – whether through financial support or partnering with us to bring Real Talk to teens in your community. Email us with any inquiries at founders@realtalkapp.com