As we’ve written about several times in this newsletter, there is a mental health crisis in the United States. According to the White House, “Two out of five adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression.” Between 2008-2016, there was a 71% increase in reports of severe psychological stress among adults 18-25, and that was before the pandemic created intense grief and isolation around the entire world.
Opinions are divided on how the government should intervene. Should it be legal to mandate treatment for those in severe mental distress, even if they’re not in immediate danger? Should mental health screenings become a more frequent part of standard health care for children? We’d love to know your thoughts.
For now, we wanted to highlight some promising stories about how communities are pulling together to help those in need of help.
Young Adults Take Control Of Social Media And Mental Health
Numerous studies have shown that social media has a negative effect on teens–yet it seems so deeply ingrained into American daily life, how are teens to avoid it? In the Los Angeles area, a group of teens have collaborated with YA librarian Emily Meehan, through the Los Angeles Public Library’s Teens Leading Change initiative, to facilitate meaningful conversations around social media use. They’ve also created PSAs and brochures about healthy online habits for themselves and their peers.
SC Raises The Bar For School Services
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently conducted a survey of the state’s schools and found a 65% increase in accessibility of mental health services! Access to mental health counselors in schools is vital to solving the teen mental health crisis.
We applaud both the South Carolina school system and the Teens Leading Change initiative, but these actions are simply not enough. We need large scale action to make a dent in the mental health crisis.
First, give workers shorter working hours with short breaks and an adequate lunch break. Fix the broken systems, give people justice they deserve, free healthcare and free justice from lawyers to court, paid family leave, provide housing and food for mothers who want to say home to raise their children for x number of years, stop the fear mongering, put restrictions on religious groups, stop allowing extremist to force their agenda, stop getting involved in other countries to send our tax dollars instead of helping our own country, allow people to homestead instead of forcing them to be codependent on the government and corporations, care about the people more than the corporations, stop human trafficking, stop male violence against women and children, mandate at least 30 days paid vacation and sick days (used for them or family) which can be extended due to certain conditions/situatons, develop a government women's health department run by women for women's research, healthcare policies and laws governing women and children, create safe spaces for women and children in/on public spaces/transport, prosecute male violence against women and children, mandatory wage increases, mandatory free public education to include universities, mandatory education curriculum from pre-k to 12th across the county, human rights are based on the country not per state (we do live in the same country so why do you allow states to decide human rights), expand healthcare services that are covered under insurance for women, pass and enforce a law allowing all children and women the right to protect themselves, protect women who maim or murder a man/women they harm in defending themselves or their child, provide safe housing communities for women and children only, mandate 1 year in hospital psychiatric care for man or woman stalking, domestic violence or assault (not in self dense), etc...
Please tell whomever cares that psychological drugs should be more affordable. They are doing research on psychedelics for affordable alternatives for mental health drugs. I believe that they are more affordable and safe. I hope they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that psychedelics are safe. Maybe just maybe this is a solution. Best Susan 👌 p.s. I'm speaking from the point of view of a mentally ill woman that takes psychedelics medication everyday. 💊 I'm stage 3 kidney disease from traditional meds. God bless
Stop trying to control others bodies.