Mental health challenges among teens have been increasing for the past 15+ years. In a recent article from the New York Times, they report on findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to the state of teen depression and suicidal behavior among teen girls in the U.S.
In this article, they report how the pandemic took its toll on teen girls' mental health. More than 17,000 high school students were surveyed in the fall of 2021. They report that almost 60% of teen girls report feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness.
Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC's adolescent and school health division stated that, "we've never seen this kind of devastating, consistent findings. There's no question young people are telling us they are in crisis. The data really calls on us to act."
This article from the New York Times comes on the heels of an October 2021 declaration from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's National Hospital.
In October of 2021, this group declared teen mental health a "national emergency".
What Does the Data Tell Us?
Breaking down the data from the survey we find some startling information.
Among girls, 30% said they seriously considered attempting suicide, double the rate among boys and up almost 60% from a decade ago.
Almost 20% of girls reported experiencing rape or other sexual violence in the previous year, also an increase over previous years.
Feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness affected more than one-third of kids of all races and ethnicities and increased over previous years.
Almost half of LGBTQ students said they had seriously considered a suicide attempt.
The findings also identified this trend beginning prior to the pandemic. But the pandemic created other factors that contributed to the increase in teen anxiety and teen depression among teen girls. Isolation, online schooling, and increased reliance on social media made things worse for many teen girls.
And with the rise of sexual violence against teen girls, in addition to depression and anxiety, teen girls are dealing with trauma and PTSD.
Are There Warning Signs or Indications That My Teen May Need Help?
It can be hard as a parent to know if what your teen is experiencing is simply a typical teen phase or something more serious. With the numbers and information above, the safest way to go is to err on the side of caution.
There are symptoms of depression that you can be aware of. A more serious problem is more than a passing phase. If your teen girl is struggling with depression, these symptoms will be persistent.
Symptoms of Depression
The Mayo Clinic lists the following as symptoms of depression in teens:
Sadness,
Irritability,
Feeling negative and worthless,
Anger,
Poor performance or poor attendance at school,
Feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive,
Using recreational drugs or alcohol,
Eating or sleeping too much,
Self-harm,
Loss of interest in normal activities, and
Avoidance of social interaction.
Symptoms of Anxiety
The Mayo Clinic lists the following as symptoms of anxiety in teens:
Feeling nervous, restless or tense,
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom,
Having an increased heart rate,
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation),
Sweating,
Trembling,
Feeling weak or tired,
Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry,
Having trouble sleeping,
Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems,
Having difficulty controlling worry,
Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety.
I would also add anxiety symptoms that we have observed in working with teens at Katy Teen & Family Counseling in addition to the list above:
Poor performance or poor attendance at school,
Feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive,
Using recreational drugs or alcohol,
Avoidance of social interaction.
The Time to Act is Now While They Are Still in Their Teen Years
The sooner you act in getting help, the higher the chances are that teen therapy will be effective in the shortest amount of time. The longer your teen struggles with these symptoms, the likelihood of them successfully resolving them in therapy remains high, but it may take a little longer to help them resolve.
The main reason I have chosen to specialize in teen, young adult, and family therapy stems from the challenges I had as a teenager.
If I had a teen therapist who could have helped me resolve struggles with ADHD and resultant teen anxiety and teen depression, I wouldn't have had to carry these into my adult years.
And trying to resolve these complicated, long-standing challenges as an adult with all the adult responsibilities makes it a bit more challenging.
Overcoming these challenges as a teen will make the pathway to successful adulthood a lot smoother. This will increase the odds that they will transition into adulthood successfully.
And that's what I want to provide for your teenager and young adult.
What Does Katy Teen & Family Counseling Offer in Helping Teen Girls with Depression and/or Anxiety?
At Katy Teen & Family Counseling, we specialize in teen therapy, young adult counseling, and family therapy.
Specializing is important when it comes to working with teens and young adults.
A therapist cannot provide the same type of therapy approach for a teenager that they would an adult. Teens require a counselor who understands the teen's biological, psychological, and social stages they are currently in.
Teenagers also benefit from counselors who have made teen therapy and young adult counseling their focus in their therapy career. These therapists "get" teens and how to support their parents.
We use therapy approaches that have been supported by research and shown to be effective. Some of our teen therapy and young adult counseling approaches include:
Katy Teen & Family Counseling: Specialists in Teen Therapy & Young Adult Counseling Katy, TX & Houston
With the mental health challenges teen girls face in today's world, outside help can make all the difference. Your teen does not have to struggle with persistent feelings of sadness. She does not have to feel hopeless and her self-worth can rise to the level where it should be.
At Katy Teen & Family Counseling, we specialize in teen therapy, young adult counseling, and family therapy. At our Katy, TX location, we want to help your teen or young adult girl overcome depression or anxiety. All you need to do is follow these three simple steps:
Contact Katy Teen & Family Counseling
Talk with one of our caring therapists
Begin the healing process today!
Other Therapy and Counseling Services Offered at Katy Teen & Family Counseling
At Katy Teen & Family Counseling, we provide a variety of therapy approaches that are supported by research and shown to be effective. Some of the teen therapy and young adult counseling we offer are:
Board Certified Neurofeedback Therapy
Peak performance (optimal academic brain performance)
Peak performance (optimal athletic brain performance)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy)
Group Therapy for Teens
Body Image
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling
Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling can be very effective. The secret ingredients to success is each person willing to look at themselves and work to do things differently, together. When a marriage counselor or couples therapist has this to work with, the success rate can be very high.
Sometimes life will throw challenges at us that create situations that put strain on our marriage or relationship. It may be due to:
Choices and actions that have been made by one partner.
Financial downturn in the economy creating financial strain.
Feeling like you're growing apart.
Feeling like you don't have as much in common as you used to.
Whatever the reason may be, marriage counseling and couples therapy can help. Couples therapy and marriage counseling has also been found to work in less time than individual therapy.
If you've worked hard for this relationship and find that there are now barriers in the way of maintaining a healthy relationship, contact us at Katy Teen & Family Counseling.
About the Author
Jason Drake is a Licensed Clinical Worker - Supervisor (LCSW-S), Board Certified in Neurofeedback, EMDR trained, and a Certified Brain Health Professional through the Amen Clinics. He has provided therapy to teens, young adults, and families since 2003 and is the Owner & Lead Clinician at Katy Teen & Family Counseling and Katy Counseling for Men.
He specializes in leading teams of high performing therapists who also specialize in teen therapy, counseling young adults, and family counseling.
Jason is also a leader in the field of teen, young adult, and family counseling providing expert coaching and technical assistance to teen Residential Treatment Centers across the country.
Jason is also a regular contributor to various magazines and publications lending his expertise to various mental health related topics. You can check these articles out on our "Featured Articles" service page on our website.
He has also been a guest on Fox 26 Houston and on a podcast, "Grow a Group Practice" with Alison Pidgeon.
If you are ready to start teen counseling or young adult therapy call, text, or email us today!
Phone Number: 281-519-6364
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