Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
2020 Was Awful Year For Teen Suicide
CNN: Adolescent Suicides Increased In 5 US States During The Pandemic. Why Parents Should Be Concerned
The mental health of Americans has suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and new research shows the damage wasn't limited to adults. The number of suicides among adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 increased in five states during the pandemic, according to research looking at 14 states published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on Monday. Data from Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Virginia and California also showed an increase in the proportion of adolescent deaths by suicide relative to suicides by people of all ages, the authors found. Conversely, Montana had a decrease in adolescent suicides and the proportion of adolescent deaths by suicide during the pandemic, while Alaska had a decrease in proportion only, the research found. (Rogers, 4/25)
NBC News: Teen Suicides Increased In Many States During Pandemic
Adolescents accounted for a larger share of suicides across 14 states in 2020 than they did over the previous five years, according to research published Monday. The findings were described in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, as medical groups and health experts increasingly sound the alarm about the soaring mental health challenges of young people. In October, three prominent children's health organizations declared that child and adolescent mental health had become a national emergency. (Bendix, 4/25)
The New York Times: ‘It’s Life Or Death’: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens
One evening last April, an anxious and free-spirited 13-year-old girl in suburban Minneapolis sprang furious from a chair in the living room and ran from the house — out a sliding door, across the patio, through the backyard and into the woods. Moments earlier, the girl’s mother, Linda, had stolen a look at her daughter’s smartphone. The teenager, incensed by the intrusion, had grabbed the phone and fled. (The adolescent is being identified by an initial, M, and the parents by first name only, to protect the family’s privacy.) Linda was alarmed by photos she had seen on the phone. (Richtel, 4/23)
How you can help adolescents —
The New York Times: How To Help Teens Struggling With Mental Health
The counsel from experts is resounding: Be clear and direct and don’t shy from hard questions, but also approach these issues with compassion and not blame. Challenging as it may seem to talk about these issues, young people often are desperate to be heard. At the same time, talking to a parent can feel hard. “Be gentle, be curious, and, over time, be persistent but not insistent,” Dr. Hinshaw explained. “Shame and stigma are a huge part of the equation here, and if you are outraged and judgmental, be prepared for a shutdown.” (Richtel, 4/23)
The Conversation: The Transition Into Adolescence Can Be Brutal For Kids' Mental Health – But Parents Can Help Reduce The Risk
Research into how young people develop emotional skills found that a parenting style which encourages understanding and acceptance of emotions is associated with better mental wellbeing compared to styles which are dismissive, punitive or avoid emotional experiences. s well as general emotional response style, there is an array of other factors linked to anxiety and depression which parents can play an important role in mitigating. (4/21)
The 74: This Teen Shared Her Troubles With A Robot. Could AI ‘Chatbots’ Solve The Youth Mental Health Crisis?
Fifteen-year-old Jordyne Lewis was stressed out. The high school sophomore from Harrisburg, North Carolina, was overwhelmed with schoolwork, never mind the uncertainty of living in a pandemic that’s dragged on for two long years. Despite the challenges, she never turned to her school counselor or sought out a therapist. Instead, she shared her feelings with a robot. Woebot to be precise. (Keierleber, 4/13)
Also —
NPR: Why Some Research On Mental Illness And The Brain Falls Short
MRI scans have allowed researchers to peer inside the human brain. And the technology is great at revealing damage from a stroke, or areas that light up when we see a face. But brain scan studies have yet to offer much insight into the underpinnings of traits like intelligence, or mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. A key reason is that these studies need to include scans of thousands of brains, instead of the dozens typically used, a team reported in the March 16 issue of the journal Nature. "You need a very large sample, and bigger samples are better," says Dr. Nico Dosenbach, an author of the study and an associate professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. (Hamilton, 4/26)
