Awareness of Distinct Mental Health Challenges in U.S. Children, Teens, and Young Adults and Need for Non-pharmaceutical Treatments Essay

Awareness of Distinct Mental Health Challenges in U.S. Children, Teens, and Young Adults and Need for Non-pharmaceutical Treatments Essay

Awareness of Distinct Mental Health Challenges in U.S. Children, Teens, and Young Adults and Need for Non-pharmaceutical Treatments Essay

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Area of Emphasis: Mental Health Crisis and Challenges of Children, Teens, and Young Adults

Lesson and Exercise: Professional Obligation and Actions to Clients, Self, and Society

Intro:

Difference groups and individuals have stated we are in a current state of mental health crisis in the United States. Currently and in recent years, there have been additional and historically unique challenges that have impacted the mental health of many. One such group is younger individuals who are facing challenges, many of which are distinctly different for their age group and to this country versus other age groups and world cultures.

As mental health care professionals who are looked to as the ones to alleviate this crisis, we must be aware of statistics, varying client realities, and how our own personal biases and lack of awareness may negatively impede upon our success if we are to truly help our society and our clients who are in need of true expertise.

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Review and Respond:

Read the following and respond below.

1. Surgeon General Naming of Mental Health Crisis for Children: https://ir.magellanhealth.com/news-releases/news-release-details/magellan-health-responds-us-surgeon-generals-call-protect-youth
2. Unique challenges Gen Z are facing and the need of mental health care professionals to adapt their approaches https://ct.counseling.org/2022/01/the-emotional-and-social-health-needs-of-gen-z/

Awareness:

Magellan Health article regarding Surgeon General’s urge to act

Fill in the blanks:

1. “before the COVID-19 pandemic…1 in 6 children aged _2-8 years _ in the U.S. has been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.”
2. “during the pandemic, an increasing number of children were seen in emergency departments for mental health-related care….March-October 2020 [showed] a _24% increase in mental health-related ED visits among children aged __11 years and a _31% increase in youthaged _12-17 years compared with the same period in 2019.”
3. “A June 2020 CDC report…during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that __26 % of young people aged ___18-24 years seriously contemplated suicide compared to _11% of adults.

American Counseling Association’s article about Gen Z

Fill in the blank

1. Members of Generation Z are “typically defined as those born from the mid-_1900s to early 2010s_” and “they are often dubbed “_digital natives.”
2. Gen Z “is 27 % more likely than previous generations to report their mental health as fair or __poor”but are “ alsolikely than older generations to seek mental health counseling”
3. LMHC Nichole DeMoya “finds that many of her clients are in a constant state of worry” to include concerns about “future careers, school shootings, financial security, climate change and societal unrest.”

4. LPC Lauren Bellenbaum noted sensory skills to decrease anxiety such as “having a calming Pinterest board or pictures to look at, a soothing __spotify_ to listen to or their favorite _blanket__ or _sweater__ to wear.”
5. The article suggests and “stresses the importance of being_authentic_with this generation. As therapists we have to _move away__…from the _disconnected__ Freudian approach [where the mental health professionals] don’t engage in a more relational way” because “this generation often wants to _know more_ about the counselor they are working with” even if a therapist “recalls being taught as a counseling graduate student not to _self-disclose__ with clients” years ago.

Application:

Magellan Health article regarding Surgeon General’s urge to act

1. Specifically utilizing and noting psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson, what might children, teens, and young adults be experiencing that leads to mental health challenges?

Visual and overview: https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740

Ages 2-5: 1. Sense of guilt 2. Self-doubt 3. Lack of initiative 4. Exerting too much power              5. Disapproval

Ages 5-12: 1. Coping with new social demands 2. Coping with new academic demands               3. Lack of encouragement 4.  Feeling of incompetence in skills 5. Lack of belief in their skills

Adolescence:   1.   Confusion   2. Weak sense of self 3. Insecurity 4. Development of ego identity 5. Inability to live by society’s standards and expectations

Young adults: 1. Emotional Isolation 2. Loneliness 3. Poor sense of self 4. Depression 5. Failed relationships

2. What will you offer to your clients to specifically decrease or resolve (not just manage) their mental health symptoms?

Children 2-5:   1.  Opportunities for social interactions 2. Approval of their initiatives   3. Opportunities for play             

Children 5-12: 1. Opportunities for social interactions 2. Encouragement to improve their skills 3.Commending their performance           

Teens:  1. Opportunity to explore their independence    2.   Encouragement through personal exploration     3. Reinforcement through personal exploration            

Young adults: 1. Emotional support 2.  Opportunity to develop close, committed relationships      3.  Support in forming lasting, meaningful relationships             

American Counseling Association’s article about Gen Z

1. What did you learn about Gen Z that you did not yet know prior to reading this?

The article has enlightened me that Gen Z has a high incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders, which are attributed to social media, politics, racial unrest, school shootings and climate change. I have also learned that Gen Z have a higher tendency to seek mental health care for these mental disorders, which means that there is less social stigma among this generation compared to the older generations.

2. Considering the aforementioned findings of LMHC Nichole DeMoya, how would a mindset/statement from an older adult of “there is no climate change” or “throughout history, people have always had stress about school” likely come across to her/Gen Z clients and how might it impact their lives directly?

The statement from an older adult would make the Gen Z clients aggrieved about the future because things appear very unstable in their life. This would directly affect their lives since they would constantly live in a state of worry.

3. What could the father of DeMoya’s 12-year-old client do immediately to likely decrease his daughter’s anxiety about her city being bombed by a foreign country?

The girl’s father could have immediately stopped watching news about war when her daughter is around to alleviate the anxiety. On the contrary, he should watch content that is encouraging and promotes positivity when around the girl.

4. What specific techniques from the article can you apply in your work with Gen Z clients?

The techniques that I would employ when working with Gen Z clients include Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and Role-play. I would use DBT in helping Gen Z clients to improve their communication skills to enable them express their needs to others respectfully. This will increase the chances of having their needs met and attaining the outcome.  In addition, I would use role-play to help Gen Z clients to address their interpersonal issues and improve their interpersonal relationships. Role-play will help the clients to create effective interpersonal relationships in the actual setting.

Related:

Also, take some time to look online and read a few articles or watch a few videos on the topic of self-care for behavioral health care providers. We need to be our healthiest to help others!

List people in your life who come to you for support when they need someone to talk to or to help them through action

1. My sister
2. My partner
3. My best friend

For this, don’t feel obligated to fill out all the numbers. If there is no one, that’s ok—take note of that as an area where you will need to compensate elsewhere for self-care:

List people in your life you can go to for support. These should be people you can trust you’re your feelings, who will respond meaningfully to what you are saying and in a timely manner.

1. My mother
2. My best friend
3. My mentor
4. My partner

Knowing Self:
Proactive

List things you can do proactively to help manage your work-related stressors and demands.

1. Develop healthy responses to stressors.
2. Take time to revitalize.
3. Create boundaries to promote work-life balance and decline requests that may cause excessive stress in my life.
4. Maintain a positive attitude even on events that are beyond my control.                                                                                   

Reactive

List things you can do reactively when you start to notice your need to better respond to your work-related stressors and demands.

1. Seek therapy.
2. Implement relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing exercises.
3. Engage in regular physical exercises to boost my mood.
4. Monitor my stressors and how I respond to them.

Application:

Magellan Health article regarding Surgeon General’s urge to act
1. Specifically utilizing and noting psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson, what might children, teens, and young adults be experiencing that leads to mental health challenges?
Visual and overview: https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740
Ages 2-5: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Ages 5-12: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Adolescence: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Young adults: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

2. What will you offer to your clients to specifically decrease or resolve (not just manage) their mental health symptoms?
Children 2-5: 1. 2. 3.
Children 5-12: 1. 2. 3.
Teens: 1. 2. 3.
Young adults: 1. 2. 3.

American Counseling Association’s article about Gen Z
1. What did you learn about Gen Z that you did not yet know prior to reading this?

2. Considering the aforementioned findings of LMHC Nichole DeMoya, how would a mindset/statement from an older adult of “there is no climate change” or “throughout history, people have always had stress about school” likely come across to her/Gen Z clients and how might it impact their lives directly?

3. What could the father of DeMoya’s 12-year-old client do immediately to likely decrease his daughter’s anxiety about her city being bombed by a foreign country?

4. What specific techniques from the article can you apply in your work with Gen Z clients?

Related:
Also, take some time to look online and read a few articles or watch a few videos on the topic of self-care for behavioral health care providers. We need to be our healthiest to help others!

List people in your life who come to you for support when they need someone to talk to or to help them through action

1. 4.
2. 5.
3. 6.

For this, don’t feel obligated to fill out all the numbers. If there is no one, that’s ok—take note of that as an area where you will need to compensate elsewhere for self-care:
List people in your life you can go to for support. These should be people you can trust you’re your feelings, who will respond meaningfully to what you are saying and in a timely manner.

1. 4.
2. 5.
3. 6.

Knowing Self:
Proactive
List things you can do proactively to help manage your work-related stressors and demands.
1. 3.
2. 4.

Reactive
List things you can do reactively when you start to notice your need to better respond to your work-related stressors and demands.
1. 3.
2. 4.