Let’s Talk Statistics
Did you know that approximately one out of every five teenagers experiences at least one mental health disorder? (polaristeen.com) That is no insignificant number, and it is growing. The Journal of Abnormal Psychology published a study in 2019 showing that the teen mental health crisis is getting larger. This can include many things, so let’s break down of couple of the most common issues.
Let’s start with the one everyone thinks of when they here the term “mental health disorder”: Depression. According to adolescentwellnessacademy.com, depression can be defined as “marked by overwhelming and pervasive feelings of sadness, which can impair one’s ability to concentrate or engage in everyday activities.” Adolescent Wellness Academy also tells us that roughly 11% of teens have experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year. One can only imagine that the pandemic did nothing to help those feelings of isolation or despair.
Another prominent mental health disorder many teens face is anxiety. One of the more common forms of anxiety is generalized anxiety disorder. While occasional feelings of anxiety are completely normal, generalized anxiety disorder “involves persistent feelings of anxiety or dread, which can interfere with daily life”(https://www.nimh.nih.gov) . GAD affects about 3% of teenagers. If left untreated, GAD can be extremely detrimental to one’s ability to exist in daily life.
These are just two of the more common mental health problems that teenagers are facing. There are many more that can affect teens and adolescents such as self-harm, eating disorders, suicide-ideation, and more. If you want to learn more about these issues, there will be a list of resources linked at the bottom of this page.
While statistics show that many teens are experiencing these feelings, it can feel incredibly isolating and overwhelming to experience oneself. Many teens who struggle with these issues find themselves feeling alone, or like they have no one they can talk to. Here at Flourish, this is one thing we try to help with. Of course we offer counseling services through our partnership with True. Counseling can be very important when treating mental health issues. However, it can also be incredibly important to have something as simple as a safe place with people to talk to. At Flourish, we do our best to provide a place for girls to feel safe and comfortable. We offer a listening ear, and at the end of the day our goal is to help these girls know that they are not alone.
If you would like to donate to the Flourish Community Center to help us continue to provide a safe place for teen girls who are struggling with mental health, click below.
Want to support counseling services for teen girls a Flourish? Click below
If you would like to learn more about mental health disorders you can check out these web pages:
If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs immediate help, please reach out to the lifeline hotline:
