Teens and young adults are facing mental health challenges at a growing rate. It can be challenging to distinguish between developmentally normal behaviors and emotions and those that may be cause for concern. One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. In fact, half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 

The most recent 2021 CDC’s Youth Risk Behavioral Data reported the numbers of youth that:

Mental health issues in adolescence are more than feelings of sadness. It can impact many areas of a teen’s life. Youth with poor mental health may struggle with school and grades, decision making, and their health.

Mental health problems in young adults often go hand-in-hand with other health and behavioral risks like increased risk of drug use, committing or experiencing violence, and a higher chance of sexual behaviors that can lead to HIV, STDs, and unintended pregnancy.

Why aren’t teens seeking help?

In May 2024, the Jed Foundation released a Research Report: Unraveling the Stigma: Exploring Barriers to Mental Health Support Among U.S. Teens. The research study examined teens (ages 13-17) to try to understand the role of stigma in discouraging seeking help.

Research Findings

While the stigma associated with mental health support has widely been blamed for the reluctance to reach out, bigger barriers exist. The top 5 barriers when talking about uncomfortable emotions with adults and friends were:

Stigma related barriers including “I don’t want anyone to find out that I’m struggling” were ranked 8th for speaking with adults (43%) and 6th for speaking with friends (48%). With such little percentage change from #1 to #6 when speaking with friends, it’s clear that many factors are impacting youth at one time.

When asked where they would go for support in various situations, teens identified:

Supporting the support network of friends

In-real-life friends were identified about 40% of the time for various situations as the resource of choice for youth. Educators can help by empowering these friends with readily accessible evidence based tools.

Students need to know how to get help both in and outside of school. Schools can post signage around the building pointing teens to available resources. QR codes that direct teens to crisis lines and community mental health resources, as well as codes to book an appointment with a wellness center counselor, should be readily available.  Schools should also identify evidence-based mental health and mindfulness apps and provide QR codes for easy access. Here are some suggestions:

• The Teenline provides support, resources, and hope to young people through a hotline of professional trained teen counselors, and outreach programs that de-stigmatize and normalize mental health.
• The Go Ask Alice website answers health related questions. 
• The Crisistextline is a 24/7 text-based crisis support service that connects individuals with trained crisis counselors.
• The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth thorugh its accredited, free, and confidential phone or instance messaging and text messaging services.
• Some regions offer free online therapy for youth, such as NYC teens, where  13-17 year olds can access TalkSpace therapists for free.

Your school or community based organization may also consider contracting with Playbl to make their PlaySmart game available which provides youth with accurate knowledge and skill-building strategies focused on promoting mental health and preventing opioid and other substance misuse. Or the empowerED: Think it Through Digital Stories game, which instructs youth on how to take action to improve their school environment, to recognize themselves as agents of change, and improve their sense of well-being.

Promoting a culture of care

A culture of care in school signals to students they are being looked after and support is always available. When youth feel connected to their school they are less likely to experience poor mental health, sexual health risks, substance use, and violence.

There are many ways to create and promote a culture of care and connection in schools.

• Talk about mental health in multiple settings, including in the classroom, and during clubs, sporting activities, and extracurriculars, to reinforce messages of seeking help and normalize mental health concerns and difficult emotions.
• Prioritize life skill development and mental health education to empower students to recognize and discuss mental health challenges and know how and when to seek help for themselves and others.
• Offer social media literacy lessons to help teens navigate finding help in digital spaces. 
• Provide peer mentorship programs to promote connectedness and support.
• Create pathways for students to receive mental health support outside of school hours to reduce concerns about missing class and falling behind academically.
• Encourage school counselors and health staff to build relationships and trust by joining students during free periods or lunch. 
• Empower student leaders to design programming that builds cultural awareness and inclusivity in schools. 

The research indicates that teens need more opportunities to learn about and practice expressing their feelings and seeking help for emotional challenges. It also shows that teens’ second choice problem solvers are their in-real-life friends. Both groups, those with the problem and those supporting them, need more encouragement and examples of how to find support for mental health issues, as well as more information about what they should expect when they ask for help. 

Playbl is a mission-driven organization focused on improving adolescent behavioral health. As a partner to the play2PREVENT Lab, we leverage the power of evidence-based video games to improve health outcomes for youth aged 10-20. Game topics include smoking & vaping, opioid misuse, mental health, and sexual health. Click here to learn more about our games!