Laura Mitchell| Opinion contributor
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, has sounded the alarm on the youth mental health crises our country faces, with unprecedented challenges made even more severe by the pandemic. His recent report was as clear as it was dire.
"The pandemic eras unfathomable number of deaths, pervasive sense of fear, economic instability, and forced physical distancing from loved ones, friends, and communities have exacerbated the unprecedented stresses young people already faced,"Murthy wrote. "Our obligation to act is not just medical its moral."
Our children are simply coping with the effects of the world in which they are growing up. A global health crisis, massive geo-political unrest, including the war in Ukraine, growing climate concerns, and ongoing racial and political division in the U.S. are fueling this decline in the overall mental wellness of our youth. Regardless of how intentionally we try and protect our children, they are inevitably being impacted by these massive forces influencing everyone, everywhere.
Its clear that massive, intentional action is necessary to create better outcomes for physical health and mental well-being. Our plans must go beyond addressing our current situation they must consider the future and build toward a brighter tomorrow.
To start, we need to reframe the question about mental wellness. Its time to ask different questions.
"Whats right with you?"instead of "What happened to you?"
"Whats strong with you?" instead of "Whats wrong with you?"
Once we are asking the right questions, we can address mental health challenges head-on, together, as a community.
But, what if we all came together to create better systems that could transform the future for us and our children? We must develop a comprehensive approach that brings together doctors, therapists, teachers, social workersand other diverse experts in appropriate fields of study. Involve parents, civic leaders, clergyand everyone in the community. An intentional community response is critical as everyone in the city benefits from the improved mental health of its citizens.
A comprehensive solution isnt just throwing money at the problem and hoping that overburdened schools, government programsand social service agencies pick up the slack, though proper funding is important. No, a comprehensive plan means looking at every aspect of the problems we face.
For example, a recent study on mental health in teens found that proper diet, nutrition and exercise can reduce depression in young people, and this is just the type of insight we should act upon. We need to look at health care and prescription costs, and destigmatize and decriminalize mental health. We have to increase the number of qualified providers of mental health services and remove barriers to accessing this care.
Beech Acres Parenting Center wants to be part of the change.As we head into summer, know our mental health teams inside local schools are prepared to continue to provide services to students.Our experienced Parent Connext team is on hand to meet individually with parents to support them with anything from separation anxiety to screentime battles.With All Families staff is equipped to support foster families, kinship families and any family facing challenges and hardships that need empathy and help connecting to resources.
Now is the time to be curious and discover solutions with the community. Listen and observe whats happening in our schools, on our playgrounds, in our parksand in our neighborhoods. Test possible solutions and learn from our failures. Create accountability by establishing ways to share access to data that is easy to find and understand. Make kindness and empathy the norm. Successes can be shared and scale from neighborhood to neighborhood and community to community.
Lets move away from coping with a decline in mental wellness and toward transforming our community to a healthy, positive environment where our children can thrive.
Laura Mitchell is president and CEO of Beech Acres Parenting Center in Anderson Township.
Go here to read the rest:
- Guest opinion: The time has come for Central Iowa Water Works - Business Record - August 6th, 2022
- How not to become a global health expert - Speaking of Medicine and Health - PLOS - August 6th, 2022
- A Tale of Two Schools: A Failing Boston School Building and the Impact on Two Communities - NBC10 Boston - August 6th, 2022
- Unpacked by AFAR Podcast 4: All About Regenerative Travel - AFAR Media - August 6th, 2022
- For Jesuits (and everyone else), the people you live with can be the hardest to serve. But that's what we're called to do. - America Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- Governor Murphy Announces Mark Dinglasan as Director of the Office of the Food Security Advocate - InsiderNJ - August 6th, 2022
- North Battleford, Sask. comments on crime severity index ranking - Global News - August 6th, 2022
- The Unexpected Satisfaction of Leaving Behind the American Dream - Dwell - August 6th, 2022
- How to improve accessibility and digital inclusion | Penn Today - Penn Today - August 6th, 2022
- Clearing the Way for a Whiter, Wealthier Tax Base in Minneapolis - UNICORN RIOT - Unicorn Riot - August 6th, 2022
- A Polling Result Never Seen by the City's Charter Commission Shows Portlanders Overwhelmingly Favored Placing Three Reforms on the Ballot Separately -... - August 6th, 2022
- This Miami-Dade school board member was a teen father. That shaped his views on sex ed - WLRN - August 6th, 2022
- Oakland City Hall in conversation: Loren Taylor - The Oaklandside - August 2nd, 2022
- Wisconsin Public Education Network: Jennifer Black announced as 2022 Changemaker of the Year - WisPolitics.com - August 2nd, 2022
- Draft rules to govern police conduct in Oregon leave lots of wiggle room - Oregon Public Broadcasting - August 2nd, 2022
- This Hartford camp is working to build young leaders; it makes everybody feel included - Yahoo! Voices - August 2nd, 2022
- Smith brings a bigger perspective to Chamber leadership job Pratt Tribune - Pratt Tribune - August 2nd, 2022
- Readying the Applied Epidemiology Workforce for the Future of Public Health Practice - JPHMP Direct - August 2nd, 2022
- Evegreen administrator honored for work in special education - Daily Inter Lake - August 2nd, 2022
- DoiT International Ranks No. 15 on Fast Company's Fourth Annual List of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators - Business Wire - August 2nd, 2022
- Overground Railroad: The importance of storytelling and history - Mississippi Today - August 2nd, 2022
- All About the Utopia That Was Once in Perth Amboy, NJ - Montclair Girl - The Montclair Girl - July 31st, 2022
- Comment: 988 crisis line will help, but care needed after call | HeraldNet.com - The Daily Herald - July 31st, 2022
- Denver residents give input on $2 million in city infrastructure spending - CBS Colardo - July 31st, 2022
- 25 Chicagoland moms are participating in a three-year pilot program to further invest in their academic careers - Chicago Tribune - July 31st, 2022
- Bakari Sellers tells local audience progress has been made but there's work to be done - Journal Times - July 31st, 2022
- Revisiting the Courier & Press' diversity pledge in 2022 - Courier & Press - July 31st, 2022
- Declutter Your Home and Build the Life You Always Wanted | The Michigan Chronicle - Michigan Chronicle - July 29th, 2022
- Could the US highways that split communities on racial lines finally fall? - The Guardian US - July 29th, 2022
- 25 Chicagoland moms are participating in a three-year pilot program to further invest in their academic careers - Yahoo! Voices - July 29th, 2022
- Charles Thompson Dailey Obituary - The Arizona Republic - The Arizona Republic - July 29th, 2022
- Monterey County youth find "food for the soul" at Sol Treasures - KCBX - July 29th, 2022
- Learning Behind the Mask: Communities come together in remarkable ways to learn and adapt through COVID-19 - School of Journalism and New Media - Ole... - July 29th, 2022
- What We Learned from Five Years of Funding Community Safety and Transforming Policing - Inside Philanthropy - July 29th, 2022
- Terwilliger Plaza, One of the Largest Passive House Certified Senior Living Buildings in the U.S., Set to Complete Iconic Skybridge in Downtown... - July 29th, 2022
- Life Deeds, Inc. Launches Rebrand Amidst Efforts to Assist Community with Housing, Employment, and Strength-Based Initiatives - PR Newswire - July 29th, 2022
- Economic Violence and the Safer American Plan By Julianne Malveaux - Seattle Medium - July 29th, 2022
- King County Council Holds Meetings Addressing Gun Violence And Its Impact On Families and Communities - Seattle Medium - July 29th, 2022
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at the 32nd Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act Reception - The White House - July 29th, 2022
- Marcus Williams: Prattville Disabled Vet Helping Bring Awareness to the Cause #StillServing - Elmore Autauga News - July 29th, 2022
- The Impact of Bias on Health Equity and the Human Experience - PR Web - July 29th, 2022
- Cruise industry faces choppy seas as it tries to clean up its act on climate - Reuters - July 29th, 2022
- Peace, philanthropy and psychedelics: A Jewish lens on the ascendant popularity of psychoactive substances - eJewish Philanthropy - July 29th, 2022
- Interview: LINN Talks About "Happiness is Real," Experimenting with Sound, and More - LIVING LIFE FEARLESS - July 29th, 2022
- The courage to get things done - The Fulcrum - July 29th, 2022
- Protecting neighborhoods from future flames (It Takes a Village) High Country News Know the West - High Country News - July 29th, 2022
- Bona Ventura: The Good Journey - St. Bonaventure - July 27th, 2022
- Saudi Arabia Wants to Build This Bizarre City Dubbed 'The Line' - Gizmodo - July 27th, 2022
- 'The Resort' Is a Twisty Summer Vacation Thriller - TIME - July 27th, 2022
- Illinois sees spike in tax revenue from sales of adult-use cannabis in fiscal 2022 - Financial Regulation News - Financial Regulation News - July 27th, 2022
- More public art is headed to the hike-and-bike trail - Austin Monitor - July 27th, 2022
- Corvallis Social Justice: Land Acknowledgements in Activist Circles, Helping Unhoused Neighbors Beat the Heat, Bodyland - The Corvallis Advocate - July 27th, 2022
- Maverick City Music performs the largest event in Skid Rows 100 year history: 'Spirit led' - The Christian Post - July 27th, 2022
- U-M remains committed to DEI through transition period | The University Record - The University Record - July 27th, 2022
- Easthampton foundation, Mass Audubon team up to provide students with outdoor education - GazetteNET - July 27th, 2022
- Rock band Foreigner to perform Friday at the Ohio State Fair - The Columbus Dispatch - July 27th, 2022
- Sam's Club Participates in Youth Hiring Program to Prevent Cycle of Incarceration - Progressive Grocer - July 27th, 2022
- City heat islands force vulnerable residents to weather summer's worst - The News Leader - July 27th, 2022
- So Good to See You: Highlights From Pittsburgh's 2022 TCG National Conference - American Theatre - July 27th, 2022
- Where will all the wildlife go? - Montana Free Press - July 27th, 2022
- Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (as delivered by Deputy Special Coordinator Lynn... - July 27th, 2022
- A bite-sized guide to the undiscovered foodie communities of Cape May County - Jersey's Best - July 23rd, 2022
- The Return of Ms. MuseBecause We Need Righteous, Riotous Feminist Poetry Now More Than Ever - Ms. Magazine - July 23rd, 2022
- Lawmakers want to expand affordable housing. Communities say, Not in my back yard - The Hill - July 23rd, 2022
- Diversity, equity, inclusion initiatives no longer optional - eyes are on Erie - GoErie.com - July 23rd, 2022
- Reflecting on the inclusive beginnings of the Concert of Colors - WDET - July 23rd, 2022
- Live United: Go forth and tell community members you're proud of them - Albert Lea Tribune - Albert Lea Tribune - July 23rd, 2022
- The Hawks and State Farm combat hunger by packing one million meals in nine hours - The Atlanta Voice - July 23rd, 2022
- Partnering with Philadelphia teachers to inspire climate action | Penn Today - Penn Today - July 23rd, 2022
- The Supreme Court Cited Ordered Liberty to Overturn Roe. Whats Next? - Truthout - July 23rd, 2022
- How to Reduce Your Exposure to Toxic PFAS - Earth911.com - July 23rd, 2022
- Jill Biden's 'breakfast tacos' remark was not a gaffe. It was intentional and will drive Latinos to the GOP - Fox News - July 17th, 2022
- The Health and Healing Powers of Community - The Epoch Times - July 17th, 2022
- Texas Senators Not Qualified to Give Tour of Border Communities - RAICES - July 17th, 2022
- Hawks and State Farm Rally 5,000 Volunteers To Pack more than One Million Meals to Fight Food Insecurity in Metro Atlanta - NBA.com - July 17th, 2022
- PS&E Partners with Local Park Organizations to Leave Lasting Legacy - NBA.com - July 17th, 2022
- Speaker at Park River Bible Camp backs out after backlash from surrounding communities - Grand Forks Herald - July 17th, 2022
- Meet the 3 candidates in Ann Arbors 4th Ward council race - MLive.com - July 17th, 2022
- Community gives input on Tropicana Field redevelopment in first community conversation - Weekly Challenger - July 17th, 2022
- Two Indigenous women at the forefront of beauty and wellness share their intentional approach to business - CBC.ca - July 17th, 2022