When I was 15 years old, my closest friendThen began a battle with substance abuse and mental health issues. It was a struggle that she and I were both too young to fully understand. It wasn’t until her bright smile disappeared that many in my community began to understand the ubiquitous impact of mental suffering on today’s youth.
It pays to be aware that mental health issues can be deadly. But, horrifyingly, struggling to cope with this devastating loss forced me to come to terms with the underlying mental health struggles that had defined my adolescence. . Having not yet received an official diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or anorexia, I was constantly undermining how urgently I needed to seek help. Because I couldn’t articulate what I was experiencing, I thought my pain didn’t matter, no matter how severely it continued to interfere with my life.
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As I looked to my companions, I realized that I was not alone. Many of us shared similar experiences but lacked the space to talk about it or the ability to seek care. We had internalized common attitudes toward the youth mental health crisis. It only acknowledged mental health emergencies, not the underlying issues affecting our health. Simply put, only in moments of crisis do we recognize the need to provide avenues of care. This oversight can be fatal and have far-reaching consequences.
Across the country, there is a rapidly escalating mental health crisis among America’s youth. Consider recent data. Ministry of Health and Human Services: Nearly half of American youth struggle with mental health. Similarly, us news Based on recent research published in Annual Report of Pediatrics and Child Health It found that the suicide rate among 13- to 14-year-olds more than doubled over the past 10 years. National Alliance on Mental Illness Nearly 1 in 10 high school students reported attempting suicide in the previous year.
Despite the urgency, our system prevents people with mental health problems from accessing the comprehensive care they need. Deciding on health insurance coverage can seem like trying to navigate an impossible maze. Scheduling an appointment with a provider that accepts your insurance can feel as rare as winning the lottery twice in a row. Your provider is far away and you don’t have a car? Good luck. When combined with Health curriculum regression underway Not only are we unaware of our own needs because of what we are taught in school, but even when we know we need help, we face overwhelming barriers to accessing the mental health care system. face So it’s a lose-lose situation.
What struck me was that this wasn’t just limited to my California teen microcosm. During a conversation with fellow organizer Ayaan Moredina, who was a middle school student at the time. Youth power project, he said these barriers exist in rural and urban areas of Texas. Then we started talking to more young people in Maryland, Montana, Florida, New York, etc., regardless of the nuanced diversity of experiences that exists in our vibrant generation. I noticed a few common themes that stuck with me. We are forwarding our well-researched recommendations to the U.S. House of Representatives in hopes that states and localities can adopt these guidelines and begin to combat the damage that the unmitigated mental health crisis is already causing. This is summarized in the text of the resolution.
Turning the resolution we drafted into a bipartisan parliamentary document was an incredibly intimidating and difficult process at first. Especially in a divided Congress, many of our generation feel hopeless that bipartisan cooperation on any topic will ever actually happen. But despite this concern and mild trepidation about how Congress actually works, we will be traveling to Washington, D.C., to schedule our first few meetings and pitch our ideas to members of Congress. It flew.
From February to May 2023, we met with 28 Democratic and Republican legislative bodies, some in person and some online. We met with members, caucuses, and committees that have pioneered or passed mental health laws in the past, and consulted with federal agency staff, educators’ organizations, and other stakeholders. We asked for feedback and built intergenerational partnerships. Any sense of intimidation we felt when explaining our stories and ideas to strangers quickly disappeared as we recognized the humanity on the other side of the digital curtain of Zoom screens, and the storytelling became more personal. It has become a core tenet of our advocacy.
in April after learning about his long-standing leadership in mental health policy and recent victories in mental health policy development. 988 crisis line, contacted the office of Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA). His staff was incredibly welcoming to our ideas. H.Res.434 Introduced in late May, it was initially co-sponsored by two Democrats and two Republicans. Since then, we have held more than 125 legislative sessions with her, and support for this resolution has grown to more than a dozen co-sponsors with broad bipartisan and institutional support.
The truth is that policymakers are often not experts in the fields they legislate for. Without effective community consultation, important insights and opportunities to ensure work is accurate and effective can be missed. Our work on House Resolution 434 shows that the experiences of affected groups can often best tell legislators where the needs of their constituents lie and how to craft effective policies. got it. Since our collaboration, Congressman Moulton has remained steadfast in his support for the Office of Youth Affairs and has introduced the same resolution we submitted to him.
When gridlock and ideological polarization make bipartisan politics seem impossible, stories can unite divided communities toward a common goal. People my age recognize the challenges they face, but may not believe their experiences are important enough for elected leaders to care. do not have. By coming together to discuss both issues and their possible solutions, we can ensure that our very real lived experiences are not lost in the face of political disagreement.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 988 or +1 (800) 273-TALK (8255)
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