Weekly Mind Reader: The Youth Mental Health Crisis

This week, we examine the growing youth mental health crisis, consider if bariatric surgery can be an antidepressant, and how exercise can help reduce “chemo brain.”

Experts Warn Things Could Get Worse

Experts stress that collaborative efforts involving healthcare professionals, lawmakers, and academics are essential to combat misinformation and toxic influences. They note that relentless social media (among other things) can significantly influence everyone’s mental and emotional health.

Youth mental health care challenges include workforce shortages and burnout. And it doesn’t help that navigating the complexities of clinical care can hinder treatment quality. This has motivated advocacy groups to push for reform, drawing on guidance from the U.S. Surgeon General and learning from global health systems to improve adolescent support.

Studies highlight an alarming uptick in anxiety, depression, and self-harm among teens, especially among young women, minorities, and gender-nonconforming kids. Social factors such as bullying, social isolation, and parental psychopathology only add fuel to the fire.

The pandemic exacerbated these issues, escalating family stress through isolation, financial pressures, and disruptions in school and social structures. For more vulnerable families, this caused a ripple effect of psychological issues. Among teens, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among teens doubled. And while substance abuse dipped early on – due more to less access than anything – overdose rates jumped. Researchers continue to warn of a possible surge in future substance use, driven by family dysfunction.

Advocates argue that effective youth mental health interventions demand a generous investment in prevention, clinical care, and coordinated support. Without quick action, the crisis could lead to lingering societal issues, highlighting just how critical it is to establish – and support – a comprehensive response to support youth resilience and well-being.

IN OTHER PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY NEWS

• A Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders reader tries to answer the question: Can bariatric surgery work as an antidepressant?
• The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reports on a pair of studies that explore cannabis use by women during their reproductive lifespan.
• JCP also published a study that looks at the disparities in buprenorphine prescriptions and outpatient medical visit access between sexually and gender-diverse and non-SGD cohorts.
• There’s also an interesting news item that found that aerobic exercise might not improve objective cognitive function but it does help breast cancer patients with “chemo brain.”
• And, finally, catch up on the latest research into PTSD and trauma.