Looking for recent news discussing mental health topics among youth and young adults? From time to time, the Young Minds Initiative will now feature briefs covering important stories, podcasts, & more that relate to mental health! Here are our top finds that you may have missed:
A checkup for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 2: Still lots to do
2024 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people
Young people today are stressed, depressed—and changing the fundamental pattern of happiness, new research shows
What America can learn from Rwanda to solve its mental health crisis
Mental health legislation gets bipartisan support
Hablemos BIPOC mental health with NAMI
Photo credit: Kara Carmichael via Unsplash.
A checkup for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 2: Still lots to do
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) celebrated its second anniversary of operation this month after its establishment on July 16, 2022. Since then, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested approximately $1.5 billion to advance the efforts of 988. Most of the Lifeline’s 200 crisis centers rely on independent funding. Due to varying state priorities in annual budgets, staff, advocates, and policymakers are constantly seeking new sustainable, long-term funding solutions. Data from the U.S. Health & Human Services reveals the Lifeline's impact on diverse groups, with 20,000 texts and chats and 90,000 calls in Spanish, 20,000 video-phone calls using American Sign Language, and nearly 500,000 LGBTQ+ young people accessing 988 since last year. Moving forward, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration will launch a five-month national campaign to raise more awareness about 988 as over 49,000 people die from suicide each year.
Article Info
Authors: Rhitu Chatterjee
Publisher: NPR
Date: July 15, 2024
Link: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/15/nx-s1-5033188/988-suicide-and-crisis-lifeline-2-year-anniversary
2024 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people
For the past six years, The Trevor Project — a nonprofit organization “focused on suicide prevention efforts” among LGBT+ young people and provides services nationwide, — has released its findings on the status of LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health in the U.S. The findings amplify the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people, ages 13-24, across the country, ranging from anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to diverse forms of violence and their correlation to high rates of suicide risk. Some key findings of this year’s survey include:
39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously consider attempting suicide, including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people and LGBTQ+ youth of color experiencing disproportionately higher rates than their white peers.
90% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.
49% of LGBTQ+ young people between 13-17 reported experiencing bullying in the past year, and those who did reported significantly higher rates of attempting suicide than those who did not experience bullying.
54% of transgender and nonbinary young people reported their school to be gender-affirming, and those who did also reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities.
Article Info
Publisher: The Trevor Project
Date: February 9, 2024
Young people today are stressed, depressed—and changing the fundamental pattern of happiness, new research shows
Typically, happiness peaks for individuals around the age of 30, declines around midlife, and rises once more after 70, according to Dartmouth College professor David Blanchflower, describing the U-shaped happiness curve. However, recent research shows a substantial shift in young adults, ages 18-25, who report being unhappier than individuals in their 40s and 50s, making young adults the unhappiest age group. Blanchflower and other researchers analyzed data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and discussed this shift in a recent paper, particularly noting that young women are bearing the brunt of this unhappiness.
Article Info:
Author: Renée Onque
Publisher: CNBC
Date: July 23, 2024
Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/23/new-research-young-people-are-reshaping-the-happiness-curve.html
What America can learn from Rwanda to solve its mental health crisis
The Rwandan genocide of 1994 resulted in 800,000 deaths of Tutsi people, leaving Rwandans 30 years of age and older with some sort of history of physical and psychological violence. According to Darius Gishoma at the Rwanda Biomedical Center, the nation did not have any mental health professionals in 1994, yet, today, the East African nation’s mental health system model is regarded as top-tier around the globe. Due to a shortage of mental health professionals, Rwanda started a program — Mentoring & Enhanced Supervision at Health Centers — to train frontline providers, such as primary care nurses, to provide basic mental health services. Rwanda has not only made strides in just decentralizing care but in advancing community-based solutions as well. For instance, GAERG — an organization dedicated to promoting healing and resilience among genocide survivors, — holds more than 600 community groups to provide a safe, non-judgmental space in a non-clinical setting. Currently, there are approximately 25,000 psychiatrists in the United States but the country needs at least 65,000 more to address the mental health crisis and bridge the gap for groups who disproportionately lack access to care. By integrating Rwanda’s internationally acclaimed mental health care model, the U.S. may alleviate mental health burdens and improve community relations.
Article Info:
Author: Simar Bajaj
Publisher: National Geographic
Date: July 26, 2024
Mental health legislation gets bipartisan support
Arizona lawmakers, with the support of Arizona Mad Moms, signed several bills into law that focus on expanding services for Arizonans who experience serious mental illness. One of the bills included declaring the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System as the overseer of state agencies offering behavioral health treatment. Another bill expanded the requirements for court-ordered behavioral health evaluations, requiring more information regarding a proposed patient to develop more comprehensive treatment.
Article Info
Author: Hannah Elsmore
Publisher: Arizona Capitol Times
Date: July 7, 2024
Also see:
4 new mental health laws are only a start for AZ ‘Mad Moms,’ who have big plans
Author: Stephanie Innes
Publisher: Arizona Republic
Date: July 7, 2024
Link:
Hablemos BIPOC mental health with NAMI
With July being BIPOC Mental Health Month, Latinas Talkin Therapy hosted guest speaker Setareh Ghaznavi, the Volunteer & Peer Coordinator at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Central Texas to discuss conversations about mental well-being within communities.
Podcast Info
Contributors: Setareh Ghaznavi (Guest), Brianda Garcia (Co-host), & Zarina Moreno (Co-host)
Publisher: Latinas Talkin Therapy
Date: July 15, 2024
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