Recent protests in Philadelphia and across the country have drawn young people. But for most of the #pandemic, #youth have been quarantined and away from their social circles, which could make #depression and other #mentalillness worse.
Audrey just turned 18 and relishes crossing into adulthood: She voted for the first time this year, graduated high school and is college-bound next month. The honors student typically wakes up “a bundle of nerves,” she says, which had fueled her work volunteering, playing varsity sports and leading student government.
But for years, she also struggled with #anxiety, #depression and obsessive compulsive disorder — all of which drove her to work harder.
“I was spending so much time on my homework, I felt like I was losing my friends — so my thoughts would race over and over again about my friends,” says Audrey. “And then I would have the difficult thoughts about suicide and some scarier stuff.” (NPR agreed to use only her first name to protect her medical privacy.)
Audrey’s psychological struggles landed her in #mentalhealthtreatment last fall. There, she says, the coping skills she learned gave her perspective on quarantine: “I know all about how seeing friends and seeing people outside — and social interaction — is vital for survival.”
There is a simmering tension between young people’s desire to gather socially, and the growing threat from the #coronavirus in the #UnitedStates. The #virus is now infecting more people in their #teens and 20s than it had earlier in the #pandemic, and that’s contributing to outbreaks, especially in states in the South and West. As a result, public health officials are imploring young adults to limit social contact and take precautions to help protect their more vulnerable elders. But many young people see continued #socialisolation as a much greater risk than #COVID-19 to their own #mentalhealth.
It’s not that Audrey isn’t worried about the pandemic; in fact, confirmed cases of the #coronavirus are spiking in her hometown of Charlotte, N.C. So Audrey wears masks, washes her hands and stays 6 feet from friends. But for her generation, she says, infection isn’t the primary threat.
“A lot of people are calling attention to #coronavirus because it’s right in front of us,” she says. “But at the same time, #teens’ #depression rate — it’s a silent threat.”
The health risks of infection differ by generation. For many young adults, life lived at a #socialdistance, with a lack of peer support, comes at a high cost to #mentalhealth. The #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention says nearly half of people between 18 and 29 report feeling symptoms of #anxiety or #depression. That’s significantly higher that the rate for both their parents and their grandparents. #Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people under 35.
Yet somehow, says Audrey, that’s not talked about as much.
“We haven’t seen the government or adults as passionate about the things we really care about, like #mentalhealth and climate issues,” she says.
It might be tempting to think that FaceTime and Zoom provide substitutes for in-person social outlets, especially for a generation of digital natives who grew up with smartphones. But, therapists say, talking by small screen offers no replacement for a calming hug and can miss the subtleties of a compassionate expression.
Audrey’s complaint is a common refrain among the adolescent and young adult patients whom psychologist Lisa Jacobs counsels. It is not that they aren’t concerned about the risks of #COVID-19, she says; it’s just that their risk calculations differ.
“They are appropriately realizing that #isolation is a risk for them as well — it’s a risk factor for #depression, and #depression is a risk factor for #suicide,” Jacobs says. “And 8% of #American #teens attempt #suicide each year.”
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Jacobs says many of her young patients complain older generations failed to address the young people’s fears — of school shootings and climate change, for example.
“After not being protected, after not being taken seriously, they were asked to take extreme measures to protect other groups and to put themselves at risk by doing so,” Jacobs says.
There is a biological basis for young people’s need for socialization. Scientists say bonding isn’t a luxury; it’s critical for development.
Young brains need social connection to feel secure about their identity and place in the world, says Gregory Lewis, who studies the neurobiology of social interaction at Indiana University.
“We expect as a human being to have other people there to share the stressful times and to be our backup, and when they’re not there physically, that in of itself tells our nervous system ‘you’re in a dangerous environment because you don’t have these people here,’ ” he says.
That is less of an issue among older adults, Lewis says, who have had more time to develop their social networks — both at work and around their community — and more time to find partners who can help ground them emotionally. By contrast, he says, “younger people are missing a larger percentage of what previously was there to buffer them.”
So the societal challenge, he says, is to find ways to help community members of all ages balance the risks of infection against the need to foster those essential social bonds.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
