SPOTLIGHT ON 2023

In March 2020, COVID changed our lives in ways we could not have prepared for. Although school is back in session, the persistent stress and trauma carried by so many of us during COVID continues to shape the way our children see and experience their world.

The Centers for Disease Control recently sounded the alarm on the state of teen mental health. In particular, they noted that adolescent girls are experiencing “record levels “of depression, sadness, suicide risk and violence. This report also confirmed the ongoing distress experienced by our LGBTQ+ teens who are at a higher risk for depression and for attempting suicide.

And then there is all the other big stuff. The past year has rattled our nation with school shootings. As parents, we grieve for the losses and search for the words to explain the inexplicable to our own children. With easy access to information, 24/7 streaming services, and social media as a major influence in their lives and the easy access to information, our kids see and hear almost all of what adults see and hear. Locally, we have faced fires, floods and evacuations. Our kids, like us, feel the instability and vigilance of these time.

We know that mental health and substance use are connected, and as we have all searched for ways to cope, adults and teens alike have turned to alcohol and drugs. But we have also turned to the support of friends and family, to creating structure and rituals, to finding time for play with our children and our friends again. So yes–the 2020’s have been rough, and more challenges likely still lie ahead. But as a community, we can work to rebuild safety and stability for our kids. That is the work before us now.