Kerby Anderson

A few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about the mental health of adolescents. More than 4 in 10 teens reported they felt “persistently sad or hopeless.” A significant percentage of teenagers said they had contemplated suicide.

The deputy director of the CDC explained that their survey was a cry for help. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental well-being.” I would add, however, that some of these problems of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts were probably growing even before the pandemic.

The survey was a representative sample of 7,700 teens conducted in the first six months of 2021. They were questioned on a range of topics, including their mental health, alcohol, and drug use. While it is true that young people had fewer medical problems due to the virus compared to older people, they nevertheless faced the isolation and the economic turmoil of the pandemic and lockdowns.

In previous commentaries, I have talked about other warnings from health care officials. For example, last fall the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. A few months ago, the Surgeon General issued a similar warning about the “pervasive sense of fear, economic instability, and forced physical distance from loved ones, friends, and community.”

While I applaud all these organizations for focusing on the problem, I also hope we can find solutions to what is a growing problem of mental health. I believe that churches can provide help and encouragement to teens and their families. Pastors and youth leaders should be alert to this problem of teen mental health and work to support these young people and their parents.