Mental Health Resources 2022
This page with mental health resources was developed by NYC high school seniors Okiemute O. and Serena I. as part of the Freedom and Citizenship Civic Leadership Project, with help from their undergraduate Teaching Assistants Julieta G. and Amiri T. View the rest of the 2022 group project here and visit our 2019 student project for more resources for teen mental health.
Over the course of one’s adolescent years, there is an urgency to make sure that the child is treated in such a way that can adequately prepare them for their future, as well as aid them in their psychological development. Although this may be true, over the past few years, there have been mass interruptions on children’s social and emotional growth. With the rise of the pandemic, many children have been drawn to seclusion, as this period of isolation has determined their cognitive growth and ability to be able to effectively interact with other children. These are some resources to aid in your understanding of the ways children may need help during the early stages of their life.
Resources:
- Association for Student's Mental Health - Problems at School
- Child Mind Institute - ADHD Diagnosed in Preschoolers
- Children's Mental Health CDC
- Mental Illness in Children's Health
- Urban Life and Risks to Children's Mental Health
During the time a child becomes a teenager, they begin to go through many psychological changes from the years before. Although their brains are still in a state of development, this is the time in a human’s life where they begin forming opinions, beliefs, and social groups. The rise of the pandemic, although not having grown up in it from young, has caused many teenagers to face social isolation, and develop a large disconnect from their peers and people that surround them. The mental response to this global change has been widely negative, as these teens are not only finding it hard to connect with others, but to reconnect with who they may believe they once were (in terms of hobbies, relationships, beliefs, ect.) With the increase in social isolation, there has been a drastic increase in reliance on social media, which can also be labeled as an increasingly large factor that played into the role of feelings of social isolation.
Resources:
- Center for Parent and Teen Communication
- American Academy for Child and Adolescent
- World Health Organization: Adolescent Mental Health
Adult:
The lives of many adults have changed drastically during the period of the pandemic. As there has been a great increase in adults with depression, it’s clear that the pandemic has placed a lot of stress and mental fatigue on adults. In addition to this increase in depression, there has also been a massive increase in unemployment, as many adults have had to deal with the impacts of a loss of money. These alone- poverty and unemployment- are some of the leading reasons adults are faced with depression and anxiety, and why the numbers of people with these feelings have rapidly increased amidst the pandemic, as well as during quarantine periods.
Resources:
- Still Recovering: Mental Health Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic In New York State
- How the Pandemic Changed Children's Relationships With Social Media
- Many Teens Report Emotional and Physical Abuse by Parents During Lockdown - The New York Times
- Teens in Covid Isolation: 'I Felt Like I Was Suffocating' - The New York Times
- Adults in Families Losing Jobs during the Pandemic Also Lost Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance | Urban Institute
- Changes and Inequities in Adult Mental Health–Related Emergency Department Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US