TAMPA, Fla. — Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in mental health disorders among young people in the United States. According to The Department of Health and Human Services, many youths are dealing with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
“Experiencing trauma is inevitable. And we need to prepare for it,” explained Melissa Larkin-Skinner, Regional CEO of The Centerstone Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Center.
Centerstone is a nonprofit health system that serves adults, children, and veterans. Larkin-Skinner recently sat down with ABC Action News' Wendy Ryan during the Florida Behavioral Health conference. The pair talked about why we are seeing so many kids struggling with their mental well-being.
Larkin-Skinner said as more studies show depression and anxiety levels rising among teens, she believes we cannot make cell phones or tablets solely responsible.
“I don't think we can blame it on any one thing. I mean, social media is an easy target, and it certainly contributes, but it's really more about life,” said Larkin-Skinner.
She said that children need to be given tools at a young age on how to handle whatever life throws at them. That includes teaching kids’ resiliency.
“Problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, decision-making skills, developing a sense of self-worth and self-esteem. All of those things build. I think of them as building blocks, like I'm building a foundation. And then that foundation is what helps us throughout our lives, deal with those traumas,” said Larkin-Skinner.
She added, “Trauma happens, right? And I think what where we're failing them is we're not preparing them for it.”
If adults or kids struggle with any challenges in life, especially episodes of trauma, it is important to talk about it with someone.
“We spend a lot of time being afraid of saying the thoughts that are in our head because we're afraid of what other people are going to think of us," Larkin-Skinner said. "So it's important to find a safe person to be able to say it to. Someone who's not going to judge you that'll just listen. Therapists are perfect for that, but many of us have other people in our lives where we can do that."
With the stress felt nationwide due to the political divide, financial worries, or the future of the country, Larkin-Skinner said we must remember to be kind to everyone.
“We have to support each other. Stop judging each other. We should be focused on our similarities, our commonalities, and not on our differences. Acknowledging that we're all human beings. We all experience anger, depression, sadness, anxiety, but also happiness and joy,” explained Larkin-Skinner.
And Larkin-Skinner hopes mental health assistance will be easier to access in the near future.