A new poll reflects a years-long trend of worsening mental health among young Californians that was exacerbated by the pandemic, experts say.
Elleana Tanner, of Laguna Hills, left, and Alejandra Barba, of Orange, attend the OC Pride festival in Santa Ana in June.
The challenges reported by the poll are “extremely concerning,” said Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, interim director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, who was not involved in the survey. When asked to pick a word that described how they felt about their generation's future, the two dominant feelings were uncertainty and worry.
This summer, the endowment helped host a two-day summit aimed at working with young people to find ways to respond to what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy has said is anYoung people who participated in the survey and spoke to The Times described mental health difficulties made significantly worse by isolation and loneliness during lockdowns and school closures.
Eventually, she managed to get into intensive outpatient therapy for a year, which improved her mental health significantly.“The accessibility to therapists or resources that can help is very lacking,” she said. “I feel like there’s such a misallocation of money. It’s a huge problem.” Her junior year in high school was entirely remote. She had been a strong student but found it difficult to focus online or feel motivated. Some days she spent hours scrolling through TikTok videos.
Terra Bransfield, 22, a student at Sonoma State University, said she has struggled with body image issues and disordered eating. But she feels fortunate to have a supportive family and a close circle of friends with whom she feels comfortable talking about mental health. Just over 4 in 10 respondents had talked with a therapist or other health professional about mental health issues. And 1 in 4 said they would like to talk with a professional but had not done so.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The covid-19 pandemic has left people less extroverted and agreeableWe know that our personalities can shift across a lifetime, but usually it happens slowly. A new survey suggests the pandemic sped things up and has made people more disagreeable and introverted
Read more »
Police: Oakland high school shooting wounds 6 adultsAuthorities say six adults were shot and wounded at a school campus in east Oakland, California
Read more »
Exclusive: Read an Excerpt From 'Star Wars: The High Republic's 'Path of Deceit' NovelGet an exclusive look at Chapter 4 of 'The High Republic: Path of Deceit,' the upcoming starwars novel by justinaireland and tessagratton.
Read more »
McDonald's to release 'nostalgic' adult Happy MealMcDonald's is launching a limited-edition adults' Happy Meal AKA a Cactus Plant Flea Market Box, which is designed for adults who are seeking the nostalgic experience of a Happy Meal.
Read more »
Tesla Increases Supercharger Prices For Californians Again | CarscoopsTesla Increases Supercharger Prices For Californians Again | Carscoops carscoops
Read more »