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MENTAL HEALTH
CHOOSING A MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER
Contributing factors
Social media Isolation
A physician or osteopathic doctor specialized in mental health; can diagnose and treat mental health disorders, provide counseling and prescribe medication Psychiatrist
Trained in psychology and can diagnose and treat mental health disorders but cannot prescribe medication unless licensed to do so Psychologist Can provide diagnosis and counseling for a range of concerns but is not licensed to prescribe medication Licensed professional counselor
CONCERNS As studies and anecdotal evidence from mental health providers show an uptick in anxiety and depression in youth, experts shared some potential causes as well as what to watch out for.
Instability at home Violence in school Academic pressures Awareness of global events
Licensed clinical social worker
May have training speci cally in mental health; can provide assessment, diagnoses and counseling but is not licensed to prescribe medication
Signs and symptoms to watch for
SOURCE: DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Social seclusion, pushing away friends
Stays in room more often
two top issues, and then I think the third one that kind of weaves through that is social media. So whether it’s self-esteem, self-awareness, cyber- bullying, just all kinds of things like that,” said Tisha Kolek, Dripping Springs ISD director of counseling and health services. Resources in school Both Austin ISD’s and DSISD’s coun- seling services operate on a tiered model. Tiers one and two are sys- tems of support provided by school counselors on campuses. These ser- vices include classroom lessons that promote social-emotional learning, academic support and postsecond- ary planning as well as student sup- port groups. Through tiers three and four, a licensed mental health profes- sional can provide an individualized approach or crisis resources. In 2019, the Dripping Springs Edu- cation Foundation began funding licensed mental health professional positions on campuses with money raised in the community as part of a mental health initiative. In the district, three licensed professionals work with students and one works with sta in addition to the 20 counselors.
and interacting daily with peers can be a cause of stress for some students, Spaw said. “We very seldom hear anything positive about what’s going on in society,” Spaw said. “Whether it’s even accurate or not, it doesn’t even matter. It’s just the perspective that it’s constantly there, and kids tend to have a lot of access to information that has not been fully vetted.” In 2021, 45% of Texas high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless for more than two weeks that they stopped doing some of their usual activities, per a semiannual sur- vey released in March from the Texas Department of State Health Services and the CDC. Signs of an escalating mental health disorder and suicide can include giving away belongings, secluding oneself from friends and eating less. Adults can be proactive by engaging in conversations about mental health with children as adolescents often report feeling dismissed or ignored both at school and at home when asking for help, said Liz Davila, Ellie Mental Health marriage and family therapist. “[Depression and anxiety] are the
Eats less
Headphones in more often than normal
Physically making self smaller, such as crossing arms, slouching
Avoiding eye contact, quieter in class than normal
SOURCES: AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, ELLIE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY IMPACT
14, according to Austin Public Health, parents and caregivers can look for signs early on and get support for their child. Nearly 1 in 6 children in the United States has a mental health disorder, and in 2021, a mental health crisis among youth in the United States was declared a national emer- gency by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a national coalition of chil- dren’s health professionals. Social isolation due to the pan- demic disrupted daily routines, and the lack of social interaction led to youth experiencing loneliness, anx- iety and depression, said Rebecca Opamen, clinical director and thera- pist for Ellie Mental Health Bee Cave. As students returned to school, readjusting to being in a classroom
us, but at least he had a direction,” Heston said. Many mental health professionals and experts point to the same causes of the spike in anxiety and depression in youth under age 19, including dis- ruption caused by the pandemic, an increase of social media use and cur- rent events. “There’s a ripple e ect from the COVID-19 scenarios and the way we handled them as a society,” said Scott Spaw, clinical director at Ellie Men- tal Health Northwest Austin. “I think that increasing anxiety also has to do with our media and social media.” What experts are saying Since nearly 50% of all lifetime mental health illnesses begin by age
We currently serve children 8 weeks - 12 years
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