In an ongoing Penn State Behrend outreach mentor program, Behrend students go to different middle schools and engage in positive youth development classes to sixth grade Erie middle school students.

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In the development class last week, which focuses on stress management, Erie middle school students were told to pick the three situations where they will feel most stressed out. At East Middle School, the top three answers were: Anxiety, loss of a loved one, and being picked on. In another classroom, kids picked sadness as something that contributes to their most stressful situations as well.

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A question to consider: do kids really know the importance of or what mental health even is, and are they suffering from mental health issues? Here are some data that reveal the numbers behind Erie youths livelihood statistics and mental health status: according to Erie County and the Census Bureau data, 44% of Erie youth reported feeling depressed or sad MOST days in the past 12 months, and 38.2% of youth live in poverty; 28.2% of students reported “sometimes I think my life is not worth it”; 17.6% of Erie County youth reported being bullied in the past 12 months. Overall, youth anxiety and depression levels in the Erie region are on the rise.

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It is urgent that adults realize what is going on with kids around them, and what can be done to prevent bad situations from getting worse. In our current culture, we rely heavily on technology like smartphones and the internet. Under this circumstance, less meaningful connections can be made between one another and, at times, it makes it easier for kids find less purpose in life. Kids are less likely to have useful roles in real life and they get less extended family support. As a result, more mental health issues exist.

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To change the situation, educators and parents should empower all kids from today on no matter what so as to make them feel useful. To reduce adolescent stress, the young individual needs to understand that their current situation is not their permanent destination. Some kids do not know that a small drawback cannot change their entire future, and this is when they need supports from trust ones who have close bonds with them. Thus, close bonds must be made with kids in advance of difficulties. A longer and more stable relationship is more effective when helping kids reduce stress and solve problems. What is more, hope is a cognition. Adults must teach kids that human brains can be changed, and they can choose to hope, rather despair. Teaching strategies include give students articles about brain’s ability and have students to write. Sharing experiences with older students have great power to encourage others. In the end, we want our students to learn that the struggle and setbacks provide opportunities to learn.

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The sooner people realize that mental health conditions amongst our youth have become an issue, the sooner people can take actions to positively change the situation. Hopefully, adults can help teenagers to learn how they should deal with their stress and with proactive is how we have less depressed youth in our community.