Teens in Crisis: How the Industry Serving Struggling Teens Helps and Hurts Our Kids

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I have obsessive thoughts stemming from worries that form repetitive thought loops. When I wrote my worries down, I felt like I was cleaning out a drawer. I was removing worries out of my head and on to paper, which made me feel a lot calmer and my head clearer. I could then distance myself from worries that had seemed really big in my head and stop obsessing about them. Writing worries down in more detail and confronting them head on made me realise that there were some specific things that caused them. Information icons are included on some slides on the dashboard. Hovering over these icons will provide additional explanation to help you better understand what you’re looking at. It is never easy to ignore the difficult and painful moments in life, and the reality is that these affect everyone to some degree – but appreciating small, positive moments can create the world of change. Listen Out For The Good reiterated the importance of perspective and the power of positive thinking, even in the most challenging of predicaments. It is so very easy to become consumed by our everyday challenges and constraints; and even though I think that this is just a fundamental constituent of life, it can be very damaging to live in a state of constant stress and worry. Upon reflecting on my list, I realised that there were many things that may seem minuscule or maybe even trivial to the average person; but to me, these small moments of glory made me smile. The realisation that life is composed of moments that you can find the joy in became quite apparent to me. The idea of happiness being solely subjective and relative also became apparent.

You can better understand the impact TIC+ has by reading through the seven tabs on the dashboard. We believe the dashboard gives a comprehensive but succinct, up-to-date record that summarises our impact in line with our vision which is to ensure that every young person receives support with their mental health when they need it most and in a way that suits their needs. Equity and choice are at the heart of everything we do. TIC+ are committed to honest and transparent social impact reporting. Our Live Impact Dashboard can be accessed year-round for an immediate snapshot of our social impact, including our successes and challenges. I felt a burden lift off my shoulders as I wrote this letter to myself. I felt motivated, calmer, and relaxed.I’m passionate about advocating and creating a positive change that helps to de-stigmatise mental health issues. I chose the 7/11 breathing activity on a whim, hoping that it would ease some of the tightness in my chest. The 7/11 breathing technique is literally just that – you empty your lungs, then take a deep breath into your stomach while counting to seven, and then breathe out gently to the count of 11. You repeat it for two-three minutes till you feel relaxed, thinking of nothing but you’re breathing and counting.

Perpetually in an existential crisis or being found making increasingly niche Spotify playlists, I have had a long, drawn-out history of mental health problems. I’m now on the journey to self-acceptance, self-awareness and recovery, and I’m passionate about improving mental health in young people. I felt a burden lift off my shoulders as I wrote this letter to myself. I felt motivated, calmer, and relaxed. But most importantly, I realised how little I supported myself emotionally in my daily life. Data is refreshed monthly and is anonymised to protect identities in line with our information and data protection governance. Juanita, 19, completed the activity Listen Out For The Good. Designed to shift our attention to the positive in our days, it asks the reader to list some of the positive experiences they’ve had in the past week, and invites them to reflect on it. Overall, this activity was really useful. It made me feel calmer, more positive and more in control when I was worried. I’ll definitely do it again.

About the Author

Inés, 19, completed the activity 7/11 Breathing. This activity takes the reader through guided breathing, and is designed to help your body relax when you’re feeling anxious. In recent years a dizzying array of programs has emerged to meet the needs of struggling teens and their families-wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, alternative schools, mentoring and court diversion programs, independent living programs, and myriad day treatment and partial hospitalization services. Yet not all of these offerings employ mental health professionals or follow evidence-based treatment protocols. Some programs are licensed and accredited, but many are not, and some use techniques that are highly controversial, even abusive, resulting in injury and accidental death.