![]() ![]() Though she has theories on the bigger-picture problems - including how living a dual digital-analog life affects the developing adolescent brain - she knows there is no single cause of suicidal behavior nor one single cure-all.īerk recently spoke about the mental health crisis and suicide - the country's third-leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and experts like Berk have insights into why young people are struggling. "Now there's just nowhere to escape the things coming at you nonstop on your smartphone." "When I was that age, you'd go home from school and maybe you'd call up your friend on your old landline," Berk said. It's a need that mirrors the "always-on" state in which today's young people are growing up, absorbing stimuli from the ever-present screens they hold before their faces, Berk believes. The other program provides what's called Dialectical Behavior Therapy, an intensive six-month long psychotherapy program, group- and individual-focused, that includes all-hours telephone support. One program focuses on safety planning with teens at risk for self-harm behaviors and their parents. Since she began working with teens 20 years ago, Michele Berk, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has watched levels of self-harm behaviors continue to increase.īerk has written about ongoing efforts to involve families in group intervention and leads two programs at Stanford Medicine that provide services for suicidal youth. That figure included a still-growing number of young people, especially children of color and poor children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. residents killed themselves - the highest number of suicides in a year ever recorded nationwide. Psychological distress across all ages increased during the pandemic. The trend had been building for a while: Between 20, the suicide rate among 10- to 24-year-olds rose by 57%, according to the National Institutes of Health. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in 2021 - well before the pandemic's effects could be factored into that prognosis. Editor's note: If you or someone you know is dealing with self-harm or suicidal ideation, trained counselors are available 24/7 via phone, text or chat at 9-8-8, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.Īn unprecedented decline in youth mental health was called "the crisis of our time" by U.S. ![]()
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