Abuse

Mental health struggles among young people are no longer subtle or hidden—they’re loud, present, and painfully urgent. The kids growing up today are navigating a world that feels heavier, faster, and more demanding than any generation before them. And as someone who has spent over a decade in child welfare, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply these pressures carve into their sense of worth, safety, and identity.

This isn’t just a crisis.
It’s a call to action.

The Alarming State of Youth Mental Health—What the Numbers Say

1 in 5 youth worldwide experience a mental health disorder every year (WHO, 2023).

In North America, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10–24 (CDC, 2024; Statistics Canada, 2023).

57% of teen girls in the U.S. report feeling “persistently sad or hopeless,” the highest level ever recorded (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023).

1 in 3 adolescents report high levels of anxiety daily (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2024).

Cyberbullying affects 36% of teens, reducing self-esteem and increasing risk of depression and suicidal thoughts (UNICEF, 2023).

Youth ER visits for self-harm have risen 44% in the last decade (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2024).

Numbers don’t lie.
But they don’t tell the whole story either.

Behind every statistic is a young soul quietly fighting to stay afloat.

Why Youth Are Struggling More Than Ever

1. The Emotional Weight of Social Media

Social media doesn’t just connect kids—it evaluates them, compares them, and follows them into their bedrooms at night. They’re exposed to:

Highlight reels disguised as real life

Cyberbullying that never ends

Beauty and success standards no human can maintain

Research shows social media use is linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and body image issues (American Psychological Association, 2023).

2. Academic Pressure That Feels Like Survival

Young people today are expected to have their futures figured out before they even understand who they are. Many of the youth I’ve worked with whispered the same fear:

“If I fail now, I’ll fail forever.”

This belief isn’t just unhealthy—it’s dangerous.

3. Family Stress, Trauma, and Instability

Homes are supposed to be safe. But too many youth live in environments filled with:

Financial stress

Parental mental illness

Domestic conflict

Abuse or neglect

Childhood trauma increases the risk of long-term mental health struggles two to five times (CDC ACE Study, 2023).

4. Struggling With Identity and Belonging

Youth aren’t just trying to survive—they’re trying to understand themselves. But in a world where everyone has an opinion about who they “should” be, identity exploration becomes exhausting.

5. Trauma That Has Never Been Spoken Out Loud

In child welfare, I learned that trauma rarely looks like tears. More often, it looks like:

Anger

Silence

Withdrawal

Numbness

I met too many children carrying emotional weight that would break most adults.

A Personal Story From My Child Welfare Years

There is one young girl I can still see every time I close my eyes.
She was 13. Small for her age. Brilliant but broken in ways she couldn’t articulate.

She would sit in our sessions and stare at the floor, arms wrapped tightly around her body as if holding herself together was the only thing keeping her from shattering.

After weeks of silence, she finally whispered:

“Nobody ever asks why I’m angry. They just tell me to stop.”

That moment changed me.
Because she wasn’t angry—she was hurting.
And like so many youth today, she didn’t need someone to fix her.
She needed someone to see her.

That is the heart of this crisis:
Thousands of youth who feel unseen, unheard, and overwhelmed by pain they never caused.

How Mental Health Struggles Show Up in Youth

Not every young person will say “I’m depressed.” Instead, they show it through:

Sudden irritability

Changes in appetite or sleep

Falling grades

Risky behavior

Isolation

Substance use

Self-harm

These are not “phases.”
They are signs of emotional overload.

Why Early Support Saves Lives

The adolescent brain is still developing, especially areas responsible for emotional regulation and coping. Getting support early:

Builds resilience

Prevents escalation into adult mental illness

Improves academic and social outcomes

Strengthens emotional intelligence
Intervention isn’t about crisis response—it’s about rewriting their future.

How We Can Support Youth Today

1. Create Safe Emotional Spaces

Kids talk when they feel safe.
Not judged.
Not dismissed.

Ask:

“How is your heart today?”

“What’s been feeling heavy?”

“What would help you feel supported?”

And then… just listen.

2. Normalize Therapy and Mental Health Care

Therapy shouldn’t be a last resort.
It should be a tool—just like a tutor or a coach.

3. Model Healthy Emotional Expression

You can’t teach what you don’t practice.
When youth see adults handling emotions with honesty and compassion, they learn to do the same.

4. Teach Digital Boundaries

Help them understand that social media is a filtered world—not a measure of worth.

5. Advocate for Accessible Community and School Resources

Every school should have trained mental health professionals.
Every community should have youth-friendly services.
Every child should have a safe place to land.

Closing Thoughts

As adults, we have an obligation to show up for the next generation.

Because behind every “troubled” child is a story.
Behind every outburst is a wound.
Behind every silent teenager is a heart begging for someone to notice.

Youth don’t need perfection from us—they need presence.
Compassion.
Patience.
Consistency.

And most of all, they need to know their feelings matter.

Bigmommaj

My Wife has just left after visiting me in the hospital. For the first time in the 3 weeks since my accident, I cried. A wave of grief overwhelmed me.

I have cried and screamed on the inside when the collection of pain meds I am one when insufficient to control the pain.

I have cried on the inside when I think of how so many people, especially my Wife, have willingly stepped up to do the tasks I normally cover.

I have cried when I have fallen through the cracks of the nurses tasks and have been unable to get help from being stranded in my bathroom.

Yet today, it all became too much. I am due to go into full time physio rehabilitation for about 2 weeks but there is a shortage of places at the moment. Once I have completed the rehab I can go home. I won’t be able to drive until next year, I won’t be able to put any weight on the leg until 2026, but at least I will be home.

Crying doesn’t come easy me. Growing up, crying led to physical abuse.

I know this season is time limited. Just right now, I really want to go home.

Whe one statement can cause a man to flip on a switch, he is https://guilty.When he fills in the lie with a missing word, https://guilty.When his angry flies, https://guilty.When he accuses you, https://guilty.When every question is an argument, https://guilty.When he cant answer a question without it being a fight, https://guilty.When his mother is involved, guilty.

We need to be there for ourselves first. Have enough respect and self-love for ourselves first.. #Selfcare #Relationships #Abuse #PTSD

Someone feeling they have the right to sabotage and orchestrate your life for the better, without your participation, is controlling munipulation 101.to dig up information, stalk, harrass, mock, stage and pretend it is Out of concern, is another level of https://abuse.Calling out abuse can become https://abuse.I will not participate and https://partake.Setting a woman up to teach her a lesson, is abusive.
Any women, taking part, are as enabling, as the https://man.I said it.Sorry.
Keep your old school, mobster mentality, out of my https://life.The personal attacks towards my life, judgements by people, who never were part, is https://comical.Im no fool, I https://knew.I have years of abuse, trauma, from many people, my life circumstances and life choices,that have brought me through. Not from,these individuals,being emotionally supportive.
Im not coddled, pampered or given the princess treatment, like most have been led to believe, never https://was.The bare minimum,is no longer,acceptable.I let it be for https://years.When I asked for more, I was met with a https://fight.I have become a broken https://record.I am smashing the record.to expect a woman to be soft,sweet,nurturing after disrespecting her publicly,is Delussional.But, I do see where, all involved, see nothing wrong with it.
Projection is https://funny.I catch myself https://constantly.I observe too much behavior, its a peculiar https://thing.Ive done it my entire https://life.I forget that a majority of them, are so trauma bonded, that no one will, not, be judged, when that door, for real connection, is https://opened.I did show https://up.He did not want me to.
Acceptance and intimacy, in relationships, shouldn't https://judge.Good and bad, are you serious? Im Bad? OK.
I wear my flaws, I'll tell you my failures but not everyone is willing to do https://that.I can't be around people who do that.it is automatic,a closed mindedness to human https://behavior.Your problem with me, is You, not https://me.Mean girl https://mentality.Band of brothers https://bullshit.Say I just dont know friends, then.No, I do not, I have had to reevaluate the entire https://structure.I bonded with people through https://survival.Anyone from my https://teens.They do not know me, they know,of, https://me.Epic 😆 🤣 😂.Im actually quite lame.

Heres a few,How could she? Who does she, think she is?Well, I'd https://never.Try this instead.

She should.
She knows, who she is.
She deserves better.
She doesnt want things, she wants things consistant, completed and she wants to https://grow.That is not control, it is safety.

Why do men pretend instead of being who they are behind closed doors?They hide behind women who make excuses for their lack of https://care.He is tired from working, he just wants peace, he needs his quiet https://time.Then be alone and dont treat your family second.

Really? Does he really need to sit down more, or judge people more, or mock those below him? Really? Only a good guy, with a supporting audience?
Thats a https://bully.A family, of https://Bullys.I get it https://now.I see you.

And he is sensitive you say?
But he will kick a person when they, are down?A woman. Tell her to suck it up, get over it, get out of the way and then hold and console the other,friends https://wife.Then turn and call a woman every derogatory name in the book.
I see you now.
You want to be the hero, the good guy, the quiet reserved wise https://man.Who wants it amicable once hes done ruining https://her.I see you.
You are standing there,laughing at a girl, who suffers and struggles, mocking here with her https://enemies.When they watch, you are a tower and wall of strength? I was sick and lost,you left, celebrated being free and came home asking what my problem https://was.I see your Eightteen months of sabotaging my progress, to prove Im combative, angry and https://nuts.Sad.Its called abuse and me saying that word, does not make me abusive.
Your family and you, threw us to the wolves and then cried disrespect,because your bike got dirty and the mirror was finally on https://you.I see all of you now, I hadn't https://before.I made excuse after https://excuse.That it was my lacking.it wasn't. I questioned the norm and wanted https://better.I deserve better but what is scary, I never would had known, the lengths they went to,to get rid of https://me.We will never https://forget.And that is now ingrained in my son and I will live with https://that.He didnt deserve what you two have done.