S21·E52 Inside America's Teen Mental Health Crisis

The Surgeon General’s Advisory stated, before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people. The pandemic shutdown further exacerbated the mental challenges, and youth mental health is trending in the wrong direction across the country. Why is this happening? How do parents and schools play a role? Some experts believe young people were never taught how to fend for themselves because they were raised in a bubble by “concierge parents“ who protected them from learning about life and developing resiliency. Twenty-four-year-old Gracelyn says she describes her childhood just that way. She admits she was overprotected in some ways growing up, which she believes led to struggles with anxiety and depression for the past six years. What does she reveal for the first time? Also, parents of teens with mental health struggles talk about their frustrations. This is a life-saving episode you won’t want to miss.