Approximately one in five children ages 3 to 17 have struggled with a mental health condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, mental health conditions in teens ages 12 to 17 increased from 15% in 2016 to 20.3% in 2023, a 35% overall increase, as reported by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
In 1992, World Mental Health Day was established by the World Federation for Mental Health as a movement to raise awareness for mental health. Every Oct. 10, observers advocate for greater support and understanding for those struggling with mental health. This advocacy has helped expand mental health resources, especially for youth.
One age group that requires greater advocacy is teenagers, who are at greater risk regarding mental health issues. Numerous studies suggest that human brain development during adolescence is a period of learning, making the brain more vulnerable to stressors. Notably, gaps in age demographics highlight how teenagers are more likely to struggle with mental health. Research from the National Institutes of Mental Health indicates that 49.5% of adolescents from the U.S. experience “any mental disorder” — a broad category of mental, behavioral and emotional disorders — compared to 23.1% of American adults.
In light of these disparities among teenagers, student family advocates are one of many mental health resources available at West to support students’ well-being. These professionally-trained advocates guide students who struggle with mental health. West SFA Christine Dougan has personally experienced how teenagers are more likely to struggle with emotional health due to their developing brains.
“The emotion center of your [teenage] brain is firing all the time, [making] you more vulnerable to high-risk choices. [It also] makes you more capable of being willing to try new things and put yourself out there in a great way. It’s double-sided,” Dougan said.
Compounded with teenage brain development, the COVID-19 pandemic played a large role in teen mental health problems. This period had a significant impact on social interactions, yet returning to school also carried its own challenges. During this time, Dougan worked in Richmond, California, where she helped students adjust when returning from lockdown.
“In the immediate post-COVID world, there were a variety of studies and reports done [on mental health]. The mental health needs of young people were four times what they were pre-COVID,” Dougan said. “When we returned to post-COVID life, the staffing in the high school looked the same. The needs were four times as much, [yet] you still have the same amount of school counselors [and] SFAs.”
The lack of school staff resources became evident as mental health emergencies increased dramatically during the pandemic. A study by the Children’s Hospital of Michigan found a 31% increase in emergency department visits related to mental health between October 2019 and October 2020. The American Academy of Pediatrics also found a “significantly higher rate of suicide” in 11 to 21-year-olds from February to July 2020 than in the same timeframe in 2019.
Beyond SFAs, another mental health resource available to West students is the Navigating Emotional Stress Through Training program, which provides students with a space to decompress when feeling overwhelmed. Phil Keitel, the West director of NESTT, has noticed how social media also exacerbates mental health issues in teenagers.
“Social media creates a false sense of [reality] because you’re not speaking face-to-face. You’re typing on a computer, and it’s much easier to type something that is mean or bullying,” Keitel said. “The uptick in anxiety for children has definitely gone up since the invention of social media.”
A 2024 report issued by the American Psychological Association found 41% of teens using social media for five or more hours a day rate their mental health as poor, as opposed to only 23% of teens using social media under two hours a day. In addition to causing anxiety, Keitel describes social media as a platform that often leads users to assume the worst-case scenario.
“If you give the tool to a child to self-diagnose, they don’t have the brain development yet to [accurately self-diagnose depression or anxiety],” Keitel said.
Despite the mental health challenges teenagers face, Keitel illustrates NESTT as a success in combating these issues and supporting students’ well-being.
“This is my fourth year [working at NESTT]. The senior class is the first [class who’ve] had NESTT [since their] freshman year. I’ve seen huge progress with what they were like as freshmen and what they’re like as seniors,” Keitel said.
The organizers of World Mental Health Day annually select a theme, with 2025 selected as “Access to Services.” While not all are well-known, Keitel emphasizes the amount of resources students have access to. Local organizations like United Action for Youth and the I’m Glad You Stayed Project offer assistance outside of school for youth struggling with mental health. At West, students seeking help have multiple ways to find support.
“We have the 988 hotline, which kids can use. We have social workers in the building. There are SFAs — Christine Dougan and Ryan Lee — [who] are trained social workers. They have access to therapists to talk to students if they don’t have insurance,” Keitel said.
Dougan echoes Keitel, believing teens facing poor mental health should remain aware of their available resources. To be connected with Dougan and other mental health resources, students can scan a QR code on their Chromebook or on the back of their student IDs.
Along with more accessible resources, West offers courses that can help students process their emotions while dealing with specific problems. Jessica Mehegan, a Behavioral Health Studies teacher at West, focuses on how students can manage their mental health.
“The curriculum we use is rooted in dialectical behavior therapy,” Mehegan said. “[The curriculum] is an applied psychology to help students be able to build a life worth living. Our goal is [to learn], ‘How do we [observe] stimuli and respond in ways that serve us in our future?’”
Delores Hubbard ’27, a former BHS student at West, believes the class is useful for all West students.
“I know a lot of students get anxious with tests and deadlines. During BHS, you learn ways to manage stress, and it helps you go through day-to-day life a lot easier,” Hubbard said.
To help students push past difficult obstacles, Mehegan explains how the class teaches applicable life skills to aid students with their emotions when they are struggling in life.
“Maybe you have to put your pet down, or you failed a test. [When] you’re feeling the most emotional you’ve ever felt, we teach skills to help you get out of that moment,” Mehegan said.
Hubbard has used skills learned in BHS to deal with stress on a day-to-day basis.
“A couple [of] things that stuck with me are breathing activities. Before every test, I make sure to take a couple [of] deep breaths,” Hubbard said.
To identify and tackle mental health issues, Hubbard stresses the importance of mental health awareness and the many mental health resources at West.
“Taking care of mental health is very important, especially [for] teenagers, because high school can be stressful. While one person may be having the best time in their life in high school, some people may be struggling with their mental health. I think Behavioral Health Studies could really help those people,” Hubbard said.
For those struggling with mental health, Dougan reiterates that it is okay to ask for help and that West — and the Iowa City community — have people who want to support you.
“It’s okay to not be okay,” Dougan said. “I [remind] young people [who] are struggling [that] there are adults here who care, who are willing to help and are here to stick by you.”
