‘Feels like the world is against you’: Young people struggle with finding mental health support amid COVID-19 pandemic [pick up Yahoo! Life]

‘Feels like the world is against you’: Young people struggle with finding mental health support amid COVID-19 pandemic [pick up Yahoo! Life]

Posted on August 8, 2020

Prevalence of depression among college students increased since the pandemic closed campuses this spring compared with fall 2019, according to a Healthy Minds Network survey of 18,000 college students. And of the nearly 42% of students who sought mental health care during the pandemic, 60% said it was either much more or somewhat more difficult to access care. Teens need mental health support in quarantine, just as others do, said Jennifer Rothman, NAMI senior manager of youth and young adult initiatives. Call volume at NAMI's HelpLine is up 65% compared with last year, she said, averaging more than 200 calls a day. Most calls ask for support with anxiety. Teenage requests are similar, Rothman said, "and especially with COVID-19, and the social isolation, the change in structure and day-to-day activities and routines, we're seeing an increase in some of these symptoms" of anxiety and depression.