Leading the way for teens
WITH ALL the negative attention on youths nowadays, it is easy to overlook the troubles of the awkward period of the teenage years. Grownups tend to reminisce about their youth as the best time of their lives, while leaving their failed studies and social catastrophes to history. Today, teens still suffer from the same academic struggles and social disasters. These problems have become a cause to an issue pervasive in the new generation: mental health.
At age 17, I can attest to just how stressful teenage years can be. For an average high schooler who is pushed to excel in school, pressured to fit in, and compelled to be "cool," everyday stresses can compound into serious aftermath. Even daily events can seem dauntingly impossible, especially for teens who lack confidants to share the fears and demands of an awkward age. The sky itself can turn to gray.
Finding help is the most difficult part. Particularly when it comes to depression, symptoms can be difficult to detect, and an individual can live with it for many years before being diagnosed. Even when a diagnosis is given, many choose not to seek help for a variety of reasons. Two of the most common ones are cost and the associated stigma. In addition, some cannot receive the help that they need because the healthcare system too often only provides treatment for the most severe cases.
And we see the result of this system. Roughly one in five youths is affected by mental illness, according to mental health experts, and two thirds do not receive the help that they need.
While such a large fraction of an entire generation experiences an illness, Massachusetts still lacks a systematic mental illness prevention structure for youths. However, simple prevention methods can evade the painful consequences of even the most serious cases. A pair of ears ready to listen can readily heal bottled up emotions. This is one of the many possible prevention tracks. If such a structure were in place, then perhaps teenagers could release their stresses through outlets other than vandalism, substance abuse, self-abuse, and violence. Perhaps, the US Department of Justice would no longer have to post figures like this: Up to 50 percent of youths diagnosed with mental disorders also experience substance abuse problems.
Some teens have a solution. Known as Teens Leading the Way, a group of 23 Massachusetts youths believe prevention is key. With help from the Public Policy Institute, Health Care for All, and The United Teen Equality Center, we have initiated our own legislation to create statewide mental health drop-in centers.
The drop-in centers would increase treatment availability to those who need it and reduce stigma by placing services in already established youth or community centers. After all, the act of soliciting mental health services should be normalized, not stigmatized. In order to bring the issue of stigma into the open, we even named our campaign Statewide Teens Initiating Greater Mental Health Awareness or STIGMA. "A drop-in center would help alleviate the problem of mental health issues because it would be utilized by teens who don't feel comfortable seeking help through their parents or school," said Sudbury teen Nina Schrager.
Another teen, Mary Jo Pham of Springfield, said, "I think that it's so important that people become aware of mental health and it s affect on young people. Talk of one's emotions, feelings, and moods usually is rare, and it shouldn't be, because it's so natural. It's sad that we tend to ignore personal feelings . . . and the result is detrimental, we have about one in five teens thinking or having had thoughts about suicide in Massachusetts. It's time to break the stigma. "
Sponsored by Representative Jennifer Flanagan, a Leominster Democrat, the bill would allocate a minimum of $500,000 for each center to operate at full capacity. The bill has been reported favorably by both the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, and now will be addressed by the House Committee of Ways and Means.
The centers would open doors for many to seek help with reduced stigma. Teens Leading the Way is hopeful that our creation, mental health drop-in centers, will soon enter local community centers and make a difference in their generation. After all, it takes the action of today to make a difference in the future.
Hui Feng is a student at Boston Latin School. 
