Science & Health

By opening up, youth lessen mental health stigmas

By Justin Miranda

When he was 13, his 15-year-old best friend raped him. His parents made sure the police pressed criminal charges but that 15-year-old wasn’t convicted.

“I wasn’t shocked with him being released because he is white and rich,” said the now 19-year-old, whose mother is Korean and father is Black.

Because his crime was so violent, he asked not to be named.

Feeling that justice was not served in his case, he started using weed, cocaine and pills to take his mind off the trauma. He finished his high school education while recovering from his addiction at a residential rehab center.

“I now work out a lot since I find it to make me feel better and distracts me from other stuff”, said the 19-year-old, who has been drug-free for 3 years.

He continues to work hard to maintain his mental health, an issue that many observers say younger Americans, in particular, have made an easier subject to talk about. 

“Therapy and those kinds of things and, like, medication are definitely more accepted,” he said, of how stigma around mental illness, addictions and other behavioral health has lessened. “Usually adults are like ‘Oh, just suck it up.’” 

Even with mental health being more talked about, these days, some young people say there are too few available treatments for teenagers and adults. 

“Mental health is more spoken about, but yet it doesn’t move to a better solution,” said Julia Cerini, 15, of Washington, D.C., a participant in The School of The New York Times Summer Academy, who was visiting NYU.

“Like, therapists, like, they’re very hard to find, they’re very expensive,” said Washingtonian Charlotte Hausky, 16, also a Times academy participant. “There still aren’t enough and it’s still not easily reachable for people who may actually need it.” 

The Commonwealth Fund has concluded that “160 million Americans live in areas with mental health professional shortages.” They also state that “over 800,000 professionals” are needed to help with mental health.

Research by CNBC shows that “37% of insurance/ benefits” has become expensive and “22% of people” say therapy is too expensive.  Julia shares that a solution many teenagers lack is “school counselors” though schools have them many students refuse to come to talk to them due to whether fear of being exposed or in general scared.

Another study done by Child Mind Institute states many students won’t go to therapy or school counselors because “They may be embarrassed. Or they may feel so hopeless that they can’t imagine anything will help.”