Preteen Mental Health
THE PROBLEM
In October 2019, the CDC reported that from 2000-2007, suicide rates for American youth ages 10-14 years old were on the decline. Excellent!
However, the decade that followed painted a very different picture. Between 2007-2017, not only did these rates increase, they tripled. And...recent research shows that the rate at which this rate is increasing...is increasing. Oh boy!
As if that weren’t troubling enough, NAMI reports the following:
1 in 5 kids ages 13-18 have or will have a diagnosable mental illness, yet half of all lifetime cases of mental Illnesses remain undiagnosed.
50% of people with mental illness begin showing symptoms before the age of 14.
The average delay of treatment from the onset of symptoms is a decade.
The 3rd leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 is suicide.
90% of those youths aged 10-24 who died by suicide showed signs of diagnosable mental illness, according to post-mortem interviews of friends and families.
And now, post COVID-19 pandemic, things have not gotten better. They are in fact worse.
There is much more, but let’s pause here. Imagine a 10 year old who begins to show symptoms of mental illness. These symptoms can look a lot like the normal ups and downs of puberty and it is not always clear when to start asking different questions. If the average delay in treatment is a decade, then this young person may not begin receiving treatment until they are at least 20 years old. What does that imply about their formative experiences as an adolescent? And how does all of this affect faith formation?
THE OPPORTUNITY
1 out of 6 people in the world are between 10-19 years old.
Developmental research shows that belief systems are well in place by the time a person turns 14 years old.
Early adolescence is a formative window.
God is in the business of restoration and the church has a major role.
The preteen years, often recognized as the years between 9-14 years old, open a unique window of development that has potential to greatly inform who a person is becoming. If adolescence is the bridge from childhood to adulthood, early adolescence is the fast and furious on-ramp to that bridge. What happens on that on-ramp matters and we all have an opportunity to help shape those experiences.
THE INITIATIVE
We seek to engage, equip and encourage ministry workers to:
Gain AWARENESS by getting up to speed on current national trends and basic knowledge regarding early adolescent mental health and the links between preteen development, mental health and faith formation.
Grow PARTNERSHIPS with your local community to help families with preteens navigate next steps when it comes to mental wellness.
Get TRAINING to help identify warning signs and discover ways that church organizations can help.
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