🏁 Axios Finish Line: Helping frazzled kids

Plus: 2 tips | Monday, May 09, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·May 09, 2022 May 09, 2022 Welcome back. Send your feedback and questions to FinishLine@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 399 words ... 1½ minutes.     1 big thing: Helping frazzled kids Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios   Never have so many kids reported being so sad and stressed. Why it matters: The American Academy of Pediatrics declared the mental health crisis among children and teens a national emergency. Zoom out: Consider these troubling stats, reported by Axios health care editor Tina Reed. Mental distress: More than 40% of teens said they persistently felt sad or hopeless during 2021, a CDC survey found. Risky behavior: The same survey found increased use of alcohol and drugs during the shutdown. Abuse: 55% reported emotional abuse from a parent or other adult in the home. Over 10% reported physical abuse. Here's how all of us — parents, relatives, friends, mentors — can help: Look for outward signs that something's wrong — rapid weight gain or loss, falling grades, mood swings, frequent headaches and fatigue. Don't avert your gaze. Don't just watch — ask. Young people want attention and questions, even if they act otherwise. Read between the lines. "We look at kids who are irritable or angry, and we say they're bad or mad," says Ken Ginsburg, a pediatrician and founder of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. "That's how they show they're sad." Call in professionals. If the price is steep, start with cheap or free resources at the child's pediatrician's office, school or house of worship. All those places have adults trained to counsel. Here's a guide for broaching therapy with teens. "Insist on answers. Don't assume specialists are omniscient. Seek second opinions. If they prescribe medication, follow up with them on why and the side effects. Alcohol often causes problems when mixed with meds. Help teens understand this." The bottom line: "You don't need to have the perfect words," Ginsburg says. "You just need to show up." Share this story.     A message from Axios Get ahead of your next deal     Axios Pro delivers exclusive reporting and analysis on the biggest deals shaping your industry. Why it matters: Axios Pro reporters have access to industry contacts and information you won't find anywhere else. Pro subscribers get their scoops first. Use code PRO200 at checkout to get $200 off your subscription.     🧠 2 tips Here are two common pitfalls when helping teens, Emily Pluhar, an adolescent psychologist at Harvard, tells us: Tiptoeing when worried: "People are so afraid to ask about things like self-harm and suicide because they're afraid they'll suggest it," she says. "No data shows that that's true. So be as direct as possible." Fearing you're endorsing: "If a teen says, 'My life sucks,' you can say: 'I can see how you feel that way with what's been going on' — without agreeing."   Thanks for reading. Invite friends to sign up. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: