Mental Health Out Loud: Youth Traumas & Anxieties Today (with Sharon Saline, Psy.D.)

In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an unprecedented public advisory regarding the youth mental health crisis in America. Roughly 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. has a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. And 1 in 3 high school students reports persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

Add to all of this yet another horrific school shooting — this time the murder of 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 — and many parents are justifiably worried.

In this Q&A with ADDitude, Dr. Saline discusses the stressors and traumas facing children and teens today — from gun violence to a sweeping mental health crisis — and how parents can navigate these concerns without trivializing or exacerbating fears.

More resources from the Q&A can be found here:
https://www.additudemag.com/webinar/youth-mental-health-trauma-anxiety-school-shootings/

Mental Health Out Loud is a new type of conversation where the editors of ADDitude — along with leading experts in the fields of ADHD and mental health — discuss topics in emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Time Stamps:
04:46 The Mental Health Crisis in American Youth
11:30 Talking to Our Kids About School Shootings
17:46 Live Q&A: How to Help a Child with Anxiety
18:10 Why We Shouldn’t Tell Our Kids Everything Will Be Fine
21:47 Red Flags for Mental Wellbeing in Students
25:10 Live Q&A: Teen with Depression and Anxiety
28:04 How Trauma Overlaps with ADHD
29:03 Types of Trauma
31:08 Symptoms of PTSD
31:31 How to Treat Trauma
32:04 Core Components of Trauma-Based Interventions
33:49 Why Our Kids Appear 'Numb' to Horrors of Gun Violence
40:55 The Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Brain
46:20 Audience Questions