Adolescent Mental Health in the Twenty-First Century

Due to the effects of global and local catastrophes including the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing wars, mass shootings, and climate change, there can be little doubt that worldwide mental health is experiencing a difficult point in time (Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 29. 2024, from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf , 2021; Clark et al, BMJ 372:n7190, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n719 , 2021). Exposed to cultural change during an important developmental stage of life, adolescents may suffer the most cognitively, socially, and psychologically in times of cultural stress. Further, the negative effect on their development bodes ill for the next generation of parents and leaders. This chapter provides a brief history of adolescent healthcare which includes current demographics and an overview of brain development theories and research. It then examines the scope of the crisis by discussing adolescent suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. Coping strategies, both healthy and unhealthy, are included in this overview.