Why U.S. Congress should support mental health care for adolescents
07/18/2018
Adolescents are going through a critical period of their live. They are not just being subjected to physical changes, but also a series of mental changes. With all these changes, the adolescents tend to take quick decisions. This can lead them towards frustration in the long run. Due to this reason, the U.S. Congress should take it as a responsibility to provide mental support for the adolescents.
From the recent studies, it has been identified that more than 75% of the adolescents and children who live in United States don’t receive the mental health that is needed. Unfortunately, adolescents who belong to this age category depend a lot on the mental health. That’s why we need to focus a lot on the residential programs for troubled youth.
Adolescents who don’t receive adequate mental health are at a great risk. Due to the mental health issues, they find it as a difficult task to achieve their academic goals. This can create a negative impact on their entire future, including the academic outcomes. Because of this reason, a considerable percentage of college students experience college dropouts as well. These students also find it as a difficult task to earn more money than the children with disabilities in future. This can further weaken their mental health state.
The suicide rates among adolescents are increasing at an alarming rate. From a recent study, it has been identified that more than 90% of the adolescents who commit suicide are affected with some sort of a mental health issue. Unfortunately, these figures are not reflected from the nationwide surveys, which are being conducted by different institutions. As per the figures of National Household Survey of Drug Abuse, only 36% of the adolescents have committed suicide due to mental health issues. Therefore, it is the high time for U.S. Congress to get directly involved in this. Otherwise, thousands of more adolescents would become victims of suicide in the future.
As mentioned earlier, adolescence can be considered as a difficult development period that the youth has to go through. Therefore, the symptoms associated with mental health issues can easily arise. If special attention is not paid towards addressing these health issues, youth would become victims of disasters. For example, adolescents who are dealing with mental health issues tend to become dependents of illicit drugs and alcohol. This has the ability to ruin their entire future.
It has also been identified that children who deal with mental health issues are usually overrepresented in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. They need immediate assistance from the relevant parties in order to cope up with living. Otherwise, these students will have to deal with a variety of negative consequences in the future. The U.S. Congress should therefore take the initiative to address these concerns. That’s no better institution in the country, which has the ability to address these issues in a better way. If necessary steps can be taken to provide assistance with mental health, youth will be able to get into adulthood with peace of mind.