Supporting Teen Mental Health: What Matters Most

By Chris Larrick, Counselor

If you spend time with teenagers today and really listen to them, you will hear excitement and curiosity, but also pressure and uncertainty.

Adolescence has always been a critical time of rapidly changing physical, emotional, and social growth. However, students today are experiencing these changes with a much more complicated backdrop to their lives. Youth are battling social media use and influence, a never-ending 24/7 news cycle, unfiltered information and images, on top of the increased rigors of school. 

Growing up in a high-speed, interconnected world can be overwhelming for teens. Reports of anxiety, depression, and high levels of stress connected to school performance are on the rise among adolescents. 

Mental health is embedded in Field’s approach to teaching and learning because students learn best when they feel known, valued, and connected.

When learning feels meaningful and students feel a sense of belonging, paired with the right balance of challenge and support, they grow academically and emotionally. They build confidence, take risks, and learn how to navigate difficult situations.

And students learn that they are not alone.

What Makes a Difference

As a school counselor, I see a wide variety of students in any given week with a host of stressors and concerns that they want help navigating. For most, these often include common worries about school, friends, family, and their future. At the end of the day, we want and hope that all students have a trusted adult at school, at home, and/or in their community that they can lean on for help and guidance. A growing number of teens and young adults are reaching out when they need it. Since COVID, mental health and wellness are discussed more openly and honestly. Early identification and interventions for youth have improved and are readily available as well. 

What else can we do as parents, guardians, and/or caregivers knowing that the mental health and wellness of our children continues to be a major concern?

• Get resources! There are plenty available locally, online, and through health systems.
• Maintain strong connections with your child’s school.
• Ensure regular check-ups with your child’s primary doctor; see specialists if needed.
• Monitor and regulate their social media use when appropriate
• Support healthy sleep patterns at home.
• Participate in and encourage healthy eating habits.
• Encourage your child to move and find ways to stay physically active.
• Assist them in finding hobbies and activities that are creative and healthy.
• Help your child maintain a strong social network to others including extended family, friends, and community organizations.
• Monitor their overall patterns of behavior for any major changes.
• Learn about coping and stress reduction strategies.
• Take every opportunity to talk to your child about school, friendships, and their overall health.

For students who need increased mental health support and interventions, seeking professional guidance is a must. When students are grounded, supported, and understood, they engage with school and grow. They begin to see themselves as capable, thoughtful people who can shape the world around them.

Recent Mental Health Statistics

The state of teenage mental health and wellness has received increased attention from health professionals and organizations. This specialized attention has led to greater knowledge and action. 

In September, 2025, the World Health Organization summarized its report in an article on the mental health of adolescents and found the following:

• Globally, one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds experiences a mental health disorder.
• Depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
• It is imperative to address these concerns during adolescence so that students have support as they move into young adulthood.

As reported in The State of Teen Mental Health: A Statistical Report for U.S.

Parents, (October, 2025), researchers discovered that:

• Nearly 1 in 3 high school students (30%) reported feeling “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row” that they stopped their usual activities. For teen girls, this number is a staggering 43% (more than 2 in 5). [Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 2023]
• Diagnoses of anxiety and depression among U.S. children aged 6-17 have increased by nearly 30% in recent years, an acceleration that has continued since 2020. [Source: JAMA Pediatrics]
• The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an official advisory, warning that teens who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including anxiety and depression. [Source: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, 2023]
• An alarming 60% of all American youth (ages 12–17) who suffer from a major depressive episode do not receive any mental health treatment at all. [Source: Mental Health America (MHA), 2025 Report]
• In national surveys, 83% of teenagers cite school and the pressure to get good grades as a “significant” or “top” source of their stress. [Source: American Psychological Association (APA) Stress in America Survey]”