Page 2 - The Jewish Voice - April '23

Page 2, The Jewish Voice
How Teens Can Tackle Their Mental Health

By Elaine R. Rotenberg, PhD Remember, suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary The teens will be offered this information and more
It’s no secret that we have a mental health crisis in problem. Young people can be impulsive and don’t always through a mini workshop called Mental Health & YOUth.
this country. A recent report from the CDC confirmed see the tomorrow when they are feeling overwhelmed and We invite all teens to join.
what we already knew, but the results are still alarming: unable to deal with today. At the end of the day, it’s all In the end, in order to take care of their mental health,
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young about having open lines of communication, and for the kids need to know they’re not alone, that they’re in this
people aged 15 to 24 and, according to recent data, girls rest of us to know how to identify behavioral changes in together, and that it can get better.
are at an even greater risk than boys. In fact, nearly three kids. To learn more about our Alpert JFS teen services,
in five U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless My team and I at Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish please visit www.alpertjfs.org/for-teens/.
in 2021 – double that of boys, representing a nearly 60 Family Service (Alpert JFS) are currently addressing Dr. Elaine Rotenberg is Chief Clinical and Impact
percent increase and the highest level reported over the this issue head-on. For almost 15 years, we have offered Officer at Alpert Jewish Family Service. She is a
past decade. the community a teen-led program called Relationships licensed clinical psychologist, a member of the American
The pandemic certainly exacerbated the mental and and Decisions, which is focused on teens teaching teens Psychological Association, and the Florida Psychological
emotional struggles kids are going through, but even about healthy relationships, decisions, self-esteem, and Association, and serves on the steering committee of the
before COVID-19 came along there had been an increase bullying. We know that teens are more likely to share Action Alliance for Mental Health in Palm Beach County.
in teenage depression over the past decade. Three years their personal thoughts and struggles with their peers She is the national chair of the Clinical Services Affinity
into the pandemic, former eleven-year-old kids are than an adult. That’s why we recently launched the Teen group for the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
suddenly fourteen but haven’t developed the critical Mental Health Resiliency Roundtable, through which we (NJHSA) and a member of the NJHSA Best Practices and
social skills they need as teenagers due to the disruption will have teens teach other teens about mental health, Innovations Committee.
of a pandemic that kept them home in isolation. This removing stigma, and the importance of asking for help.
seclusion prevented many children from experiencing
the important developmental transitions that come from
human-to-human, in-person connection. No More Silence from page 1
All the while, the world gets scarier every day.
Fear of the next school shooting or massacre: School Five women met at Temple Judea, piled into a three row Edmonds – D; and Rep. Michael Caruso – R. We spent
shooting drills have become an increasingly common SUV and got under way. The other women and I all knew about fifteen minutes with each representative and saw lots
practice in schools across the country and no matter your each other, at least to say Shabbat shalom in temple. On of other red t-shirts walking through the halls doing the
opinion on whether they help us prepare in the event of the trip up we each took turns telling our stories and by the same. Mr. Edmonds and Mr. Powell assured us they would
a real emergency, most drills involve locking classroom time we reached Tallahassee we had really bonded. The next vociferously raise their voices against these bills and do
doors, hiding in designated safe areas, and evacuating morning, wearing our red Moms Demand Action t-shirts, all they could. Mr. Caruso somewhat sheepishly indicated
the building – essentially preparing to flee for their lives. we went to the capitol and sat in on the hearings about this that as a Republican he had to vote Yes, but said he would
This simulated situation can cause unnecessary stress and bill. We heard the heartbreaking words of people who had try for amendments to make them less damaging.
anxiety – and may even increase the risk of trauma and lost loved ones to gun violence begging the legislature not Finally, it was time to return home. It was an even
psychological distress. to pass this bill. Next we walked to the First Presbyterian longer ride back, but I think we all felt satisfied that we
Social media negatively affects the mental health of Church where several hundred of our sister red t-shirters had learned much, made our voices heard, and stood up
teens: The constant comparison to others, the pressure were rallying. We heard from more devastated mothers and for what we passionately believed was right. We returned
to present a curated and perfect image online, and the fathers who have experienced the tragedy caused by gun weary, but oddly elated and determined to continue the
ability to bully and harass others anonymously can all violence. fight for tikun olam.
take a toll on young people’s mental health. According We then marched together to the capitol. We “planted” We urge all our fellow congregants, and our local
to an explosive report from The Wall Street Journal, artificial white roses on the lawn to represent the thousands community, to reach out to your representatives to make
officials at Facebook, which owns Instagram, were aware of people who have been killed in Florida this year by your voices heard.
early on that Instagram increases the rate of anxiety and guns. Later we had meetings with three of our local
depression in teens, particularly teenage girls. According representatives, Sen. Bobby Powell Jr. – D; Rep. Jervonte
to Facebook’s own information, 32 percent of teen girls
admit that Instagram made them feel bad about their
bodies, and over 40 percent of Instagram users who
reported feeling “unattractive” traced that belief back to
the platform.
The fact is – the world can feel very scary for kids
today. And the ubiquitous social media onslaught simply
adds to that fear. Let’s remember: Being worried, nervous,
anxious, or afraid can be a perfectly natural response. We
all have those feelings from time to time. The issue is not
to ignore those feelings, but rather to help our kids not “get
stuck in the scared.” When kids are scared, it’s important
for us (as adults) to validate those feelings while at the
same time making sure they have the tools necessary to
manage those big feelings. And, most importantly, that
we have confidence they will be able to manage them.

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