Empowering adolescents and young adults with mental health resources.

Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health: Crucial Factors & The Need for Resources

Having good mental health is a vital, foundational pillar to living a good life, and the effects of poor mental health can be debilitating. Those struggling can feel isolated, alone, hopeless, and struggle with day-to-day tasks. The burden itself can feel as if the weight of the Earth is on your shoulders, or like trying to swim upstream against the current, leaving those who are struggling to feel like nothing will get better. Adolescents and young adults are particularly at risk. These days, our youth are feeling increasingly pressured as they navigate an array of personal, social, and societal challenges. According to McGorry et al. (2025), those within the 10-24 age range are at a heightened risk of experiencing mental illness, especially depression and anxiety, and emphasize the cascading effects that are tied to poor mental health, including substance abuse. Having access to resources, professional help, social support, and knowledge of mental health issues is vital to managing and improving mental health before our at-risk youth head down a dangerous path.   

At MendSpace, we aim to provide adolescents and young adults with mental health resources that can help improve knowledge about mental health, reduce the stigma surrounding seeking help, and serve as a bridge connecting young people to helpful resources. As Kirkbride et al. (2024) state, “[c]hildren growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage were 2-3 times more likely to experience mental health problems than their non-disadvantaged peers, with risk associated with both duration and severity of exposure” (p. 61). Moreover, mental health can be layered and complex, as Kirkbride et al. (2024) note the increased rates of mental illnesses in connection to abuse, discrimination, and the struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community, such as harassment and violence. Additionally, social and economic factors are connected to increased mental health problems, including inequalities and how current job prospects are failing to meet fundamental necessities tied to wellbeing that can impact mental health, such as healthcare coverage and living wages (McGorry et al., 2025). There is also an increasing inability of young people to attain housing and growing problems associated with cyberbullying, educational pressures, and even political influences, which contribute to mental health struggles, particularly depression, stress, and anxiety (McGorry et al., 2025). 

A study conducted by Nancy Powell, one of our team members, supports the idea that educational pressures and worries about the future contribute to increased stress among adolescents, as discussed by McGorry et al. (2025). Among the seven high school students surveyed at Fountain Valley High School in California, 85.7% of respondents indicated that tests and concern for their future were sources of their stress. 71.4% of respondents felt concerned about college prospects and how they would perform compared to their peers. Respondents also felt increased pressure to perform well academically and take the appropriate classes to attend their preferred colleges. However, when asked questions about how they deal with their stress, 50% indicated that they would not feel comfortable talking to their doctors. All respondents stated that they had never used school counseling services, even though they knew they were available. The majority of respondents felt that talking to their doctor would not help (60%), and most turned to friends to reduce their stress. One respondent noted that going to the doctor “is too expensive/time-consuming to talk about normal things”, and another respondent stated that they are “[n]ot close with my doctor.” However, when asked if they could have an honest conversation with their doctor about their stress, most respondents indicated that they want to obtain information on reducing and managing it. 

As indicated above, there are gaps in addressing the mental health needs of our youth in the face of a complex, revolving environment that adolescents are facing. We need to connect youth to mental health resources that are highly accessible, both in cost and ease, and provide highly relatable spaces where they feel comfortable sharing their struggles. As indicated by Nancy’s survey, peer connection is a vital aspect to consider. Thus, we hope to support our youth’s mental health journey by providing various resources from which young people can discern which would best meet their unique mental health needs. 

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2022). 2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (Publication No. 22(23)-0030). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587182/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK587182.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013-2023. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/dstr/pdf/YRBS-2023-Data-Summary-Trend-Report.pdf

Kirkbride, J. B., Anglin, D. M., Colman, I., Dykxhoorn, J., Jones, P. B., Patalay, P., Pitman, A., Soneson, E., Steare, T., Wright, T., & Griffiths, S. L. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 58–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21160

McGorry, P., Gunasiri, H., Mei, C., Rice, S., & Gao, C. X. (2025). The youth mental health crisis: analysis and solutions. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1517533. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1517533

World Health Organization. (2024, October 10). Mental health of adolescents. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health