{"id":74307,"date":"2025-07-29T15:45:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=74307"},"modified":"2025-07-29T15:45:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:45:41","slug":"gen-z-mental-health-crisis-requires-cultural-understanding-and-proven-treatments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=74307","title":{"rendered":"Gen Z Mental Health Crisis Requires Cultural Understanding and Proven Treatments"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2025-07-29T14:41:59-07:00\">Jul 29, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Truly understanding the precursors for poor mental health in Gen Zers goes beyond blaming social media and the Covid-19 pandemic. Intergenerational trauma, structural racism, and economic instability are a few of the multiple challenges faced by this generation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"Gen Z depression\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/jacob-sedlacek-V7GvQpJKMak-unsplash-scaled-e1753809465817.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Jacob Sedlacek photo via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>As youth suicide rates climb and depression deepens across the United States, mental health experts are pushing for action that centers both evidence-based treatment and cultural belonging.<\/p>\n<p>At a July 25 news briefing hosted by American Community Media, speakers noted that effective care remains out of reach for too many. \u201cWe\u2019re in a true public health crisis,\u201d said Dr. Ovsanna Leyfer, research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist in the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. \u201cBut we also know what works: the question is whether we can deliver it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-generation-in-pain\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Generation in Pain<\/h2>\n<p>Over 40% of Gen Zers \u2014 those between the ages of 13 to 28 \u2014 report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. One in five has considered suicide, reported Leyfer. \u201cThese are not just numbers. These are kids in classrooms, homes, and clinics \u2014 or worse, kids who can\u2019t get into any of those places for help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Much of the recent attention on youth mental health has focused on social media and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Dr. Kiara Alvarez, \u00a0Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health noted youth of color face consistent struggles that run much deeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Black and Latino adolescents, racism is a chronic stressor,\u201d said Alvarez, who also serves in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. \u201cIt\u2019s not just trauma from isolated events, but the daily wear-and-tear of being treated differently, navigating school systems that stereotype them, and worrying about safety in their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among Latino youth, the crisis is compounded by language barriers, immigration fears, and financial hardship. \u201cWhen your parents are working multiple jobs, or you\u2019re translating bills at age ten, it changes your stress physiology. These kids are surviving environments of chronic threat \u2014 and we\u2019re not responding fast enough,\u201d said Alvarez.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-works-cbt-and-beyond\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Works: CBT and Beyond<\/h2>\n<p>Leyfer underscored the urgency of expanding access to\u00a0cognitive behavioral therapy, which she characterized as \u201cgold-standard, evidence-based treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCBT is especially effective with adolescents,\u201d she said. \u201cIt teaches them to identify unhelpful thought patterns, regulate emotions, and build coping skills \u2014 skills they\u2019ll use for life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But far too few young people get that opportunity. \u201cEven when kids show up for help, they often don\u2019t get the right treatment,\u201d Leyfer said. \u201cThere\u2019s a big difference between venting and actually learning to think differently, feel differently, and function better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CBT can be employed through school-based programs, peer counselors, and digital tools. \u201cIf we embed CBT into the systems where kids already are \u2014 schools, primary care, telehealth \u2014 we can actually move the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Leyfer also cautioned that CBT is not a cure-all. \u201cMental health is also about relationships, identity, and belonging. That\u2019s where culturally informed care comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-healing-through-culture-and-connection\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Healing Through Culture and Connection<\/h2>\n<p>Soo Jin Lee, co-founder and director of the Yellow Chair Collective, said culturally grounded therapy is essential. \u201cIn AAPI communities, we\u2019re not just fighting stigma. We\u2019re addressing silence that goes back generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Many Asian American youth experience\u00a0intergenerational trauma\u00a0\u2014 the emotional residue of immigration, war, poverty, and displacement that parents often carry but don\u2019t name. \u201cYoung people may not know the full story of what their families endured, but they feel the emotional impact: the pressure to succeed, the fear of vulnerability, the guilt around rest,\u201d said Lee.<\/p>\n<p>To break that cycle, Yellow Chair Collective incorporates nonverbal healing modalities like tai chi, sound baths, and breathwork. \u201cSometimes therapy looks like sitting on a mat, just breathing together,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe don\u2019t always need words to begin healing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee added that many of her young clients don\u2019t connect with Western notions of mental health. \u201cIf we only offer talk therapy with a clipboard, we\u2019re missing them. They need therapy that reflects their identities \u2014 and honors their histories.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-survivor-s-story\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Survivor\u2019s Story<\/h2>\n<p>Victoria Birch, a 22-year-old youth advocate, described growing up with anxiety, depression, and self-harm \u2014 and then being placed in foster care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like support,\u201d Birch said. \u201cIt felt like punishment.\u201d After years of bouncing through systems, she ended up incarcerated from ages 16 to 22.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know how to belong,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when you don\u2019t belong, you find other ways to survive \u2014 even if they hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Birch credited\u00a0Beloved Village, a community-based organization, with helping her reconnect to therapy, family, and hope. \u201cThey showed me what real support looks like. They didn\u2019t ask me to prove my pain \u2014 they just showed up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, she works with California\u2019s Office of Youth and Community Restoration and speaks publicly about youth mental health.<\/p>\n<p>Asked what healing looks like, Birch paused. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s just someone sitting beside you. Even in silence. Just being there.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-the-path-forward\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Path Forward<\/h3>\n<p>Helping Gen Zers to heal from hurt requires greater access to culturally appropriate care and proven treatment therapies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to honor both science and story,\u201d said Alvarez. \u201cCBT teaches skills, but cultural belonging provides meaning. Youth need both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee echoed that sentiment. \u201cLet\u2019s stop expecting young people to fit into our systems. Let\u2019s build systems that reflect who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leyfer stressed the need for greater access to CBT. \u201cIf we can figure out better access to it in schools, clinics, online, CBT can potentially be a game changer for this generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Jul 29, 2025 Truly&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74308,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74307\/revisions\/74308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}