We struggle enough to talk about grief when someone dies. We don’t even come close to acknowledging the other things we can and should be grieving. As an abuse survivor, I still grieve for the childhood I never had, the close relationships with parents I never had, and the freedom to enjoy life that I didn’t have as a child.
I’ve written over the last few months about my diagnosis of diabetes and the medical care I’ve gotten. I appreciate the fact that my treatment plan included providers asking about my mental health. This kind of thing can be overwhelming, and in that kind of situation, it never hurts to ask and check on someone’s mental health. I don’t think everyone gets that same level of concern, and I’m not sure that, outside of a life-changing diagnosis, anyone would have been checking on my mental health in the same way.
The point I want to make is not that social media is perfectly safe. I want us to understand that it is nuanced, and the impact on any one kid is undetermined. We know that kids with strong connections are safer and have better mental health. Instead of assuming that we’ve solved the youth mental health issue by blocking social media, let’s make sure our kids have the kind of community that helps rather than harms their mental health.
Navigating the online world takes some skill, but getting it right can provide significant benefits to our sense of belonging, community, and act as a decent accessory to our offline relationships.
Just be careful not to get into communities that do the opposite, and leave them quickly when that becomes clear.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, KQED compiled a list of shows related to mental health and youth mental health for listeners. If you’re looking for some mental health shows to learn from, you could do worse than browse the featured one they shared, and the link to all of their previous mental health resources….
I’ve seen both of those firsthand. I’ve also seen how powerful it can be when we don’t stigmatize someone dealing with illness, including mental health issues, and when they are grieving. It changes everything to know that people are willing to connect with us during the times we need their support the most.
