By Ariana Molkara, Staff Writer and Social Media Manager
INNOVATIVE: Bringing teens support from those they may feel the most comfortable talking to: their peers.
Having a healthy mind is essential to healthy living, yet so many teens suffer at the hands of their weakening mental health and reaching out for support is wrongfully stigmatized. According to the World Health Organization, mental health conditions account for 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged 10-19 years old. The CDC reports that in 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death for persons aged 15-19. While these numbers are troubling, it is important to remember that these adolescents are more than just a number. Behind these statistics are real people who need the resources, education, and support to take back control of their mental health and lead happy, healthy lives.
So, what if teens are scared or uncomfortable sharing their feelings and experiences with an adult? What if the idea of seeing a certified specialist sounds intimidating? Teen Talk has an answer. Teen Talk is an app in which teens can anonymously text a trained teen from 6:00pm-10:00pm PT and receive support. The app was created by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles in partnership with Teen Line and with the support of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and W.M. Keck Foundation. Teen Talk creates a safe, non-judgmental space where teens can talk about any issue, whether it’s depression, anxiety, school, family issues, relationships, or whatever else that’s causing distress. Teens can also go onto the app to share something that inspires them or simply to see what other teens are dealing with. The ones responding on the other side are real teenagers; and who else knows the teenage language better than teens themselves?
So who are the teen advisors? The advisors are trained teens who have been vetted through an interview and selection process, and have undergone a 10 week long training program with a mental health specialist. Before advisors can begin to respond on the app, they must have finished 40-hours worth of training.
As the world battles a global pandemic and teens spend one of the most pivotal years of their life at home, the threat to mental health deepens. Stuck in quarantine, today’s youth have to cope with these unprecedented times on top of all the other stress and anxiety that comes with growing up. In a survey discussed in an article on Huffpost, 55% of teens said that they have experienced anxiety, 45% reported having excessive stress, and 43% claimed to have experienced depression amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now more than ever, the stigma around mental health help must end and personal care should be made a priority.
What makes Teen Talk so innovative and groundbreaking is it’s incredible peer support system. When it comes to mental health, teens all come from a different place and stage in life. For many, Teen Talk may be their first attempt at reaching out for help. There are a multitude of resources out there, but to have this option for teens to share their thoughts with other teens, is extremely valuable. To download the app, you can go to www.tinyurl.com/TeenTalkApp or simply find Teen Talk – Supporting Teens in the app store. While the app is currently only available on ios, it will be coming to android shortly.