How Storytellers Can Help with the Youth Mental Health Crisis

In December 2021, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about youth mental health and began to tour the country, meeting with experts and young people to address what is becoming a national health crisis. “Protecting Youth Mental Health,” issued by the highest health official in the country and articulating a growing concern among parents and educators, describes an “urgent public health issue” that needs the nation’s “immediate awareness and action.”

Tweens and teens are crying out for help

Even before COVID-19, teen suicide rates were rising, along with reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Since the pandemic began, these conditions have only worsened, with young people hit hardest. Climate change, systemic inequities, police brutality, school shootings, racism, a worldwide pandemic, war—the world seems like a very scary place. Coupled with the fact that it’s become harder and harder to attain the American Dream, hope is hard to come by.

Resources are scarce, and it's a challenge to reach the vast number of young people needing help. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 2 million adolescents who reported they were depressed in 2020 received no help. That leaves many struggling parents and children, in particular those from marginalized communities, with nowhere to go.

This is why the Surgeon General called for all hands on deck, including schools, parents, government, and the media. While some may be surprised by the idea that pop culture has a role to play in the mental health crisis, stories, combined with accurate information, are in fact a powerful way to support teens. Our research found that adolescents are motivated to seek information about mental health issues after watching a popular televised story. We also found that stories can inspire young people to reach out to talk to someone about their mental well-being, including their parents. We are now examining what kinds of ancillary resources, combined with narrative, can most positively impact youths’ behavior and attitudes with respect to mental well-being.

Center for Scholars & Storytellers, UCLA Research Findings

Source: Yalda T. Uhls

And we aren’t the only ones who see the impact that pop culture can have. One incredible study found that a popular hip-hop song led to increased calls to a suicide hotline and a reduction in suicides.

Storytellers must step up

With young people consuming unprecedented levels of media, it’s time for the storytellers to step up. Global behemoths like Netflix reach teens at scale and can immediately provide accurate and helpful information while also destigmatizing issues and modeling help-seeking. Shows for teenagers that deal with tough topics continue to be made (e.g., Euphoria, All the Bright Places). Young people are drawn to these shows and films, and so the need to couple storytelling with access to resources to support our most vulnerable youth is a call to action we cannot ignore.

The potential for story-based content to support youth at a time when a much-needed spotlight is being placed on the mental health crisis is considerable. It is time to meet teens where they are, on screens, to normalize stories about mental health and mental illness, taking care to avoid harmful stereotypes, promote scientifically accurate information, and include stories of help, hope, and healing.

The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA is working across many sectors with organizations such as Joy Gorman Wettel Productions, Wondermind, MTV, SMAHRT, and the FAST coalition to address the crisis of mental health and well-being as a priority issue nationwide.

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