Look

This week I was reminded and deeply saddened by the struggles and pain many young people face today. Our children are being eaten alive by addiction, mental health, and fighting the difficulties of coping with life in a world that at best is overwhelming. It shows!

In the summer of 2020, The American Medical Association said this: “The AMA is greatly concerned by an increasing number of reports from national, state and local media suggesting increases in opioid-related mortality—particularly from illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. More than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance use disorder in counties and other areas within the state.”    Full publication here

 

NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Health cited similar findings when it announced that the relapse and overdose rate has increased by 30% since March 2020. Mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. It is hard enough fighting an addiction or mental health issues under normal circumstances let alone in the middle of a pandemic, severe racial unrest, unprecedented political fighting, and more.

More recently data is showing that mental health issues are on the rise among young people but especially among girls in their early teens. This is heartbreaking.

It saddens me to see so many of our young people being robbed of life because of addiction, and the top 5 mental health issues in the USA:

 

Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Social anxiety disorder

 

Mood Disorders

• Major depression
• Dysthymia
• Bipolar disorder
• Substance-induced mood disorder

 

Psychotic Disorders

• Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Brief psychotic disorder
• Delusional disorder
• Substance-induced psychotic disorder

 

Dementia

• Parkinson’s disease
• Frontotemporal dementia
• Huntington’s disease
• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

 

Eating disorders

• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating disorder
• Pica eating disorder
• Rumination disorder

This short 2.5 minute video gives more insight into mental health and how it can impact people we love. 

 

The important thing to remember If someone we love is struggling with any of the above is:

• They most likely will need some professional help
• They will need our support and encouragement
• There is hope!

 

Ann Weems who lost her son Todd one hour after his 21^st birthday said this in her comforting book “Pslams of Lament”:

“In the godforsaken, obscene, quicksand of life, there is a deafening alleluia rising from the souls of those who weep, and those who weep for those who weep. If you watch you will see the hand of God putting the stars back in their skies one by one.”

We can not – must not – let these loved ones go unnoticed, we must look at those who are being swallowed up by this relentless world. We must do our part in working with God to let their stars shine.

 

This weeks featured image is by Brooke Shaden called “Look”