Solving For Teen Mental Health
Clearing a path for more innovative, teen-specific interventions
Authors: Nicki Tessler, Bill Geary, Ellen Coombe
For generations, the new school year was synonymous with a fresh start; an opportunity for students to reflect and redefine themselves. Such optimism is hard to imagine this year. Four in ten American high schoolers reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless over the last year. Since 2019, ER visits for mental health conditions among teenagers 13 to 17 have continued to increase each year. And sadly, the number of mental health clinicians falls far short of the need. Only half of youth who need mental health treatment are seen by a mental health provider.
With recent Supreme Court decisions, the tragedy of increased mass shootings, and yet more COVID-19 outbreaks, the foreboding sense that things will only get worse resonates with most of us.
But as mental health needs have skyrocketed, so too have awareness and de-stigmatization. For example, last winter, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a rare public health advisory on the youth mental health crisis, spurring legislation in both the House and Senate, trends toward reimbursement on par with physical health conditions, and even a forward-looking focus on Gen Z mental health from major employers.
As such, this school year could be an inflection point, an opportunity to reset the trajectory of our teens’ psyches. From our collective experience in research, investing and solution-creation, we believe three myths about teen mental health stand in the way of catalyzing this change. We expose these falsehoods in the hopes of clearing a path for more innovative, teen-specific interventions.
Myth 1: Technology is the enemy
We are well aware of the ways technology can be built to promote addictive use and that teens are perhaps most susceptible. Yet solutions that will be most likely to capture the attention and ultimately benefit teens today would do well to acknowledge that digital communications are deeply entrenched in how they socialize.
By 2018, for example, 13–17 year-olds were more likely to report texting than in-person conversations as their favorite means of communication. The preferences of these “digital natives” extend into mental health attitudes and behaviors. The internet and social media are often the first place they look for mental health information and, for a lot of teens, online communities are real and sometimes their only support.
Solutions that resonate with teens therefore often rely on technology to provide resources in ways that in-person forums cannot. For example, technology gives teens access to knowledge and community before they may be ready to vocalize their concerns, either to adults in their lives, or when those adults are themselves the barrier.
Digital communities also provide content teens perceive as more real and authentic: videos, texts from live coaches, posts and blogs from peers and providers alike resonate in a way that pamphlets and parent-endorsed resources just don’t. Mental health support that truly reaches teens is likely to need to work with technology, rather than push against it.
Myth 2: Go straight for in-person therapy
Accessing therapy is often a long journey, as 70 percent of US counties don’t have a single child psychiatrist and wait times for initial youth mental health assessments can average over three months in some states.
Fortunately, evidence is mounting that more scalable solutions to delivering mental health treatment, such as skill-building and counseling, can be helpful for young people. Digital delivery of brief, evidence-based coping mechanisms can improve mood for teens, thereby preventing mental health challenges. Similarly, smartphone apps that teach positive psychology skills are proven to buffer adolescents against loneliness, depression and associated outcomes such as sleep quality and adjustment to school.
These digital supports are well-suited to teens’ expectations for immediacy and convenience. Adding live coaching to a digital support can both enhance its effectiveness and support rigorous intervention delivery at scale. Even peer-to-peer counseling — a clear distinction from one-on-one sessions with licensed practitioners — can effectively deliver evidence-based skills as well as a sense of companionship and community.
Myth 3: Teens are clamoring for treatment
Teens have two friends: “everyone” and “no one.” With increasing coverage of the teen mental health crisis, coupled with openness from celebrities and influencers about their own mental health struggles, we may assume that everyone is taking action on their mental health. But many teens aren’t.
In a national survey, Gen-Z respondents with self-reported mental health disorders were twice as likely to report not seeking treatment than were respondents in their parents’ generation, Gen X. Uncertainty about how to seek help, barriers to access (e.g., availability, affordability, parental consent) and stigma of mental health challenges likely all contribute to hesitancy to use traditional supports. Platforms like social media might seem like an easier way for teens to learn about themselves and get support from others; yet they are often met with as much negative content as positive.
Nevertheless, a critical component of supporting teens’ mental health is getting them to take the first step into the support ecosystem. Mechanisms that mimic activities already second-nature to teens — online messaging, virtual games, short content — can serve as important gateways to more intensive clinical interventions (e.g., therapy, medications) that teens wouldn’t otherwise be open to.
Now is the time to reflect on current solutions and redefine how we support teen mental health. As entrepreneurs and investors, we have a unique opportunity to create and scale a wave of solutions that empower our up-and-coming generation to be their best selves.
Authors
- Nicki Tessler PsyD, MBA, is the CEO and Co-Founder of BeMe Health, a digital behavioral health company that delivers mental health interventions designed specifically for teens.
- Bill Geary is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Flare Capital Partners, an early-stage healthcare technology venture firm and co-lead in BeMe’s initial funding round.
- Ellen Coombe has joined Flare’s investment team from the McKinsey Health Institute.
