A Decade of Growing Mental Health Challenges

By Kendra Dixson, LMSW-C

What is Causing the Mental Health Crisis?

What is in a decade? Ten years. From 2014 to 2024 the growing mental health crisis has rattled the United States and its people to the core – spiritually, mentally, and physically. Shaken. Tested. Shifted. Parents. Children. No one is exempt. Whether you are battling mental health challenges or caring for someone who is – it all affects us. What is the culprit? Is it in the water? The long-term effects of COVID-19? Do cell phones affect mental health? Scientists, educators, and doctors are grappling with these questions. Let’s discuss three of the many historical onsets and their impact on mental health.

Water Crisis

It is in the water. The Flint Water Crisis in the state of Michigan found lead in the water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that lead pipes are used in all states to transport water.”1 Other cities have tested for high levels of lead in the tap water: Baltimore, Buffalo, Benton Harbor, Chicago, Milwaukee, Newark, New York, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Washington, D.C.2 The Flint crisis was identified in September 2015 when doctors warned to stop drinking the water after children tested for high lead levels.3 Children, under six years of age are especially vulnerable to adverse reactions because their brain is developing.4 Lead affects all body systems and causes miscarriages, developmental delays, learning difficulties, mental health problems, blindness, deafness and even death.5 “…the crisis led to a 9% increase in the proportion of students with qualified special educational needs when compared with similar districts.”6 Developmental disabilities are prevalent and affect about 17% of children ages 3 to 17 years in the United States.7 Five years after the crisis some residents met criteria for depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or for both depression and PTSD.8

Pandemic Effect on Education Equity

Next, the undeniable effects of COVID-19 are reverberating in society. Life is not the same and it forever changed on March 13, 2020 when President Donald J. Trump issued the Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak.9 During COVID-19, millions of children experienced service interruptions and increased isolation, behavior problems, mounting mental health concerns, parental stress, and lack of rapport building with service providers. In-person service was limited and telehealth became more of the standard of care for many children seeking to resume services.10 Children were forced to remote learning and the Department of Education scrambled to protect the students’ right to a free and public education (FAPE) “…under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (hereinafter Section 504), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA).11 Unfortunately, many students and their families lacked access to early intervention, educational curriculum and did not meet the outcomes in their Individualized Evaluation Program (IEP) plan.12 Los Angeles Unified School District in California and the Fairfax County Schools did not provide instruction to special education students during the pandemic.13 The students’ FAPE rights were violated, special education students were discriminated against, students’ progress or lack of progress was not tracked, and students were not compensated for the loss of educational experience.14 The Office of Civil Rights investigated along with the guidance of the Department of Education and declared school districts are required to have contingency plans in the case of a pandemic, students have the right to compensatory instruction with tracking of progress, should be re-evaluated for changes in learning needs, address the changes in educational needs, and implement a plan to help the student gain progress toward achievement.15 The long-term devastating effects of COVID-19 on students and special education students may not be known until longitudinal studies are conducted.

Cell Phone and Social Media Crisis

Does cell phone usage affect mental health? Usage increased during the pandemic when Americans depended on the device for news updates, to order food, and to stay connected with friends and family. Moreover, cell phone users invest hours of uninterrupted screen time in isolation avoiding in-person contact just to win an additional ‘like’ or ‘follower.’ The compulsion to win at the cost of losing yourself is a dangerous precedent to set. Daily betrayal of self with no personal boundaries or time management leads to a habit of personal neglect. "Social media is designed to hook our brains, and teens are especially susceptible to its addictiveness…”16 Unchecked, overutilization of social media increases exposure to lack of emotional regulation, sleep deprivation, cyberbullying, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and suicide.17

What Can You Do To Be Part of the Solution?

In conclusion, it all affects our mental health. Toxins in the water. COVID-19 aftermath. Cell phones. Social media. We are producing a lifetime of consequences affecting us now and for future generations. We may feel helpless in a crisis, a pandemic, or overwhelmed by social media; but wielding our personal power can have influence. Part of the solution is for parents, educators, and all members of the community to sound the alarm to protect the mental health of our children, students, and vulnerable populations from governmental leaders making poor public health decisions, and from cyber predators. Write a letter to your congress person or volunteer to mentor youth. Advocate for clean drinking water, for uninterrupted access to education and mental health care. When presented with an opportunity to do good, sow seeds of kindness, model self-restraint, prioritize mental health, help those who are struggling, and do not turn a blind eye when it is in your power to do good. Do It!

Notes

1. Ray, M. "Flint water crisis." Encyclopedia Britannica (November 2024): https://www.britannica.com/event/Flint-water-crisis.

2. Mulvihill, K. “Causes and effects of lead in water.” Natural Resources Defense Council (October2024): https://www.nrdc.org/stories/causes-and-effects-lead water#problem.

3. Reuben A, Moreland A, Abdalla SM, et al. “Prevalence of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in Flint, Michigan, 5 Years after the onset of the water crisis." JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(9):e2232556. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.32556.

4. Ray, "Flint water crisis."

5. Ray, "Flint water crisis."

6.“EPI studies Flint water crisis effects on academic outcomes.” Education Policy Initiative. (May 2022):https://edpolicy.umich.edu/news/2022/epi-studies-flint-water-crisis-effects-academic-outcomes.

7. Zhang S, Hao Y, Feng Y, Lee NY. “COVID-19 pandemic impacts on children with developmental disabilities: service disruption, transition to telehealth, and child wellbeing.” Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 10;19(6):3259. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063259. PMID: 35328947; PMCID: PMC8951004.

8. Reuben A, Moreland A, Abdalla SM, et al. “Prevalence of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in Flint, Michigan, 5 Years after the onset of the water crisis." 

9. Trump, D. J, “Proclamation on declaring a national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.”  White House (March 2020):

https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-declaring-national-emergency-concerning-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak/?utm_source=link.

10.Zhang S, Hao Y, Feng Y, Lee NY. “COVID-19 pandemic impacts on children with developmental disabilities: service disruption, transition to telehealth, and child wellbeing.”

11. Yell, M. L., & Katsiyannis, A. (2024). “Challenges posed during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: implications for special education teachers. intervention in school and clinic.” 60(2), 126-132. https://doi.org/10.1177/10534512241231951.

12. Yell, M. L., & Katsiyannis, A. (2024). “Challenges posed during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: implications for special education teachers. intervention in school and clinic.” 126-132.

13. Yell, M. L., & Katsiyannis, A. (2024). “Challenges posed during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: implications for special education teachers. intervention in school and clinic.” 126-132.

14. Yell, M. L., & Katsiyannis, A. (2024). “Challenges posed during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: implications for special education teachers. intervention in school and clinic.” 126-132.

15. Yell, M. L., & Katsiyannis, A. (2024). “Challenges posed during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: implications for special education teachers. intervention in school and clinic.” 126-132.

16. Miller, S. (2022). The Addictiveness of Social Media: How Teens Get Hooked. Living Well. Jefferson Health. https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/the-addictiveness-of-social-media-how-teens-get-hooked.

 17. Riehm KE, Feder KA, Tormohlen KN, et al. Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(12):1266–1273. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2325