Giving Compass' Take:

• With increased rates of suicide and substance abuse among young people, it's clear the United States needs more investment in mental health.

• How can we reduce stigmas around mental health and create an environment where kids feel safe asking for help?

• Read about removing the stigma of mental health among youth.

High school hit Jarrad hard. Outgoing and active as a child, in his teens, he became overwhelmed by crippling anxiety. Although Jarrad tried to ignore what was going on, his mother finally convinced him to seek help. He got the support he needed from a youth mental health program in his community and learned how to manage his anxieties.

Jarrad’s story is similar to that of many young people in the United States, except for one thing: he actually got help. Nearly 80 percent of American youth with mental health problems do not. Jarrad is not American. He lives in Australia, which has a national program for supporting youth with early mental health needs.

Unfortunately, in the United States, we tend to view feelings like Jarrad’s as part of the normal ups and downs of adolescence and assume that teens will grow out of them.

Now, more than ever, America stands to gain important insights from other countries that have developed comprehensive and effective approaches to youth mental health. Roughly half of all U.S. teens experience a mental health disorder at some point, and one in five suffers severe impairment. Mental health disorders are far more prevalent during adolescence; approximately 50 percent of disorders develop by age 14 and 75 percent by age 24.

Our national youth suicide rate continues to increase, especially in early adolescence. Twenty percent regularly abuse alcohol, and rates of marijuana use by young people are at an all-time high.

The turmoil that many adolescents experience is not just a phase. We have the opportunity to join the rest of the world in recognizing the unmet mental health needs of our young people. Let us invest in building a system that supports their healthy development into strong, resilient adults.

Read the full article about mental health by Stephen Adelsheim and Jennifer Ng'andu at Grantmakers in Health

Jarrad’s story is similar to that of many young people in the United States, except for one thing: he actually got help. Nearly 80 percent of American youth with mental health problems do not. Jarrad is not American. He lives in Australia, which has a national program for supporting youth with early mental health needs.

The State of Youth Mental Health in America

Now, more than ever, America stands to gain important insights from other countries that have developed comprehensive and effective approaches to youth mental health. Roughly half of all U.S. teens experience a mental health disorder at some point, and one in five suffers severe impairment. Mental health disorders are far more prevalent during adolescence; approximately 50 percent of disorders develop by age 14 and 75 percent by age 24.

Despite the extent of mental health challenges among teens and their potential effects, our country still has no comprehensive system for providing young people with early social-emotional support. When it comes to supporting youth mental health, other countries—including Australia, Ireland, Canada, Israel, and Denmark—are rejecting the norm that adolescents need to wade through these challenges on their own.

Read the full article on youth mental health by Steven Adelsheim and Jennifer Ng’andu at Grantmakers In Health