As youth suicide rates climb and depression deepens across the United States, mental health experts are pushing for action that centers both evidence-based treatment and cultural belonging.
At a July 25 news briefing hosted by American Community Media, speakers noted that effective care remains out of reach for too many. “We’re in a true public health crisis,” said Dr. Ovsanna Leyfer, research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist in the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. “But we also know what works: the question is whether we can deliver it.”
A Generation in Pain
Over 40% of Gen Zers — those between the ages of 13 to 28 — report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. One in five has considered suicide, reported Leyfer. “These are not just numbers. These are kids in classrooms, homes, and clinics — or worse, kids who can’t get into any of those places for help.”
Much of the recent attention on youth mental health has focused on social media and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Dr. Kiara Alvarez, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health noted youth of color face consistent struggles that run much deeper.
“One of the areas that we’ve focused on in my research group around is having to do with the impact of structural racism on these systems,” said Alvarez, who also serves in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “What we’re seeing is the funneling of Black and Latino youth into systems that are punitive. They are more likely to get into kind of a behavioral referral at school, a disciplinary referral, to be treated within the child welfare system or the juvenile justice system, rather than getting that kind of specialty mental health care that they need in settings that are supportive.”
Immigration enforcement is also a barrier for Latino youth seeking mental health services. “There’s a huge amount of concern about what happens if you go to seek mental health services and you’re already part of a group that’s marginalized where there’s a risk for the involvement of child protective services or a risk for immigration enforcement,” said Alvarez.
Chronic poverty is also a stressor in youth mental health, noted the researcher. “We have a lot of good evidence now to show long term toxic stress that’s for youth by living in conditions of poverty. We know that suicide rates go up in times of unemployment and times of great societal upheaval,” she said.
What Works: CBT and Beyond
Leyfer underscored the urgency of expanding access to cognitive behavioral therapy, which she characterized as “gold-standard, evidence-based treatment.”
“CBT is especially effective with adolescents,” she said. “It teaches them to identify unhelpful thought patterns, regulate emotions, and build coping skills — skills they’ll use for life.”
But far too few young people get that opportunity. “Even when kids show up for help, they often don’t get the right treatment,” Leyfer said. “There’s a big difference between venting and actually learning to think differently, feel differently, and function better.”
CBT can be employed through school-based programs, peer counselors, and digital tools. “If we embed CBT into the systems where kids already are — schools, primary care, telehealth — we can actually move the needle.”
But Leyfer also cautioned that CBT is not a cure-all. “Mental health is also about relationships, identity, and belonging. That’s where culturally informed care comes in.”
Healing Through Culture and Connection
Soo Jin Lee, co-founder and director of the Yellow Chair Collective, said culturally grounded therapy is essential. “In AAPI communities, we’re not just fighting stigma. We’re addressing silence that goes back generations,” she said.
Many Asian American youth experience intergenerational trauma — the emotional residue of immigration, war, poverty, and displacement that parents often carry but don’t name. “Young people may not know the full story of what their families endured, but they feel the emotional impact: the pressure to succeed, the fear of vulnerability, the guilt around rest,” said Lee.
To break that cycle, Yellow Chair Collective incorporates nonverbal healing modalities like tai chi, sound baths, and breathwork. “Sometimes therapy looks like sitting on a mat, just breathing together,” Lee said. “We don’t always need words to begin healing.”
Lee added that many of her young clients don’t connect with Western notions of mental health. “If we only offer talk therapy with a clipboard, we’re missing them. They need therapy that reflects their identities — and honors their histories.”
A Survivor’s Story
Victoria Birch, a 22-year-old youth advocate, described growing up with anxiety, depression, and self-harm — and then being placed in foster care.
“It didn’t feel like support,” Birch said. “It felt like punishment.” After years of bouncing through systems, she ended up incarcerated from ages 16 to 22.
“I didn’t know how to belong,” she said. “And when you don’t belong, you find other ways to survive — even if they hurt you.”
Birch credited Beloved Village, a community-based organization, with helping her reconnect to therapy, family, and hope. “They showed me what real support looks like. They didn’t ask me to prove my pain — they just showed up.”
Now, she works with California’s Office of Youth and Community Restoration and speaks publicly about youth mental health.
Asked what healing looks like, Birch paused. “Sometimes it’s just someone sitting beside you. Even in silence. Just being there.”
