CBS News Healthwatch - Mental Health

Question 1

Dry January: Why some people are staying sober - and seeing benefits

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dry-january-benefits-of-staying-sober-not-drinking/

Answer 1

• health benefits, you have cleaner skin, you’ll sleep better, you’ll also save money
• 54% of Americans say they want to reduce their alcohol intake
• people who gave up alcohol for one month had significant improvements in their health and lost an average of four pounds.
• And according to the American Heart Association, a 2022 national survey suggested as many as 35% of American adults of legal age gave up drinking last January.
• abstaining from alcohol could include lower blood pressure, improvements in insulin resistance, weight loss, better sleep and lower cancer risk.

Question 2

The key to finding happiness

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-key-to-finding-happiness/

Answer 2

1. being happy rn
2. enduring happiness

• meaningful human relationships

Question 3

Teens turning to TikTok for mental health advice are self-diagnosing

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-mental-health-self-diagnosis/

Answer 3

• 1 in 6 Gen Zers use TikTok as a search engine — a place not only to watch dance videos and lip synching, but to find bite-sized chunks of informational content.
• algorithm & misinfo

Question 4

Children languish in emergency rooms awaiting mental health care

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emergency-rooms-children-mental-health/

Answer 4

severe shortage
* In Massachusetts, the number of kids landing in ERs for mental health treatment soared 200%-400% during the pandemic
* Suicide is now the number two leading cause of death in children 10 to 24

• more than a quarter of children who went to ERs for mental health issues were hospitalized — either in ERs or in mental health facilities — within six months. And about 26.5% were back in the ER within a week.
• Suicide attempts by teen girls jumped more than 51% between 2019 and 2021, according to a study by the CDC. And a recent study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found the number of suicide attempts by overdose reported to poison control centers more than doubled between 2000 and 2020.
• Biden White House announced $300 million to expand mental health services in schools.
• The Academy of Pediatrics study found just 31.2% of children had a mental health follow-up visit within seven days of leaving the hospital and only about half had a mental health follow-up with a specialist within 30 days of leaving the hospital.

Question 5

School district tries a radical new solution to address student mental health

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/child-mental-health-solutions/

Answer 5

• Colorado
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) shows 79% of the nation, 41 states, have a “severe” shortage of child psychiatrists.

Question 6

As climate changes, climate anxiety rises in youth

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-anxiety/

Answer 6

• In the survey, 59% of youth and young adults said they were very or extremely worried about climate change and more than 45% said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.

• young people - nearly 62% said they were anxious about climate change. About 67% said they were sad and afraid.

• Higher climate change anxiety is correlated with higher clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety,”
- But what we saw was that for young people who have high levels of climate anxiety, if they also have high levels of activism, then we didn’t see any higher levels of depression symptoms.”

Question 7

3 signs you really need a social media break

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-break-mental-health-tips-unplugging/

Answer 7

1. It makes you feel bad
2. It becomes a comparison game
3. It takes up all your free time

To have a healthier relationship:
1. Limit your scrolling
2. Choose who you follow wisely
3. Remember, not everything is real

Question 8

Teen mental health is in crisis. What can parents do?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teen-mental-health-crisis-what-can-parents-do/

Answer 8

• found around 1 in 3 high school girls in the U.S. have seriously considered attempting suicide and more than half of teen girls, 57%, reported feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” — a record high.

• 14% of high school boys told the 2021 survey that they had seriously considered attempting suicide, up from 13% in 2011.

• Among LGBQ+ students, close to 70% said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year, more than 50% had poor mental health during the past 30 days and almost 25% attempted suicide during the past year.

1. Know signs of when it’s serious
   - is in intense, longer-lasting low moods
   - is becoming more isolated or withdrawn, including not wanting to socialize or see friends
   - is not wanting to get out of bed
   - is engaging in high risky behaviors, including physical aggression or intense substance use
   - high perfectionism
2. Listen and validate
3. Keep an eye on social media usage
4. Don’t be a stranger to your child’s circles
5. Don’t ignore a child asking for help
6. Make sure you’re okay too

Question 9

How to “hot girl walk”: The trend that combines physical, mental health