Mental Health Resources and Services for Young Adults in the US
New York, NY, United States – According to U.S. Census Bureau, young adults (ages 18 to 25) make up 22% of the United States population. The lifestyle and behavioral patterns formed during these growing years can have a significant effect on young people’s current health status and their risk for developing chronic diseases during adulthood.
Although young adulthood is considered a healthy time of life, there may be instances where major health and social problems grip the young adults. Mental health is one of the most common issues amongst the young population who are particularly sensitive to influences from their social environments.
As young people transition from adolescence to young adulthood, they undergo several biological changes of puberty and developmental tasks such as learning to be independent. Many young adults find this developmental transition overwhelming and struggle with mental health issues related to their home life, career, education, finances, or relationships. They face significant social and economic challenges with few organizational supports at a time when they are expected to take on adult responsibilities and obligations.
“Mental Health refers to your state of mind. Your adolescent years are supposed to shape and prepare you for healthy adulthood, so it’s critical that we support and protect our youth’s mental health now. But, if you are suffering from mental health challenges, you may find it difficult to carry on with your routine life, which for most youth is worsened by the very limited resources and safe spaces to access support that will boost their mental health and wellness” explains Evelyn Botwe, a SIMI representative.
It’s normal to experience a mental health challenge at some point in your life. How to develop coping skills and have access to mental health resources, especially as a young adult is what shapes most steps taken. It is essential to have support systems that provide access to mental health resources in the community.
“Our work has shown that youth that has been through traumatic experiences, especially immigrant youth have limited to no resources available to them,” says Evelyn. “Youth do not visit community centers unless incentivized, however, youth have responded remarkably well to peer advocates and peer educators during one-on-one sessions. This has helped us develop targeted programs with measurable outcomes. Unfortunately, such programs remain unfunded and unsupported.”
Nationally and internationally, SIMI continues to call for the use of non-stigmatizing language, and age-appropriate mental health programs for children, through teenage and young adulthood. If skills are developed at an early age and children are taught healthy ways to express themselves in recognizing when they are mentally feeling overwhelmed, it will limit the level of misdiagnoses and misinformation around discussing mental health.
At SIMI, they believe that together we can address mental health problems and prepare our youth to live a more wholesome life.
* The Youth Mental Health Project: https://ymhproject.org/resources/
* U.S. government website that helps you create, maintain and strengthen effective youth programs: https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health
About SIM
Sustainable Impact Makers International (SIMI) is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization with a mission to educate, mobilize, empower, enable and be a resource to communities in the challenge of fighting poverty and other health disparities. Founded in 2015, they are headquartered in New York City.
For more information and other inquiries, send an email or reach out via the website.
Media Contact
Company Name: Sustainable Impact Makers International
Contact Person: Evelyn Botwe
Email: Send Email
City: Bronx
State: New York
Country: United States
Website: https://www.sim-int.org/
