Bryan Health hosts virtual mental health event for parents, teens

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Harrowing numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been released about teens and mental health.

CDC data shows that teen girls are facing high levels of sexual violence, sadness and hopelessness.

Fifty-seven percent of teen girls reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021, 28 percent more than what boys reported. It was also up 10 percent from 2019.

These are daunting statistics and the mental health team at Bryan Hospital is hosting a public live-stream for parents and their teens to learn about mental health resources in Lincoln.

“We’re going to be talking about, you know, how do we build connectedness in our teens?,” said Dr. Dave Miers, the Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services at Bryan. “You know, what are some of the main issues facing our teens today? And what can we do as parents? What can we do as a community? What does mental health look like in teens? What are the warning signs? What are the risk factors? What are the things that we should be looking for? And then what are those resources? What are the key resources that parents should be looking for? What is that first phone call I should make if I’m a concerned parent?”

The study also showed in 2021, 69 percent of LGBTQ+ students said they had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 35 percent of heterosexual students responded they also had those feelings.

Twenty-two percent of responding LGBTQ+ students also said they had attempted suicide.

“It’s very important that we as parents, but we as a community, that we all come together, and that we work together to make this a healthier community for our teenagers,” Dr. Miers said.

The live stream is happening Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on Bryan Health’s Facebook Page.

Dr. Miers said it’s expected to go for about an hour, and they plan to answer all questions that are sent in.

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