Supporting Teen Mental Health During COVID-19
How can I support my teen’s mental health?
This has been one of our most asked questions from fellow pandemic parents. And for understandable reasons! The tween and teenage years are already filled with heightened emotions and social pressures – adding a pandemic to the mix only makes things more complex. How can we best support older kids who have been impacted by COVID-19?
In a dynamic discussion moderated by high schooler Charlotte Witvoet, our guest experts Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman, Dr. Christopher Drapeau, and Laura Sanders Morris shared how to help your teens and tweens through this difficult time, how to monitor and care for their mental health, and more.
Review their advice below and explore additional resources to learn more about teenage mental health.
Table of Contents
Content Warning: suicide, suicidal ideation. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - USA: 800-273-TALK (8255); The Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1 833-456-4566; For suicide hotlines in various countries visit: https://ymhc.ngo/resources/international-suicide-lines.
A Note from Dr. Christopher Drapeau: Parents and teens are encouraged to seek out professionals who know how to use the common tools for screening and assessing suicide risk, can collaboratively develop a safety plan intervention, and who also can deliver at least one of the evidence-based treatments for suicide risk. Unfortunately, not all health professionals are prepared to help people who are thinking of suicide. Think of suicide risk assessment and treatment as a specialty (e.g., Cardiologist, OB/GYN, etc.) rather than as a skillset that all professionals develop as part of their training. For more information about the lack of provider preparation in the assessment and treatment of suicide risk, see this white paper from the American Association of Suicidology.
Key Moments
Listen back to specific questions posed by our moderator Charlotte Witvoet.
(1:00) Why did we want to have this conversation?
(2:45) Introduction to our panelists Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman, Dr. Christopher Drapeau, and Laura Sanders Morris
(6:00) Introduction to our moderator Charlotte Witvoet
(7:34) Can you each start off by briefly sharing a bit about the work that you do and how it relates to teen mental health?
(11:10) Why is this pandemic is so hard for teens in particular?
(14:34) How can parents know when their teen might have crossed a line from being depressed to potentially being suicidal? What should parents do if their child expresses suicidal ideation?
(18:03) What signs of depression or suicide should we be looking for in our teens? How do we know when to take their comments about suicide seriously?
(22:01) Laura, your organization partnered with the Child Mind Institute to study the effects of the pandemic on teens specifically - can you tell us a bit about what you have found so far?
(25:44) How do you engage with a teen daily when they’re avoiding you or spending all their time in their room?
(29:45) What do I do if my teen says they’re not hungry and won’t sit down with us for family meals?
(34:53) How do parents know when it’s pandemic boredom that their teen is experiencing versus something more serious like depression? What are some key signs that parents - or teachers - should be looking out for?
(36:20) Many parents want to know about how they can best support their anxious or depressed teen. What would you tell them? What are some ways they can help their teen cope?
(39:06) How can parents and teachers help teens who feel disconnected right now develop a sense of purpose or meaning from all of this? How do we help them stay connected?
(44:33) How can parents who have to work outside of the home monitor their children who are stuck at home? Especially if they may not be able to afford or have access to childcare.
(48:35) What is one message you have right now for 1) teens, and 2) their parents?
Reflection Questions
Webinars and resources are all well and good, but having a ton of information is only as helpful as you can do something with it. Take a few moments with yourself, your partner, or others in your circle of support to reflect on the following questions and process the insights and tips that stood out most to you.
We know that teens crave autonomy, and that creating safe and healthy opportunities for them to exert their independence is important during the adolescent years. What are some ways that you can involve your teen directly in setting limits and expectations in your family/home?
Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman talked about two key ingredients for parenting - being warm/supportive and being demanding. How are you responsive to your teen’s needs while also setting firm boundaries? What are some areas in which you could improve your responsiveness and demandingness?
How can you better open the lines of communication with your teen? After this webinar, do you have any new ideas for creating moments and opportunities for connection with your teen?
Charlotte (our teen moderator for this session) gave parents this important advice: “Don’t hold your teen to standards you don’t hold yourself to.” How did you react to this advice? Are there habits or behaviors that you would like to change and model differently for your teen moving forward (e.g., in relation to social media use, mental health, etc.)?
Given the importance of peer relationships during adolescence, how can you work with your teen to create safe opportunities for connecting with others during this time?
Additional Related Resources
From Our Guest Panelists
Are the kids alright? (The California Partners Project)
Arrested Development: Adolescent Development & Juvenile Justice by Elizabeth Cauffman (TEDxUCIrvine)
What signs might indicate that my loved one may be thinking about suicide?
Warning signs of acute suicide risk (American Association of Suicidology)
How do I have a conversation about suicide with my teenager?
Teens and suicide: What parents should know (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
How to Talk to Children and Teens About Suicide: A Guide for Parents interview with Cheryl King, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
Depression Discussion Guide (Erika’s Lighthouse)
Recommended language to help you start a discussion with your teen (Erika’s Lighthouse)
What do professionals use to screen for and assess suicide risk?
The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (click here for parent and teen versions)
SAFE-T (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - SAMHSA)
The Safety Planning Intervention is a "best practice," brief intervention that all professionals working with someone at risk for suicide should know how to use (click here for a quick guide and here for advice on how to create your own plan).
What treatments exist for decreasing the risk of a suicide attempt?
The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) Clinician Locator
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (Behavioral Tech: A Linehan Institute Training Company)
Attachment-based Family Therapy (Drexel University Center for Family Intervention Science)
Treatment for Suicidal Ideation, Self-harm, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth (SAMHSA)
What resources exist for me if I've lost someone to suicide?
I've lost someone (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
Teen Mental Health during COVID-19
Partly hidden by isolation, many of the nation’s schoolchildren struggle with mental health by Donna St. George and Valerie Strauss (The Washington Post)
A Reminder That Your Tween Really Needs Extra Help Right Now by Catherine Pearson (HuffPost)
Surge of Student Suicides Pushes Las Vegas Schools to Reopen by Erica L. Green (The New York Times)
Key Moments from This Webinar
From a Teen: Advice for Teens and Parents
How can I connect with my teenager?
How worried should we be about teen screen time during the pandemic?
Why are teens always online?
From a Teen: Why Some Teens Might “Throw Around” Mental Health Terms
How do I respond if my teenager shares suicidal thoughts?
An Expert’s Top Tips for Parents of Teens: Prioritize Sleep
Our Guests & Moderator
Elizabeth Cauffman, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Cauffman is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine and holds courtesy appointments in the Department of Criminology, Law & Society, the School of Education, and the School of Law. Dr. Cauffman received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Temple University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center on Adolescence at Stanford University. She has published over 100 articles, chapters, and books on a range of topics in the study of contemporary adolescence, including adolescent brain development, risk-taking and decision-making, parent-adolescent relationships, and juvenile justice. Findings from Dr. Cauffman’s research were incorporated into the American Psychological Association’s amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons, which abolished the juvenile death penalty, and in both Graham v. Florida and Miller v. Alabama, which placed limits on the use of life without parole as a sentence for juveniles. As part of her larger efforts to help research inform practice and policy, she served as a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice as well as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on the Neurobiological and Socio-behavioral Science of Adolescent Development and Its Applications. Dr. Cauffman currently directs the Center for Psychology & Law as well as the Masters in Legal & Forensic Psychology at UCI.
Christopher Drapeau, Ph.D.
Dr. Christopher Drapeau is a licensed psychologist and the state suicide prevention director for the state of Indiana. Most recently, he was a university research professor at Valparaiso University and director of their SAMHSA GLS Campus Suicide Prevention Grant project. At Valpo, Dr. Drapeau regularly taught school psychology and clinical mental health counseling graduate courses, which included courses focused on understanding and preventing suicide and K-12 school crisis assessment and intervention. He has provided clinical psychological services in university counseling centers and outpatient psychology clinics and school psychological services in suburban and rural school districts and has developed clinical specialties in the areas of suicide risk assessment and management, behavioral sleep medicine, and parent management training. In addition to working as a psychologist and overseeing suicide prevention efforts in Indiana, Dr. Drapeau serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health where he publishes research broadly focused on sleep and suicide.
Laura Sanders Morris
Laura Sanders Morris is the Director of Policy and Programs at California Partners Project. Laura has earned a solid reputation for innovative projects combining research driven decision making, media strategy, and make-it-happen spirit focused on building relationships. Her collaborations with Disney, Nike,Time Warner and Meridian Health identifying social responsibility opportunities and developing strategies, led to programming initiatives that have supported both internal stakeholders and external community based organizations. As a skilled mediator, Laura has designed and conducted workshops on conflict resolution, team building, and visioning sessions for students, families and non profit organizations such as KQED and Jack and Jill of America,Inc. With a sustained commitment to socially responsible outcomes Laura has served on national and local boards advocating for children, gender and race equity. Laura is a former advisory board member for Dress for Success and national board member for Step Up Women’s Network. She currently serves on the board of trustees for Cathedral School for Boys and the advisory board of Wah Mei School. Recently, Laura transferred her passion for education and media to the pursuit of an advanced degree in education leadership focusing her doctoral research on the role of parents and equity in online learning. Laura lives in San Francisco with her husband Ken and their two sons.
Charlotte Witvoet
Our moderator, Charlotte Witvoet, is a seventeen-year-old who has struggled her whole life with mental illness. After years of mental hospitals and therapy, she is on a road to recovery and wants to share her coping skills and story with other young adults. In 2019, she started her own part-time Etsy business and, in 2020, she published a young adult novel diving into the struggle of mental illness, Paint my Body Red. During this pandemic, Charlotte has filled her time and attempted to stay mentally healthy by spending extra time with her dog, making TikToks, and dressing up to go to the grocery store. She continues to be an advocate for mental health, LGBTQ+ equality, and sexual assault survivors.
Pandemic Parenting is a collaboration between two psychologists, scholars, and moms committed to sharing their expertise and research in ways that are immediately accessible and useful to families. Learn more about Dr. Amanda Zelechoski and Dr. Lindsay Malloy.