Dr. Caroline Fenkel | Source | Adolescent Mental Health Expert, Chief Clinical Officer at Charlie Health

"As I reflect on the reasons that teens feel so isolated these days and how to help, I can’t help but compare teenagers to a big block of Swiss cheese (because who doesn’t like a cheese analogy?). Swiss cheese is full of holes, which represent risk factors such as exposure to poverty, bullying, trauma, and conflicts at home. Also, climate issues, school shootings, career confusion, and financial instability—the list of holes goes on.

The rest of the cheese represents the protective factors, such as a calm household, a healthy relationship with technology, high socioeconomic status, and access to a support system. A teen’s mental health depends on how exactly the cheese stacks up, but the onus of that layering shouldn’t be on them.

It should be society’s job to cover some of those holes, or risk factors, in order to protect and promote mental well-being. From a public health and health systems perspective, that means knocking down leading barriers to care—such as lengthy appointment wait times, financial hurdles, mental health stigma, and a societal inclination toward medication as a quick fix."

"We all respond to traumatic events in our own way. As a teenager, in particular, it can be overwhelming to navigate the variety of emotions that follow exposure (direct or indirect) to mass violence such as school shootings.

Fear, concern, vulnerability... regardless of what you feel, take time to acknowledge feeling it so that you don’t hold onto those emotions for too long. Repressed emotions can cause irrational and even unhealthy behaviors, so dedicate time to processing how you feel and how those feelings impact your view of the world."

“Self-care is about being present with yourself, which can help prevent burnout, maintain balance, and keep you in tune with your needs.”