TEEN GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH

This book seeks to present a guide to the stresses teens face.

Presenting copious studies and quoting therapists and other experts on teenagers’ mental health, this volume about mental health unfortunately keeps teens at a distance. Unless readers need a resource with statistics for a school assignment, it’s hard to see how this formal, dry narrative would be of any interest. Yes, first-person teen stories are offered, but they are unenlightening. (A teen is depressed after her father dies, go figure.) Data from studies by the Pew Research Center, American Psychological Association, National Institutes of Health, and others are presented. Teens will learn, to their utter unsurprise, that they are stressed—that school is a stressor, that family conflict is a stressor, that peer pressure is a stressor, that being LGBTQ+ is a stressor. Teens know this, and the bland advice offered by the adult experts gives little succor. They are encouraged to get professional counseling, consider medication, and seek supportive friendships. Full-color (primarily stock) photos show ethnically diverse young people, however everyone is squeakily clean-cut: No tattoos, piercings, or unusual hair color or styles here. While the inclusion of LGBTQ+ concerns is commendable, the impact of racism on mental health is not addressed. The resources section at the end may offer the most valuable information.

An overgeneralized, bland guide that utterly fails to connect with teen readers.