July 31, 2020
By: Melissa Fenton
PASCO COUNTY, Fla – The longer this goes on with no “finish line” or end date, the worse the mental health of our kids ages 18-25 gets. I’m talking to parents everyday now who are telling me their kids this age are having some very serious issues- feelings like hopelessness, anxiety, and anger turned into outburts of frustration. Days spent “existing” and not LIVING.
Why are we not talking about this?!?
Where are all the mental health studies and professionals who are seeing this escalate?
If colleges think they had a mental health crisis before, wait until you fill dorms up with kids and then tell them they can’t leave, go to campus gym, play intramural sports, have greek socials, have study groups, have parties in common areas.
Hey media, instead of a daily count of positive test results, why don’t you tell me about the hundreds of thousands of young adults right now who are now on antidepressants or self medicating?
Stop telling us to wear a mask and start reporting on the real and very dangerous long term mental health effects this insanity is going to have on all of us. You cannot lock up kids at the height of their social and developmental stage in life, and expect no consequences.
I’m tired of being quiet on this. When you have someone tell you their kid is having suicidal thoughts because of this, I have to speak out.
And finally, if your kids are feeling this, I want you to know YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Trust me. You’re not.
Melissa Fenton is a freelance writer and adjunct librarian at Pasco-Hernando State College. Find her writing all over the internet, but her work mostly on the dinner table. Find her on Facebook
and on twitter at @melissarunsaway
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