Teenagers and Online Resources Research Paper

From mild anxiety to suicide the number of people with mental illnesses continues to rise, however, there are also a variety of new technologies being created to assist teens in coping with those illnesses. This is being done to slow down and prevent mental illnesses by assisting those most likely to develop disorders, teenagers. Using the internet in a positive way allows teens to research and use many different resources that support adolescents who are struggling, or unable, to receive in-person assistance from a mental health expert.

According to Ellen Wartella, the health-related topic that is searched the most by adolescents is sexual health, however, this is closely followed by searches for diet, nutrition, fitness, stress, and anxiety. All of the above searches are related to personal health either physically or mentally, which shows that teens often rely on the internet to research information that they may not feel comfortable asking others face to face. “Among those who have looked for health information online (84% of all teens), 34% said they have changed their behavior because of what they found” (Wartella et al). This statistic represents that information found online can affect close to a majority of adolescents who use online resources for personal health. We can assume that the majority of those effects are positive effects that assist teens in becoming healthier adults. Another option that many adolescents use is anonymous forums, Killian and Murphy state that these forums are used to discuss difficult topics, “such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, addiction, and body dysphoria. It can provide an important outlet for catharsis and, at times, comfort.” This is because many people feel more comfortable stating their true opinions as they can’t be recognized or ridiculed by those close to them, especially if their opinion is different than the majority of their friends or family members.  Melissa Walker states in her article “High Anxiety” that teens often feel the need to constantly be connected to the internet in fear of “missing something”, on the other hand, this need also results in more time online which leads to more access to topics that may be distressing to teens overall. For example: constantly being bombarded with negative news from around the entire world, to even just something like negative conversations with friends. But overall teens use the internet as a way to research and express their emotions.

Some websites shared by Melissa Walker for researching anxiety disorders are Childmind Institute, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Therapy. Like these websites, there are currently many other resources that can be used to research any disorder, as well as be used to help people who are in almost any situation. One example of this is the Crisis Text Line, made for the current generation of teens who prefer to text rather than call even in stressful situations. The Crisis Text Line was formed by Stephanie Shih and Nancy Lubin from DoSomething.org who created the text line after being contacted by one of their customers, who was in an abusive situation, through text. The Crisis Text Line may eventually use the data that it collects to conduct a new study on mental illness in adolescents. Currently, however, there is not enough information for an accurate study, but their data is completely confidential and can be found listed by state (Wartella et al.).  Another website that can be used, albeit not for free, is Chilled out Online. Stjerneklar and other authors tell us “Chilled out Online is a treatment program based on the Cool Kids and Chilled anxiety management program developed at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. The program teaches CBT strategies for adolescents through eight online modules of approximately 30 minutes, with a focus on psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and graded exposure.” In other words, it is Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which allows teens to go through the courses online rather than having to wait to be seen in person. “The odds of a participant being free of all anxiety diagnoses were 12.38 times higher if they received ICBT than if they were on WL (waitlist)” (Stjerneklar et al.). Overall their research indicates that for the majority of people ICBT is just as effective, if not more effective, than having to wait to speak one-on-one with a professional. Finally, there are an infinite number of other resources that people can access around the world if they need help due to the implementation of the Community Mental Health Act, which is meant to support mental health resources in rural communities (Wartella et al.).

Even with all of these resources that are available Melissa Walker explains that “Only a mere 20% of young people with a diagnosable disorder receive treatment.” This is caused not only by the fact that therapy and medication can be expensive but also by the fact that there is a lot of stigma and shame that still surrounds the mental health community (Walker). Since we have phones and other devices that can download apps, the majority of people seem to assume that teens will use applications to help with these mental health problems, however, only 2% of teens actively use mental health apps (Wartella et al.).  

“From a clinical standpoint, one common misstep is tiptoeing around issues and treating them like taboos,” he said. “It sends the implicit message that it's really not O.K. to talk about it, and if the counselor doesn't feel comfortable talking about it why would the teenager? (Gregory). 

It is this statement that hits home, as it represents that the dismissive nature of people around mental illnesses truly and deeply affects those around them.

To put it bluntly, the internet contains a plethora of research, information, and solutions to nearly any problem a person could have at any given time. Teens in particular are more likely to be uncomfortable speaking up about personal issues and may prefer to ask those questions anonymously so that they cannot be targeted by the people in their daily lives. The online resources that are being created are an easy way for adolescents to express and talk to others about their shared experiences as a way of coping and learning how to properly handle difficult situations on their own. Even though many teens don’t get help directly, knowing that they have access to this information at any time will allow for more and more people to be properly diagnosed and taken care of as technology advances. Teens or anyone else are encouraged to access online resources anytime they are unable to speak with a trusted person one-on-one.