How Do We Fix The Mental Health Crisis Among Affluent Teens?

[Anonymous]

it's a shame only the affluent kids get the attention, I am sue the same happens to less affluent kids but that doesn't make headlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it's a shame only the affluent kids get the attention, I am sue the same happens to less affluent kids but that doesn't make headlines.

Are you kidding? Of course it does. There have been countless articles in the mainstream media about teen mental health, and the detrimental impact of the pandemic on teens of all socioeconomic levels, but especially those from minority and lower-income families.

[Anonymous]

Cancel social media.

And stop thinking UMC or wealthy youth are protected from drugs, mental health issues, etc.
Stidues or articles may make it seem as though these problems are unique to lower SES or "middle
America" (degrading term) but remember that wealthy families are generally not signing up for research studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am UMC (HHI of $800k in Richmond)

You lost all credibility in the first sentence.
https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/heres-how-much-income-it-takes-to-be-among-the-top-1-in-your-state/

That's a good point. I'll say "I'm in the top 1% from now on." That will surely land much better on DCUM.

Recurring pet peeve of mine over the years, people on DCUM whose HHI are in the top 1/5/10/20 percent claiming to be UMC.

I do wonder though if the author's thesis would be materially different if you replaced "Affluent" with "Upper Middle Class" in the title.

[Anonymous]

The way to address it is to dial way, way down the parental expectations.

I had a friend sum up the feelings of being a wealthy kid from accomplished parents: “if you succeed, it will be no big deal because obviously you had everything handed to you. If you don’t succeed at something, wow you’re really a loser because you had all the advantages.”

So kids with a lot of family pressure can feel like there is no hope.

Yes it’s great to have so much money, but at least the middle class kids don’t feel like they will let their parents and teachers down if they have to go to a *gasp* state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's a shame only the affluent kids get the attention, I am sue the same happens to less affluent kids but that doesn't make headlines.

Are you kidding? Of course it does. There have been countless articles in the mainstream media about teen mental health, and the detrimental impact of the pandemic on teens of all socioeconomic levels, but especially those from minority and lower-income families.

+1 lots of media attention across the board lately

[Anonymous]

The answer is simple -- DMV parents (and really, any parents who are well-educated, UMC, and made it through a highly competitive credentialing process themselves) are WAY too invested in traditional ideas of "success."

This thread in particular stood out to me:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1071777.page

The OP is a student at an Ivy who (by page 25 or so) is seriously considering suicide. Even though OP clearly hates the Ivy she's at (to the point where the school forced her on a leave of absence due to suicidality), posters are still encouraging her to stay because "the prestige of having an Ivy undergrad will make everything so much better." Ridiculous, insane, and crazy, if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer is simple -- DMV parents (and really, any parents who are well-educated, UMC, and made it through a highly competitive credentialing process themselves) are WAY too invested in traditional ideas of "success."

This thread in particular stood out to me:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1071777.page

The OP is a student at an Ivy who (by page 25 or so) is seriously considering suicide. Even though OP clearly hates the Ivy she's at (to the point where the school forced her on a leave of absence due to suicidality), posters are still encouraging her to stay because "the prestige of having an Ivy undergrad will make everything so much better." Ridiculous, insane, and crazy, if you ask me.

It's astounding how many parents are willing to hurt or harm their kids because "It's what best for them."

Bull. The end result will be a kid who is scarred, damaged, and probably sorely lacking in self-esteem, not to mention someone who either hates their parents or is, at a minimum, horribly conflicted after years of emotional abuse (which is what this amounts to).

People do have an infinite ability to rationalize hurting others. But having known several people who were products of this regime, don't do it. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way to address it is to dial way, way down the parental expectations.

I had a friend sum up the feelings of being a wealthy kid from accomplished parents: “if you succeed, it will be no big deal because obviously you had everything handed to you. If you don’t succeed at something, wow you’re really a loser because you had all the advantages.”

So kids with a lot of family pressure can feel like there is no hope.

Yes it’s great to have so much money, but at least the middle class kids don’t feel like they will let their parents and teachers down if they have to go to a *gasp* state school.

Right. Middle class kids only have to worry about whether they can afford college at all or whether they want to take on an enormous amount of debt that will take decades to pay off.