You Are Not Alone: Teen Mental Health Resources
Winter in Wisconsin, coronavirus, and quarantine; if that trio is not enough to get you at least a bit down, I don’t know what is. Everyone has struggled (or is still struggling!) with anxiety, depression, or stress at some point over the past year. Teens in our Young Adult Advisory Board just recently shared their thoughts, tips, and experiences regarding mental health, for which I want to give a big shout out. You rock! To cap off their Mental Health Teen to Teen series, I want to chime in with a few additional thoughts and resources.
You are not alone. If you or someone you know is struggling, please please please hear this: your family, your friends, your teachers, your community care about your wellbeing. We want to hear how you truly are. We care and we have resources to help.
As a librarian, my go-to quick way to help are book or e-book suggestions (surprising, I know). With this in mind, I pulled together a booklist of newer nonfiction books on managing anxiety, stress, depression, and more. I also included books with personal accounts of authors/teens and their struggles with mental health. Place a hold, schedule a Park & Pickup appointment, and get reading. Don’t know how Park & Pickup works? Email me or call Youth Services at 715-839-5007 to interact with a kind human.
- You Are Not Alone: Teens & Mental Health Booklist
- Explore other e-books and e-audiobooks on mental health through Wisconsin’s Digital Library (anxiety, stress, depression) and Hoopla.
- Don’t have a library card? That’s okay! Get an e-card now to start using our online services.
If you need to talk or text with someone for support right away, please use these 24/7 resources:
- National Suicide Hotline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or call 1-800-273-8255
- Northwest Connections Mental Health Crisis Services: 1-888-552-6642
- WI HOPELINE: Text “HOPELINE” to 741741 to be connected to a peer support specialist
- The Trevor Project (suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ youth): http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ or call 1-866-488-7386
- NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness): https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Teens-Young-Adults
- For emergencies, always call 9-1-1
