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COVID-19 hit the world and has rocked our way of life from the start; affecting the way we work, the way we teach and learn, how we interact with others, and more. In the midst of this, millions of people are feeling the effects and stress due to the pandemic and many have developed behavioral health conditions or have turned to substances to cope; particularly young adults and at-risk youth. Today, our developing youth are experiencing extreme uncertainty during the pandemic. For them, this is a time for growth and to build their futures. They’re becoming adults and everything that is happening during COVID-19 is thwarting their progress and limiting their opportunity. It is hard to determine when COVID-19 will end or when anything will return to “normal.” There is no sense of the future, and many of our teens are very fearful of what comes next. What will the world look like? What is college going to look like? Will there be job opportunities in this economy?  With school closures, tentative start dates, workforce stressors, financial struggles, business closures, friends and families getting sick, and more, it’s no question as to why our youth and young adults are struggling to cope.

Suicide is on the rise while mental health plummets during the pandemic. In a recent survey conducted by the CDC during June 24-30, 2020, it was discovered that 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse due to the pandemic. The survey also concluded that 31% experienced anxiety and depression, 26% experienced symptoms of a trauma or stressors related to the pandemic, 13% started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19, and 11% of the respondents reported having seriously considered suicide in the 30 days before completing the survey. Levels of distress were far higher than last year, with symptoms of anxiety three times as high and depression four times as high as the second quarter of 2019. Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 in the United States? Of the CDC respondents ages 18-24, 75% reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health symptom and 25% experienced serious suicidal ideation. The marked, “elevated prevalence of reported adverse mental and behavioral health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the broad impact of the pandemic and the need to prevent and treat these conditions,” said the CDC survey report.

How do we address these adverse mental and behavioral health effects associated with COVID-19 and prevent our youth from experiencing further dismay?

Experts suggest:

• Increasing access to health resources for clinical diagnoses and treatment options.
• Increasing and expanding the use of telehealth services which has been effective in delivering treatment for mental health conditions, as well as depression, substance use disorder, and suicidal ideation could reduce COVID-19-related mental health effects. 
• Community support via intervention and prevention which can help reduce COVID-19-related mental health effects. 
• Increasing financial support for those affected by the pandemic which will help reduce financial strain and expense related stress.
• Checking in with friends and family or staying connected to your social groups helps support those around you and reduce depression and suicide.
• Sharing information that promotes health services, emotional well-being, or talking about substance use or suicide prevention can help reduce the adverse mental health effects associated with COVID-19.

Our youth need support now, more than ever. Mental health and substance use disorder support services can make a huge difference in the lives of those struggling. Learn more about our short-term 24/7 crisis stabilization unit here.

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There are various social determinants that contribute to youth homelessness. Regardless of the cause, the end result is usually the same youth and young adults at the mercy of the streets. 

Youth aged 12 to 17 are at a greater risk of homelessness than adults, and many homeless youth have been victims of severe abuse. This type of trauma usually causes self-medicating habits with alcohol and drugs. Once homeless, many youth lack access to the critical mental health and substance abuse treatments that they desperately need. It’s estimated that nearly 75% of missing, runaway, throwaway, or abducted children reported a substance use disorder.

At Daybreak Youth Services, 30% of the clients we treat have already experienced homelessness in their short lives. And yes, each of these clients is battling addiction and often-mental health issues as well.

There are a litany of factors contributing to youth homelessness and substance use:

• Growing up homeless
• Predisposed genetics to substance abuse
• Using drugs and alcohol at a very young age
• Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse
• Absence of coping mechanics to stress
• Co-occurring disorders
• Running away from home

Tragically, many of the clients we treat have a combination of these factors. Untreated, these issues will follow young people into adulthood or worse, leave them feeling hopeless with such despair that they take their own lives or fall victim to unintended overdoses.

I remember one client; I’ll call her Stacy. She was born to a homeless mother. By the time Stacy arrived to Daybreak, at barely 14 years old, she had been sex trafficked, physically assaulted, and almost murdered during a drug deal gone-bad.

It is young people like Stacy who keep me going every day… who keep every member of our Daybreak team going. We will not rest, we will not give up, we will keep going so long as there is a need for Daybreak Youth Services, despite the challenges we face.

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It takes a special person to work at Daybreak Youth Services, I should know, I’m surrounded by them all day, every day.  I’ve been a part of the Daybreak family for almost two years now.  As Director of External Relations I’m responsible for fundraising and community outreach.

I love my job – there’s hope, compassion and sheer resilience all around me. I draw my strength and inspiration not only from our clients, but also from the caregivers who give tirelessly to keep these young people safe, grounded, and determined to thrive.

I suppose my admiration for this team stems from the fact that not so long ago, I was that young person in need of help.  In less than one year, by the time I turned 20, I had transformed from a squeaky-clean young woman, who had never tried drugs, into a heroin addict lying at death’s door.

It started with drinking, which quickly led to taking prescription pills. I justified my behavior by convincing myself that I deserved to be young and party. In reality, I was looking for ways to escape traumatic memories from my past. I was becoming numb and I liked it.

Then came a night when my entire life stopped: a moment frozen in time. My then boyfriend shot me up with heroin. It was the injection that dictated my future, a rush so bleak yet euphoric. I felt the heroin coursing through my veins, heading straight for my heart. I was hooked. From that moment I became a ghost of the self that I once was. In no time, I was an opioid addict.

“Few people can say that their mother

brought them into this life twice…”

Few people can say that their mother brought them into this life twice — I can. On the very day I decided to end my life she had a gut feeling and came to my house to confront my addiction. Her mother’s intuition has always been strong. She picked me up from that bed unconscious, and bleeding from my track-marks. Not only did she get me to the hospital, she never left my side. She never stopped telling me to hold on and fight to stay in this world. She wouldn’t let go of my hand as I convulsed in seizures and my body began to fail. My mom told me to hold on because it wasn’t my time to die. She held me until the very moment I was released from the hospital and checked into rehab.

Not every child is so lucky to have the love and support my mom gave to me.  Some of those children are right here at Daybreak – yearning to be loved, accepted and to love and accept themselves.

“That’s where my heroes step in.”

That’s where my heroes step in.  The Daybreak counselors, nurses, trainers and everyone around them who work around the clock to ensure those young people have a place to turn when they need love and support.

I’m proud to be part of this team. As a recovering addict, I’m grateful for everything they do for the young people who turn to us during their darkest moments.  Most importantly, I feel blessed to serve this worthy organization that has helped thousands of children and families over the past 40 years.

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This free educational forum presents a rare opportunity for members of the public to hear directly from a group of Daybreak clients, and to ask them questions.

Each of the panelists has volunteered to share their personal story (an empowering experience), including what led them to treatment, their journey through the recovery process and their hopes and dreams for the future.

Tours of Daybreak’s Brush Prairie facility, the RWC Center for Adolescent Recovery, will be also available.

To RSVP, contact Nick Shanmac, Daybreak Youth Services’ director of marketing and outreach, at nshanmac@daybreakyouthservices.org or 360.984.5232.

Tours of Daybreak’s facility, the RWC Center for Adolescent Recovery, will also be available. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

Breaking the Stigma: My journey through recovery
August 27, 2018 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Daybreak Youth Services, 11910 NE 154th St., Brush Prairie, WA
Cost: Free

About Daybreak Youth Services

Daybreak Youth Services is a nonprofit provider of adolescent addiction and mental health treatment services in Washington state. With inpatient facilities near Vancouver (Brush Prairie) and Spokane, the organization provides safe and secure environments where adolescents ages 12-18 can commit to their recovery while engaging in school and recreation. Daybreak also offers inpatient psychiatric evaluation & treatment services for teens with acute mental health issues and co-gender outpatient programming in Spokane and the Vancouver area. To learn more, visit www.daybreakyouthservices.org.

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