Dozens of teenagers from across the District took to Catholic University’s Pryzbyla Center for the second annual American Psychiatric Association (APA) Moore Equity in Mental Health Youth Summit on July 24. The one-day program was hosted in partnership with the Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute, and included breakout sessions to educate youth on the impact of trauma and power of mindfulness, as well as methods of effective conflict resolution to incorporate into their daily life experiences.
“The inspiration behind this event is not only to bring visibility and awareness of this issue, but also to provide the young people with information, resources, and tools in terms of how to attain mental wellness,” said APA’s Chief Diversity and Health Equity and Deputy Medical Director Dr. Regina S. James. “We wanted this initiative to target D.C. and some of the unique issues that our young people are facing. We wanted to let them know that we’re here, our office is here in the D.C. area, and we are working with our [network of] psychiatrists and the patients that they serve, including them, to make sure they are aware, educated, and have resources to do better.”
The APA and partnering organizations, including the MedStar WISE Center and SchoolTalk DC, were compelled to hold the event to address the growing youth mental health crisis. Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Public Health Crisis of Firearm Violence in the United States details the effects of gun violence on youth, families and communities. In addition a report from Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health “Still Ringing the Alarm,” examines suicide prevention for Black youth.
“I think that there are a myriad of different things happening,” Barnett told The Informer. “There’s a huge identity crisis amongst these teens. They don’t know who to be. They have so many messages, they have so many people, influencers, from rappers, entertainers, people telling them to be this, be that, be this, be that. It’s overwhelming for their nervous system.”
While the APA works to support the city’s youth, Barnett highlighted the importance of simultaneously supporting parents.
“It’s just a different world today. The stress that parents are having to bear is because they’re learning on the go. There is no manual on how to raise a Gen Z, there is no manual on how to manage the stress and their [child’s] stressors at the same time,” Barnett said. “So as much as we are giving support to the teens, the parents need just as much support. There has to be initiatives and programs that are connected with the community, and this is why I love working with the APA, because if it doesn’t start in the community, it can’t happen.”
