Why Should Libraries Discuss Youth Mental Health?
Teens come to the library for many reasons – to socialize, do homework, volunteer, or seek refuge. For public libraries, it’s estimated that twenty percent of teens who walk through the doors may be experiencing a mental disorder that, without treatment, could have devastating effects. Youth in the United States (U.S.) are experiencing alarming rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Per the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), national prevalence data from 2020 revealed that “1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year”, with 50% of lifetime mental illness beginning by age 14, and 75% by age 24. In addition, “suicide is listed as the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14” [i]
Data collected via the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey between 2011-2021 mirrors these statistics, with high school students experiencing a 22 percent increase in depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Within this population, female students and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ+) students were more likely to report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In California alone, suicide rates by race/ethnicity among teens (ages 15-24) increased by 24.6 percent among American Indian and Alaska Natives, 12.4 percent among Black youth and 10.5 percent among White youth. These findings illustrate the need for targeted mental health information and services in our communities, particularly in communities of color and among LGBTQ+ youth. Decades of discrimination, barriers to care, social stigmatization and neglect have produced inequities with devastating results. Per the CDC, “our nation’s youth are facing a mental health crisis [ii].”
Origins of the Teen Mental Health Initiative at Pasadena Public Library
In 2016, the Pasadena Public Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB), the leadership team of Pasadena Public Library Teen Services, made it their mission to (a) talk about teen mental health and (b) find ways to increase awareness, provide information and expand resources for teens experiencing mental illness. These early conversations were the catalyst for the group’s decision to launch a Teen Mental Health Initiative at Pasadena Public Library.
Some Background
TAB is comprised of 15-20 library volunteers (ages 13-19) who dedicate their time to promoting library services, conducting library programs, and advocating for teens at important city and community events. The group’s overall mission is to support youth in the community through fun and educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and resources. Their focus is on closing the achievement gap and preparing teens for a successful, fulfilling life.
In the year leading up to the launch of the Teen Mental Health Initiative, TAB was already facilitating several ongoing library programs and taking a more active role in advocating for Pasadena’s Youth Master Plan, a blueprint for youth services in the city of Pasadena. The plan was conceived and written with the voices of hundreds of youth advocates (including TAB), youth organizations, and adult allies, and was presented before Pasadena City Council and the School Board for acceptance. Within the context of the Youth Master Plan, teens first spoke about the need for mental health services and increased awareness [iii]. This initial conversation prompted further discussions, eventually leading to the realization that it would be more impactful to create a stronger, more coordinated campaign around the topic of youth mental health.
The participating teens conceived their own vision for the initiative, first determining that for anyone to be successful in any capacity, mental health was essential. They realized that their peers couldn’t begin to think about their own passions and development without first feeling safe and stable. Their mantra became: mental health comes first. After many meetings, trainings and collaborations, the Teen Advisory Board produced the following goals for the mental health initiative:
- increase awareness and discussions around topics of mental health,
- provide specialized services and programs for teens, and their families and friends,
- provide training for library staff, and
- maintain a well-stocked, vetted, mental health resource center in the Teen Center at Central Library.
The Teen Mental Health Initiative in Practice
The development of a Mental Health Resource Center in Teen Central at Pasadena Central Library became a tangible and sustainable achievement of this initiative. The Center was stocked with mental health information that teens could take anonymously, along with rotating passive activities designed to help increase mindfulness, reduce stress, and increase mental health awareness.
Our Brave Space: an exhibit of secrets
One of the greatest difficulties of having a secret is the loneliness and shame that accompanies it. Jane wanted to make sure to honor those who shared their secrets and tasked her staff with creating a “secrets” exhibit in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. It was determined that the exhibit would be titled Our Brave Space, an acknowledgment of the courage inherent in vulnerability, and a reminder that libraries are meant to be spaces of inclusivity and brave exploration.
The secrets are displayed as originally written, most placed underneath a large plexiglass frame, the remainder displayed individually in shadow boxes and clipboards lining two exhibit walls. Part of the exhibit involves an interactive component, a locked box that allows those entering the space to “anonymously” share their own secrets.
On Saturday, June 11th, members of the 2023-2024 Teen Advisory Board (TAB), now led by current Teen Librarian Ernesto Covarrubias, had an opportunity to view the secrets, six years after the initial “secrets” box at Central Library was placed in Teen Central’s Mental Health Resource Center. The focus on teen mental health which began before the pandemic and the temporary closing of Central Library had found its way to Jefferson Branch and a new group of TAB members and library patrons. Per Maggie, a current Teen Advisory Board member:
“Seeing everything written in the exhibition reminded me of how people are going through such a wide range of difficulties right before our eyes, yet we don’t realize most of the time.”
Others who have come through the exhibit were also moved by the emotions and feelings expressed. Stella C. from the Pasadena Public Health Department shared her thoughts in an email to library staff:
“Having not visited in some time, I decided to take a stroll down the hallway of the Jefferson Branch Library when I first saw the Our Brave Space exhibit. It immediately struck me. As I read each of the cards, I was beyond moved by their bravery, by the brilliance of this installation, and heartened that it came from none other than our nation’s future – teens and young adults in Pasadena. To be able to share a secret with someone is to give a piece of yourself, and make yourself more vulnerable to opinion, or ridicule or worse. This was a beautiful reminder that we all carry something, to give one another grace and to always seek to heal rather than hurt. What a truly remarkable gift to share with visitors of Jefferson Branch Library.”
The exhibit will be up at Jefferson Branch Library through November 2024.
Article contributions by Pasadena Public Library Staff: Jane Gov, Marie Plug, Rachel Del Giudice, and former staff member Deborah Takahashi.
Exhibit design & curation by Pasadena Public Library Staff: Ruth Lorenanza and Marie Plug
Photographs by Library Staff: Rachel Del Giudice