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Jan 08, 2025 18:00pm

Relatable Teen Struggles (Pt. 1): Mental Health

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In the youth group I lead, I recently started teaching a short series on the struggles of teenage life. In preparing the lessons for this series, I did a lot of research on statistics, and I was floored by some of the information I found on three subjects: mental health, relationships, and addictions.

More than any other time in one’s life, the teenage years seem to be the time when the mind and spirit have the most trouble coming to grips with who we are—and who we are becoming. Mental health issues are rampant among teens. One might think that with modern understanding of science and mental health, such issues would decrease, but they have actually gotten worse.

Here are some of the statistics I found about teen mental health:

42% of teens experience feelings of sadness or loneliness.
22% of teens have seriously considered attempting suicide.
Youth mental health hospitalizations increased by 124% from 2016 to 2022.
31.9% of teens are estimated to have an anxiety disorder.
20% of teens will experience depression by the age of 17.
22.2% of teens report being bullied at school.
17% of teens report experiencing emotional abuse by a parent.
15.8% of teens report being bullied or harassed online.

This is the sobering reality the teenagers of our world are all growing up in. As I read these statistics, and others, to my students, none were surprised. One in particular softly said, “Me,” after almost every bullet point. My heart broke knowing their struggles, and I wished there was a way I could remove them on my own. Unfortunately, I cannot. I can only do my best to guide them through it.

Teenagers are not the only ones who struggle with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, nor are they the only ones who face harassment, abuse, and other negative factors that influence their mental state. Adults far and wide can sympathize, and while we often prefer to keep our mental struggles quiet, there is no shame in admitting we need help.

The Bible does not have much to say about mental health, at least not on the surface. It was written long before the modern understanding of the mind, and so its writers were incapable of addressing the issues in a way that lines up with the kind of treatments and advice a mental health expert would give today. This does not mean that God Himself was unaware, or that He did not give us words of encouragement to help battle those issues.

Many of these issues arise because of a lack of self worth. Teenagers often feel they are somehow lacking, and that they are less valuable or important than their peers. Self consciousness rises to the surface as they war with insecurities about body shape, acne, clothing styles, and any other issue under the sun by which they can compare themselves to their peers. Teenagers are not the only ones who deal with that, although it hits them hardest and might dwindle somewhat as we reach adulthood.

But self esteem is something we can address biblically, because while we cannot control how others see us and we often struggle to control how we see ourselves, what we can fall back on is knowing how God sees us.

Psalm 139 reveals a few things about how God sees us. He knows us deeply and intimately, greater than any other person ever could. He “knows our thoughts from afar” and is “acquainted with all our ways.” He is the one who “knitted us together” in our mothers’ wombs. He already knew what our days would hold before we were born. He is constantly thinking about us—His thoughts about us are more than the grains of sand on the beach.

This is not the behavior of a God who hates or begrudges or feels indifferent. If He had that attitude toward us, He could simply dismiss us, ignore us, remain distant from us. But see the language David uses: he cannot flee from God’s spirit. Whether in heaven or in the grave, we are still in the presence of God. From the sky to the depths of the sea, He would be with us. In the darkest night, He is with us and does not fear the darkness. Notice, He is not just standing alongside us idly watching. He is actively participating. He holds our hand and leads us. Just like a parent holds their toddler’s hand to lead them, because they love their child and want to protect and guide them, God does the same for us—if we let Him. There have been times when I’ve tried to take my daughter’s hand, and she has pulled away because she wants to be independent. It’s not safe, and I don’t stop loving her, but I can’t always hold her hand if she won’t let me. I stick right by her side, though. I never go anywhere. Even when we’re stubborn and selfish, God sticks right by the side of His children.

Are you getting the picture yet? God adores you. He thinks you are beautiful and perfect just as He made you. Colossians 2:9-10 tells us that “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him.” In other words, at the moment we believe in Him for salvation, He makes us complete and begins working to perfect that completion.

So if you’re struggling with self worth, depression, or anxiety, remember that the King and Creator of the Universe sees you, knows you better than you know yourself, and loves you so, so much.