Resources About Teen Girl Depression and Sexual Violence

Posted by Bobbi Newman on February 27th, 2023 Posted in: Resource Sharing
Tags: health resources, teen girls mental health, teen mental health

You may have heard that the CDC recently released a report showing that U.S. Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence. We have put together some resources to help you and the community you serve understand teen depression and sexual violence.

Fact Sheet According to the data, teen girls are confronting the highest levels of sexual violence, sadness, and hopelessness they have ever reported to YRBS.

For the full report, visit CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Data Summary & Trends Report, 2011-2021

Resources

Fast Facts: Preventing Sexual Violence from the CDC. Includes Printable PDF

Sexual violence is sexual activity when consent is not obtained or freely given. It is a serious public health problem in the United States that profoundly impacts lifelong health, opportunity, and well-being. Sexual violence impacts every community and affects people of all genders, sexual orientations, and ages.

Fast Facts: Preventing Teen Dating Violence from the CDC

Teen dating violence (TDV), also called, “dating violence”, is an adverse childhood experience that affects millions of young people in the United States.  Dating violence can take place in person, online, or through technology. It is a type of intimate partner violence

For Caregivers

Helping Your Teen with Depression from MedlinePlus. Available in Spanish

Your teen’s depression may be treated with talk therapy, anti-depression medicines, or a combination of these. Learn about what is available and what you can do at home to help your teen

Teen Depression from MedlinePlus. Available in Spanish

An overview of depress in teens including information on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

Recognizing Teen Depression from Medlineplus. Available in Spanish

One in five teenagers have depression at some point. Your teen may be depressed if they are feeling sad, blue, unhappy, or down in the dumps. Depression is a serious problem, even more so if these feelings have taken over your teen’s life.

Teen Violence from MedlinePlus Available in Spanish

Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood. The young person can be a victim, an offender, or a witness to the violence.

Bullying and Cyberbullying from Medlineplus. Available in Spanish

Bullying is when a person or group repeatedly harms someone on purpose. It can be physical, social, and/or verbal

Get Your Teen Screened for Depression from MyHealthFinder– Includes information on the basics about depression and screening and a tab with guidance on taking action to screen teens for depression

Teen Sexual Assault: Information for Parents from National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) includes a Printable PDF

Defines key terms, including consent and coercion, and offers guidance to parents related to dating violence and sexual assault.

For Teens

Teen Mental Health from MedlinePlus. Available in Spanish.

Being a teenager is hard. You’re under stress to be liked, do well in school, get along with your family, and make big decisions. You can’t avoid most of these pressures, and worrying about them is normal. But feeling very sad, hopeless or worthless could be warning signs of a mental health problem.

Managing your depression – teens – from MedlinePlus. Available in Spanish.

Depression is a serious medical condition that you need help with until you feel better. Know that you are not alone. One in five teenagers will be depressed at some point. The good thing is, there are ways to get treatment. Learn about treatment for depression and what you can do to help yourself get better.

Teen Depression: More Than Just Moodiness from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Available in Spanish. Printable flyer available & sharable social media graphic

Being a teenager can be tough, but it shouldn’t feel hopeless. If you have been feeling sad most of the time for a few weeks or longer and you’re not able to concentrate or do the things you used to enjoy, talk to a trusted adult about depression.

Depression: What You Need to Know from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

It’s normal to feel moody or sad at times. But with depression, a sad or bad mood lasts for weeks, months, or even longer.

When Depression Is Severe from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

Depression is a health condition. People feel sad, discouraged, or hopeless for weeks, months, even years. For people with depression, it can seem like things will never get better. When depression is treated, things can start to look brighter and more manageable again. But severe depression can cloud a person’s thinking. This can make it harder to reach out for help. Severe depression may lead some people to think that life isn’t worth living. Sometimes feelings of hopelessness are so deep that a person considers suicide. People who are extremely depressed and may be thinking about hurting themselves need help as soon as possible. When depression is this severe, it is a medical emergency.

I Think I Have a Mental Health Problem. Who Can I Talk To? from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

If you’re feeling stressed, anxious, angry, or sad, you’re not alone. At times, everyone feels emotions like these. They are a normal part of life. But sometimes anxiety, sad moods, or stressful thoughts become too intense or happen too often. They may become hard to cope with. This can keep you from doing and feeling your best. When that happens, it might be a sign of a mental health problem that needs care. Or it might be a sign that you are going through a difficult time and need support. Getting help now can prevent things from becoming worse.

Talking to Parents and Caregivers About Depression from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

If you feel depressed, alone, or are having a problem you can’t solve, you need to reach out for help and support. Talk to a parent or to another trusted adult in your life, like a school counselor, teacher, pastor, or coach. Let them know what you’re going through.

Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

Harassment and bullying are abusive ways of treating others. People who harass or bully use cruel comments, gestures, threats, or actions. They try to insult, demean, exclude, shame, or hurt others. Sometimes, people who harass and bully do it with sexual comments or actions. This is called sexual harassment or sexual bullying.

Rape from Nemours Children’s Hospital Teens Health. Versions: Audio, Spanish, Spanish audio

Rape, sometimes also called sexual assault, can happen to both men and women of any age. Rape is forced and unwanted. It’s about power, not sex. A rapist uses actual force or violence — or the threat of it — to take control over another human being. Some rapists use drugs to take away a person’s ability to fight back. Rape is a crime, whether the person committing it is a stranger, a date, an acquaintance, or a family member.

Depression from girlshealth.gov

Includes information on symptoms, getting help for your depression and helping someone who is depressed.

Feeling stressed from girlshealth.gov

Schoolwork, chores, dating dramas, fights with friends, and more — so many things can stress you out! But what exactly is stress, and how can you handle it? Keep reading to learn more.

Bullying from girlshealth.gov

Bullying is when a person who has more power is mean to someone else over and over again. The power could be something like physical strength or popularity. Bullying includes things like hitting, shoving, insulting, threatening, spreading rumors, and purposely leaving someone out. No matter what the type of bullying, being bullied can feel absolutely awful.

Teen Sexual Assault: Information for Teens National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) includes a Printable PDF

As a teen you make important decisions about what—if any—sexual activity is right for you. Agreeing to sexual activity with someone (saying “yes”, or giving “consent”) means that you have freely decided to engage in that activity. If you are pressured emotionally or physically, if you go along because you don’t feel you have a choice or because you don’t know how to get out of the situation (“coercion”), you are not giving consent. Any sexual contact that you do not consent to is sexual assault.

988 Suicide Prevention
Contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. Call or text 988. Chat at 988lifeline.org. Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365. Visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.

ABOUT Bobbi Newman
Bobbi Newman (MLIS, MA) is the Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist for NNLM R6 at the University of Iowa. She is the author of Fostering Wellness in the Workplace: A Guide for Libraries. She developed the popular NNLM course “Wellness in the Library Workplace.” Bobbi is a mindfulness student and a member of Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH). She currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Let’s Move in Libraries. She divides her time between her dog, reading fantasy and nonfiction, playing video games, crafting, kayaking, biking, and gardening.

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