Young people across the country and here in King County have faced increased challenges to their mental health and well-being – a trend that started before the pandemic.
Young people who are girls, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender face the most challenges both in mental health and in barriers in accessing culturally appropriate care.
Young people may have varying needs for information, care, and support at different points in their development, so rather than focusing on just one area of support, our communities need investment in all domains across the continuum described in the new data brief.
King County partnered with Seattle Children’s and other agencies to draft a data brief that summarizes the experiences of young people in their own words and how they use existing resources.
The County looks at these needs within the context of a continuum. Rather than focusing on just one area of mental health care, it looks at the holistic and life-long picture: from what we can do to promote well-being for all young people to how we can support them in crisis and through recovery.
Read the Data Brief
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Open in new tab Understanding young people’s needs through a continuum
Mental health isn’t just important when a young person is in crisis, but at every stage of life. That’s why King County invests in supports within a continuum of care.
The data brief dives into each area of the continuum, features quotes from young people, includes data about the experiences of young people and families, and shows how young people are accessing some existing resources.
“Treatment allowed me to not only understand and cope with my mental health struggles, but also empowered me to learn to talk about them and ask for what I need,”
– Young adult who received treatment as a teen
Definitions of Each Area of the Continuum
Promotion: Increasing community, family and peer support; building and supporting young people’s inherent strengths and resilience
Prevention: Ensuring access to accurate and culturally relevant information about mental health, resources, and community supports
Early Intervention: Connecting young people in need of extra support to developmentally and culturally appropriate resources
Treatment: Addressing young people’s mental health and substance use needs with responsive care
Crisis Services: Providing critical care quickly to young people in crisis
Recovery and Healing: Long-lasting peer and community-based connections allowing young people to improve their health and wellness and reach their full potential
Equity and harm reduction are values held across each domain. Valuing equity means promoting culturally relevant approaches meeting the specific needs of diverse communities. Harm reduction means providing developmentally appropriate information and resources to help young people stay as safe as possible when experimenting, taking risks, or experiencing more significant challenges.
If you or a young person you know is struggling with depression or suicidal ideation you can call Crisis Connections or one of these lines for support:
- Children’s Crisis Outreach Services (CCORS), 206-461-3222. CCORS can come to you to provide free, 24-hour crisis intervention, including de-escalation, safety planning, and connection to longer-term support. Language interpretation is available
- Call a crisis line such as King County’s Crisis Line at 206-461-3222; the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255; the Trevor Project for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386; or text “HOME” to 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.
