Why are We Allowing Teens to be Traumatized?

We have had an epidemic of children and teenagers dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings and drug overdoses, since the pandemic (CDC). In fact, many statistics show that this epidemic started prior to the pandemic (CDC). Additionally, besides these mental health issues, the research has found loneliness in an epidemic in the United States (CDC) With the state of the world and our Country over the past six weeks, we are going to see these numbers continue to increase. Many children and teenagers are also going to be showing signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma reactions. Unfortunately there is not a lot parents can do except monitor their children’s exposure to the news. This is difficult because teens get news easily via their smartphones. Parents need to start having open, honest discussions with their children in order to help their children cope with what they hear and see in the news.

Let’s look at what children and teenagers have been exposed to since the election. Trump has been announcing how he was going to close all the boundaries to the United States and he is going to deport all illegal immigrants. However we see police going into towns and deporting all immigrants even legal immigrants. As a result some parents are not going to work and some parents are keeping their children home from school. As a result, teens are afraid of being deported and having their parents deported. I even had a child who was born in South America, ask me, am I going to be deported? He was legally adopted and a legal citizen and he is afraid of being deported. Additionally, a 13 year old girl committed suicide because the children at school teased her on a continuous basis that her parents were going to be deported because they were Hispanic. Therefore, what do we think is going to happen to these Hispanic children who are legal citizens, but are living in fear of deportation because of the rhetoric by posted daily by Trump and Elon Musk.

Another issue children are confronting the war in Ukraine and ongoing debates about the safety of their nuclear reactors and about Putan using nuclear weapons. Additionally there is the horrific ways the Russian army has been treating the people of Ukraine. We have been hearing about it and seeing horrific pictures on the nightly news and don’t forget these images also pop up on teenagers smartphones too. This is a lot for children and teenagers to cope with at their ages. And now Trump tries to rewrite history by saying Ukraine started the war. We know Ukraine did not start the war. However, what does this do to children’s minds when they are being told everything you saw and heard is incorrect and the opposite of what they know is true. Teenager’s brains are not fully developed until the age of 25. As a result, teens don’t trust themselves and they are having difficulty trying to make sense of all the conflicting information they are getting. As a result, we have teens who are acting out and are being attracted to drugs and alcohol to help reduce the confusion they are feeling.

However, the trauma doesn’t stop with Ukraine. We continue to experience on average two mass shootings a day in our Country (CDC, Gun archives). We just had a terrible shooting in the ICU of a hospital and people were killed and so was a police officer. This adds to the stress and anxiety that children and teenagers are feeling on a daily basis. Again this information pops up on their smartphones and they discuss it their sessions with me.

Unfortunately, the chaos doesn’t end there for children and teenagers. The Republicans are causing chaos in the government. We are hearing about how the Department of Education is being eliminated and how Trump and Musk are firing thousands and thousands of people and they are not even aware about what these departments and employees do. While we watch the Republicans play political games, the government is in serious danger of closing and cannot do any business when there are two major wars going on in the world. Children and teenagers again are being exposed to this drama via the news and their smartphones and computers. To them it seems like everything is out of control and the Republicans are putting many people in danger of not receiving their paychecks or financial support they depend on from the government. This seems crazy to teenagers and is very stressful. They come into sessions asking why the government is asking so crazy and when is someone going to address issues such as the budget?

Additionally there is the war occurring in Israel. Hamas savagely killed over 1400 Israel citizens even infants by beheading and burning their bodies. The massacre by Hamas was so severe that trained soldiers and reporters, who have covered wars for years, became sick when they went back to inspect where the people were killed. Furthermore, Hamas has over 200 hostages they abducted. All of this again was displayed on the news night after night and the images were also available on Facebook, the internet and smartphones. Everyone is now waiting for the war that will break out between Hamas and Israel. This is making lifelong soldiers nervous not to mention how children are teenagers are feeling seeing and hearing about all of this news. Again teenagers are exposed to very confusing information when Trump states the solution is all of the Palestine people will be forced to move to Egypt and Jordan and Trump will take control of the land and create a Riviera for people to vacation at. Who does he think he is when he can just decide what belongs to him and how other people will live. Teenagers know this is crazy, but it causes them to worry if he can do this to people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, what can he do to the people in the United States?

And finally, we expect children and teenagers to be able to attend school as usual and to concentrate on their educations. How does a teenager do this when they are not sure what is going to happen next in the world. Nothing is occurring to make them feel safe and secure. When they look at their smartphones and hear the news, all they see and hear is chaos. Maybe they do not live in Ukraine or Israel, but the amount of chaos occurring around the world and in our own Country is causing them to be vicariously traumatized. In other words, they news and pictures are so overwhelming that they are being traumatized as if they were actually there themselves.

Furthermore, when children are hearing the Department of Education is going to probably be eliminated and money for special education and Individual Education Plans is being significantly reduced or eliminated and many children need special education services to survive in school, they are not going to feel like trying at school. By reducing budgets for education and eliminating a lot of items from school, children feel like no one cares about their education. Therefore, if the government doesn’t care why should they try at all. What are parents to do? Again children and teenagers see this information on their phones and they see services being cut back. Parents cannot lie to their children so the Republicans and Trump playing games with the educational system will result in children refusing to try at school. And parents are being left without any arguments to convince children education is important.

I have many teenagers and children who become so anxious going to school that they become physically ill. They are afraid of being killed or that their parents might be killed due to all of the chaos in the world. If you look at all of this chaos, can you blame them? They also feel if services are being cut by the government then education must not be important so why should they try at school.

Parents in order to help your children limit access to television, radio, laptops and smartphones. This will reduce how much and how often they hear about the chaos and the latest threat. Start to have open, honest conversations with your children about the chaos and their concerns. You may discover that they have the wrong information and that is increasing their anxiety. By correcting misinformation, you can significantly help your children. Also validate their fears and concerns. By acknowledging that everyone is upset by what is happening right now, they don’t feel so isolated or wonder if they are imagining and worrying about nothing. By validating their fears you can discuss a way that you can help each other during these difficult times.

Finally, if you notice that the fear and stress is so severe that they are having significant problems in their daily lives, bring them to a psychotherapist. You would want to find someone who specializes in treating children and teenagers. Additionally, you would want someone who also specializes in treating trauma and anxiety. It’s important that they feel that the therapist understands what they are feeling and why so they can address the issues. It is a very chaotic and stressful time in our country and world, but if we acknowledge these facts and work together, we can survive the current challenges facing all of us.

Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience treating children, teenagers, trauma victims including first responders. For more information about Dr. Rubino’s work please visit his website www.RubinoCounseling.com or his Facebook page www.Facebook.com/drrubino3 or his podcast.