Displaced Youth Mental Health

The organization’s initial task was to spread resources for and raise awareness of mental and emotional health issues among displaced youth through a physical office. Upon further reflection and consideration, this task idea was amended. The organization realized that creating a single clinic would likely be ineffective in significantly addressing the overall mental and emotional health problems that the nation’s displaced youth face every day. Another realization was that displaced youth are often unlikely to seek professional help from clinics themselves due to underlying fears of conflict with law enforcement or other potential threats (Kennedy, 1991). The issues detected within the initial task idea lead the project to the conclusion that …show more content…
Additionally, there is a proven, significant correlation between bipolar disorder and marijuana abuse, depression and alcohol abuse, and ADHD with both forms of substance abuse (Narendorf, 2014). Lastly, 24% of the surveyed displaced youth met criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, and 60% of the girls along with 23% of the boys reported sexual abuse (Cauce, 2000). Unfortunately, there are simply not enough accessible mental and emotional health resources for this demographic of people, especially those facing trauma. This is partly due to the reluctance of many displaced youth to reveal personal information to mental or emotional health care professionals caused by fear of legal action or being reported to Child Protective Service.
The mental and emotional issues faced by displaced youth is a story seldom told, and so it is forgotten when addressing solutions to homelessness. There is a high necessity for these services, but a lack of them thereof, especially in a way that preserves the anonymity of its clientele. The mental and emotional health issues of displaced youth must be met with the appropriate professional help in order to ensure that the nation’s displaced youth population receives equal opportunities to