How mindfulness and therapy may be making our children MORE depressed and ... trends now
In a time when mental health is talked about more than ever, there is a camp of experts who are afraid we may have gone too far.
Schools across the country are implementing mental health awareness campaigns and pushing mindfulness and meditation techniques in classrooms.
But, there is some evidence heightened awareness and focus on mental health is having the opposite effect and isn't helping children at all, but is making anxiety and depression worse.
The My Resilience in Adolescence, or MYRIAD, trial followed thousands of students who practiced mindfulness exercises in schools and results showed not only did the exercises not improve teens' mental health, but those at higher risk of mental health problems fared worse after training.
Researchers attributed the results to multiple reasons, but said one explanation was that mindfulness brought 'awareness to upsetting thoughts.'
The CDC found that one in ten US high schoolers attempted suicide in 2021, up from 8.9 percent a year earlier. Females were struck hardest, with 13.3 percent attempting suicide that year
However, the study did find that mindfulness practices had a positive effect on teachers in the school.
Researchers pointed out there are many things that can impact the mental health of a younger person still developing, including their environment, socieconomic status, family dynamics and parenting, genetics and schooling, such as homework, exams and social aspects.
In a similar Australian study, researchers found students who had taken a course on cognitive behavioral therapy reported higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms six and 12 months later.
In both studies, researchers were concerned with something called co-rumination, which is when a person repeatedly discusses problems with others rather than
