HALLOWELL, Maine — The pandemic is continuing to have a real impact on mental health, especially among young people.
Maine mental health experts say there is growing concern over youth suicide.
"It is a super challenging time for mental health. Everyone talks about the physical health pandemic. This is a mental health pandemic as well," Jenna Mehnert, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine, said.
According to a new CDC report, of more than 5,000 people survey, twice as many people (about 11 percent) had thoughts of suicide during the pandemic compared to all of 2018.
That number is even higher for people ages 18-24, with 25 percent of all people in that age range saying that they seriously considered suicide.
Mehnert said there has been a concerning spike in youth suicide in Maine in recent weeks as the pandemic drags on.
COVID-19 is adding significant stress to young adults' everyday lives, and according to Mehnert, most just are not yet developmentally equipped to handle it.
"This too shall pass is something that an adult brain is wired to understand. An adolescent or young child's brain simply is not fully developed, so expecting them to see forward in a way the adult brain can is not realistic," Mehnert said.
NAMI Maine launched a new 'Teen Text Support Line' at the start of the pandemic to help support young people ages 14-20 and direct them to resources--a service that is needed now more than ever.
"It's a tough time," Riley Harris said. "It really exacerbated a lot of the anxieties that teenagers normally feel like relationship stress and school stuff."
Harris and a small team at NAMI Maine made up of people ages 18-24 oversees the text line from noon-10 p.m. every day.
Harris, who is 22, said it is important to have young people on the other end because they know what it is like.
"We're here to validate a lot of the things teens are feeling right now," he said.
The service has seen a steady increase since it was first launched, but Mehnert said it is nowhere near capacity.
With still so much uncertainty ahead, she is hopeful it will become an important resource for young people statewide.
"If you are worried about somebody in your life, have that conversation with them," Mehnert said.
You can message the NAMI Maine Teen Text Support Line at (207) 515-TEXT (8398). It is NOT a crisis line. You can call the 24/7 Maine Crisis Line at 1-888-568-1112.