ABOUT give us the floor

In April 2022, the CDC released the findings of a survey of 7,700 teens conducted in the first six months of 2021, and warns of a steep decline in teen mental health. They have called this a “public health crisis,” stating that more than 4 in 10 teens reported feeling “persistently sad or hopeless,” and 1 in 5 reported that they have contemplated suicide.

More grim data from other sources:

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18. (2016 CDC WISQARS)

• More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED

• Each day in our nation, there are an average of over 3,041 suicide attempts by young people grades 9-12

• 13.84% of youth (age 12-17) report suffering from at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year (increased by 126,000 from last year’s dataset)

• 60% of youth with depression do not receive any mental health treatment** (2021 The State of Mental Health in America – MHA)

2SLGBTQIA+ youth are suffering even more (Source: National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2023 – The Trevor Project)

• 41% of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including half of transgender and nonbinary young people. 14% did attempt suicide.

• 60% of 2SLGBTQIA+ young people reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

• 2SLGBTQIA+ youth who had access to spaces that affirmed their sexual orientation and gender identity reported lower rates of attempting suicide

Brain science explains why adolescence is a vulnerable period.

We now know that adolescence is a period of high brain plasticity (the other one being the first few years of life). The brain will never again be as “malleable” as it is during adolescence. Brain malleability is a great opportunity but it also means that the brain is more vulnerable to psychological harms like stress and trauma or physical damages, like drugs or environmental toxins.

• Many mental health disorders emerge during adolescence (NCCP)

  • 25% of mood disorders like depression emerge during adolescence

  • Between 50% and 75% of adolescents with anxiety disorders and impulse control disorders develop these during adolescence

• Existing mental health problems become increasingly complex and intense as children transition into adolescence

• An estimated 67% to 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder

We can’t miss this second chance to help our kids become happier and healthier.

“Adolescence is probably the last real opportunity we have to put individuals on a healthy pathway and to expect our interventions to have substantial and enduring effects“.
~ Laurence Steinberg. Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence

INSPIRED BY SCIENCE

GUTF Supportive Group Chats help youth feel less lonely and better about themselves while helping them develop the social skills needed to meaningfully connect with others in real life and online. Our method is based on four scientifically proven factors:

1. Positive Peer Support improves social integration and self-confidence -Read more- and mitigates transactions between depressive symptoms and peer victimization Read more

2. Sense of Belonging is critical for maintaining physical and emotional health as well as resiliency: “The connection between belonging (or its absence) and suicidality has been established for a number of diverse populations, including young adolescents, college students.” Read more

3. The Sharing Effect: knowing that a friend is experiencing the same emotion makes humans feel better than they would if they experienced the situation alone Read more

4. Helping Others: builds relationship skills and promotes well-being Read more