The Youth Mental Health Crisis, Social Identity, and Psychodynamic Care (Archived)

The youth mental health crisis has been growing for over a decade, with its boiling point arriving in the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic era. This crisis is characterized by increases in acute psychiatric concerns like suicidal thoughts and behavior and flourishing interest in self-diagnosis. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic perspectives on youth development highlight elements of the mental health crisis not fully considered in public health models. By bringing a psychodynamic lens to the crisis, Dr. Carl Waitz offers new ways of understanding the problem and new ideas for engaging youth in psychotherapy in the context of a changing world.