How mindfulness and therapy may be making our children MORE depressed and anxious

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 searches for solutions. 

This excessive dwelling on problems appeared to be higher among females. 

Dr Jack Andrews, who led the Australian study and is a fellow at the Wellcome Trust - a UK-based health research organization - told The New York Times: 'It might be that they kind of get together and make things a little bit worse for each other.'

He added that he believes schools should proceed cautiously with mental health curriculum until 'we know the evidence base a bit more. Doing nothing is better than doing something.' 

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 13.8 percent of children and adolescents ages five to 17 received counseling or therapy in 2022. 

Colorado-based psychologist Dr Shawn Smith previously told DailyMail.com therapy may be harming America's youth by 'encouraging kids to spend, frankly, too much time staring at their own belly button, and not being involved in the world and developing meaningful relationships and activities.

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'To whatever extent, therapy contributes to that. It's a problem.'

Dr Smith added: 'The way we know people are depressed is, there's this turning inward... and usually, you will see a relentless scrutiny of the self, of one thoughts, and one's feelings and one's presentation.'

Over-therapizing can contribute to this: 'If we have kids, just pointlessly scrutinizing themselves, then we are setting them up to turn inward and collapse within, collapse in on themselves and become depressed. '

Despite the hesitancy by some, Dr Jessica Schleider, an associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, argued it should be a priority for public health agendas to address mental health issues in young people. 

She told the Times: 'The urgency of the mental health crisis is so clear.

'In the partnerships that I have, the emphasis is on the kids truly struggling right now who have nothing — we need to help them — more so than a possible risk for a subset of kids who aren’t really struggling.'

She cautioned against interpreting study results as a reason to 'forget all of it.' Instead, she said experts should be asking 'What about this intervention was unhelpful?'

Dr Schleider said experts should move from the 'universal, school-assembly-style approach' to more individualized and targeted interventions, which research has shown can be effective at helping improve mental health.