How Are Teens Really Doing? On this Dana Being Dana, Dana Michelle is joined by local experts and a panel of teens, to explore that important question. The pandemic impacted kids in a very unique way. In addition to navigating the loss of in-school learning and social activities, children found themselves at the mercy of their home situations.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC), from 2009 to 2021, the number of American high-school students who said they feel “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rose from 26 to 44 percent. The highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded. More than one in four girls reported that they had seriously contemplated attempting suicide during the pandemic, which was twice the rate of boys. Nearly half of LGBTQ teens said they had considered suicide during the pandemic, compared with 14 percent of their heterosexual peers. Sadness among white teens seems to be rising faster than among other groups.
The episode focuses on the growing problem of poor mental health in adolescence and offers advice and strategies on how parents and educators can best show up and support their teens.
Guests on the Show
- Ady Rubio, Alive Aurora Manager-Alive Center
- Dr. Lisa Konick, Clinical Psychologist & Founder-Konick and Associates
- Gabriel Bradford, Junior-Homeschool
- Adi Srinivasan, Senior-Naperville North High School
- Annie Wittwer, Junior-Naperville North High School
- Zora Carter, Sophomore-Naperville Central High School
- Aliza Akhter, Senior-Metea Valley High School
- Anna Lankisch, Senior-Metea Valley High School
- Dylan Knotts, Junior-Neuqua Valley High School
- Saaya Patel-Junior, Neuqua Valley High School
About Dana
Dana Davenport is a Naperville resident who is passionate about life. Originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago, she is now a Naperville resident and a graduate of Spelman College and the University of Chicago Law School. An attorney and mother, Dana divorced in 2015, unleashing a new lease on life. She has a live radio show on intellectualradio.com on Wednesdays at 9 pm and is excited to bring that show to television audiences on Naperville Community Television each month.
Previously, Dana has appeared on “He Said She Said” with Wanda Bee, “The Drive at 5” with Roman, and “Jaw Jackin” with Bob and T.C., and she was a relationship advisor on the “Gift of Gab Show” with Gabby Smith.
