From anxiety and sadness to depression and suicide, today’s youths are experiencing a mental health crisis.

The community is invited to join the University of Toledo and The Blade for the next Perspectives panel discussion, the Mental Health Crisis Among Young People.

In this installment of the thought leadership series, mental health experts and practitioners will explore the factors contributing to the epidemic affecting youths as well as propose possible strategies and proactive approaches to mental health care.

The panel discussion is set for 6 p.m. March 24 at the University of Toledo’s Doermann Theatre, 2925 W. Bancroft St.

Panelists include Kamala London, University of Toledo department of psychology professor and department chairman with expertise on how children are handled in the justice system; Jenny Elliott, who handles day-to-day school operations as head of student and academic life at Choate Rosemary Hall boarding school in Wallingford, Conn.; Kevin Stevens, former NHL player and co-founder of a foundation that combats addiction through education; and Dr. Michael Rich, who specializes in adolescent medicine and is founder of an organization designed to promote healthy digital media experiences for young people.

“This is an important conversation on supporting youth mental health, and we are proud to highlight one of UToledo’s own thought leaders, Dr. Kamala London, as we learn more about how to best support the young people in our lives,” UT interim President Matt Schroeder said in a statement.

“The Perspectives series continues to provide a valuable opportunity for UToledo and The Blade to invite the community to engage in interesting and timely discussions on our campus,” he added.

The discussion will be moderated by David Shribman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning, nationally syndicated columnist and executive editor emeritus of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who also appears weekly in The Blade.

Dr. Rich uses knowledge gained from working in the television and film industry in his work as founder and director of the Digital Wellness Lab, an organization designed to understand and promote positive and healthy digital media experiences for young people.

“The screen media universe evolved around us, but what’s really interesting is the stuff we learned, even from the days of television, is still applicable today,” he said.

Dr. Rich will discuss excessive screen use and problematic interactive media use that often comes with disruptions in children’s lives such as sleep deprivation and lack of in-person social interaction.

“We actually see kids who’ve gone down the rabbit hole of gaming, social media, pornography, and what we call information binging, which is kind of the endless YouTube, Reddit ... following threads down rabbit holes.

“They stay up all night gaming with people around the world. Social media gets them in real trouble with upward social comparison and body image. Social media has become a hotbed of substance use and substance sales like fentanyl,” he said. “We’ve got kids who’ve really gotten in trouble with pornography in the sense that their sexual development is arrested or sort of twisted, if you will.”

Dr. Rich will share strategies that encourage early intervention and self-regulation over abstinence because “We need it to communicate; it is a necessary resource for us in today’s world.”

“The kids who get in trouble with it are driven not by physiologic drivers, but a psychological drivers and what we have found is that those kids tend to have one or more of four underlying conditions: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, social anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and depression, and that they are actually going to this space to comfort themselves, to soothe themselves,” he said.

Ms. Elliott has spent 15 years focusing on mental health issues among students.

“I’ve spent a lot of time partnering with mental health professionals in my schools, thinking about increased incidence of anxiety and depression, and thinking about programming, preventative work, responsive work, and skill building that we can do with kids so that they can pursue really ambitious goals and also manage their own mental health challenges,” she said.

Ms. Elliot will highlight the need for professional development for teachers and administrators and collaboration with parents to create supportive environments. She will also speak to the importance of taking a “pause” to the relentless pursuit of goals that can exacerbate mental health issues.

Mr. Stevens played in the NHL for more than 15 seasons, including 10 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is now the co-founder of the Power Forward Foundation, which works to combat addiction through education, destigmatizing, and recovery programs.

“I just tell the truth,” he said. “What happened to me might not happen to anybody else, but this is what happened to me. I was a first-team all-star, coming off two Stanley Cups, going for my third, and I made a decision to try cocaine for some reason. I had no idea what it was, and I didn’t even know what I was doing.”

After experiencing a long path to addiction recovery, Mr. Stevens will discuss proactive measures to actively impress upon youths the dangers of even trying drugs.

“It’s about the person that hasn’t done it yet because you can really get stuck. It’s tough for youth, all that peer pressure,” he said. “And I had no idea about mental illness. I think the biggest thing that I do when I speak to kids or speak to adults, is that it can happen to anybody and you need to confront it when something happens — stand tall and accept what you have to do to get better.”

Ms. London said that today’s youths are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, many as a result of being overwhelmed by academic pressure, social media expectations, and a world that often feels uncertain.

“Youth mental health affects individuals, families, and the community. I’m excited to participate in the Perspectives panel to encourage community discussion on this critical topic,” she said.

The event and parking are free. Attendees are asked to register at theblade.com/perspectives.

First Published March 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m.