HOUSTON - The teenage years are tough, and it's getting tougher. The rate of anxiety and depression among teens has climbed dramatically, about 20 percent over a recent five-year period.
Crimson Jordan is 22 years old, a recent University of Houston graduate and eager to start a new chapter in life, especially after the teen years.
“I was locking myself in my room. My lights were always out. I wasn't talking to anyone. I wasn’t going to school. I wasn't going to church with my family," Crimson said.
Crimson was born a girl but never felt like one, explaining, “My depression really started when the people I loved the most were not treating me like I was valid human being.”
Crimson left abuse at home and sought counseling and help at the Montrose Center for LGBTQ youth and its Hatch program. At 16, Crimson began transitioning to a male with drugs and surgery.
“They gave me Prozac and they said, 'You can’t just take these. You have go to therapy. You have to socialize. You have leave your room. You have to eat,'" Crimson said.
While Crimson's story is relatively unusual, depression is not. In fact, 30 percent of youth have depressive symptoms that began to compromise their ability to participate in life. That’s according a CDC study in 2015. That rate has climbed dramatically in recent years.
Brittany Burch is a licensed clinical social worker at the Montrose center.
“We have it in our faces constantly. Who's doing what. There's this phenomena of missing out. Seeing people post all their happy pictures and particularly for young adults or teens, ‘What’s wrong with me? I'm not that happy,'" Burch said.
Developing teens are particularly vulnerable to social media pressures. Age-old bullying or more take on new dimensions.
“We've seen patterns of copycat suicides," Burch said.
Social media can also help provide support.
“On one hand it lessens the isolation, because they (LGBTQ teens) can connect with each other, but it also exposes them to those who might not be on their team," Burch said.
What else helps? Not dismissing your teen's worries, even if they are hard to stand.
“They're not hearing anything you have to say, interrupting without having heard anything you said," Crimson said.
Crimson found therapy, medication, friends and a future at the Montrose Center.
“Right now, I work at the same place that saved my life," Crimson said.