California Department Of Public Health launches campaign to address mental health crisis among youth

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif.— The California Department Of Public Health’s new statewide campaign — called “Take Space to Pause”— is made for teens and by teens to reduce the stigma around mental health challenges and promote tangible steps to get help.

The rates of mental health challenges in teens are increasing at an alarming rate, disproportionately affecting minority communities.

“Take Space to Pause” emphasizes breaking points— the moments when stress becomes overwhelming for teens— as a way to identify the best coping mechanism.

From there, the teen will have access to a tool that will help them design a customized plan to pause… which will help them learn to adopt healthy behaviors to get ahead of the breaking point.

Locally, workers from the Santa Barbara Behavioral Wellness Access Line can direct teens to critical services in the community from mental health to help with substance use.

“Our window of tolerance…so if you think of of any given day when you wake up —how much stress is on your brain— that's that's going to limit or expand how much tolerance you have for the extra stuff in life,” said Crisis Service Manager Connor Pearce.

“We've seen a big increase, unfortunately, in some really heavy fentanyl use, especially among youth, which has been really scary,” said Access Line Supervisor Margie Hunt.

The free 24/7 Access Line can be reached at (888) 868-1649.

Services are available in both English and Spanish.