正文
'It's life or death': the mental health crisis among U.S. teens
“生死攸关”: 美国青少年的心理健康危机
American adolescence is undergoing a drastic change. Three decades ago, the gravest public health threats to teenagers in the United States came from binge drinking, drunken driving, teenage pregnancy and smoking. These have since fallen sharply, replaced by a new public health concern: soaring rates of mental health disorders.
美国人的青春期正在经历一场剧烈的变化。30 年前，美国青少年最严重的公共健康威胁来自豪饮、酒后驾车、未成年怀孕和吸烟。此后这些威胁已经急剧下降，取而代之的是一个新的公共健康问题：急速升高的心理健康障碍发病率。
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The decline in mental health among teenagers was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic but predated it, spanning racial and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas and the socioeconomic divide.
新冠疫情加剧了青少年心理健康的恶化，但在疫情之前，这种恶化的现象已经出现了，而且不分种族和民族、城市和农村，以及不同的社会经济背景。
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Numerous hospital and doctor groups have called it a national emergency, citing rising levels of mental illness, a severe shortage of therapists and treatment options, and insufficient research to explain the trend.
许多医院和医生团体称之为全国性的紧急事件，举出的证据是精神疾病的发病率不断上升，心理医生和治疗手段严重短缺，而且没有足够的研究来解释这一趋势。
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The crisis is often attributed to the rise of social media, but solid data on the issue is limited. Federal research shows that teenagers as a group are also getting less sleep and exercise and spending less in-person time with friends — all crucial for healthy development — at a period in life when it is typical to test boundaries and explore one's identity.
这场危机经常被归咎于社交媒体的兴起，但是关于这个问题的可靠数据却是有限的。联邦政府的研究显示，青少年群体的睡眠时间、锻炼时间、与朋友当面相处的时间也在减少——而这些都是健康发展的关键——（因为）在人生的这个阶段，青少年通常会试探界限以及探索自己的身份。
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The combined result for some adolescents is a kind of cognitive implosion: anxiety, depression, compulsive behaviors, self-harm and even suicide.
对于一些青少年来说，这些影响的综合结果是一种认知崩溃：焦虑、抑郁、强迫行为、自残甚至自杀。
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Health experts note that, for all its weight, the adolescent crisis at least is unfolding in a more accepting environment. Mental health issues have shed much of the stigma they carried three decades ago, and parents and adolescents alike are more at ease when discussing the subject among themselves and seeking help.
健康专家指出，尽管青少年危机很严重，但它至少是在一个更容易接受的环境中展现出来的。心理健康问题已经摆脱了 30 年前的污名，父母和青少年在互相讨论这个问题以及寻求帮助时，都更加放松。
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主编：颖楠、Lucky
品控：Pita、蘑菇
审核：Jack
重点词汇
life or death
生死攸关
相关词汇：life-or-death（adj. 生死攸关的）
搭配短语：a life-or-death struggle
adolescence
/ˌæd.əˈles.əns/
n. 青春期
相关词汇：adolescent（n. 青少年）
文化拓展：拉丁语动词 adolescere，意思是 grow up“长大”。而它的过去分词 adultus 则表示 grown up“长大了的”。后来这两个词都被引入英语，变成了名词，分别是 adolescent“青少年”和 adult“成年人”。
undergo
/ˌʌn.dɚˈɡoʊ/
v. 经历，经受
近义词：experience
搭配短语：to undergo transformation
搭配短语：to undergo an operation
drastic
/ˈdræs.tɪk/
adj. 剧烈的，极端的
英文释义：extreme and sudden
例句：Drastic changes are needed if environmental catastrophe is to be avoided.
grave
/ɡreɪv/
adj. 严重的，严峻的
词性拓展：grave（n. 坟墓）
近义词：serious
例句：The violation of school rules could be a grave matter.
binge
/bɪndʒ/
n. 放纵
搭配短语：binge drinking
词义辨析：binge drinking, alcoholism
binge drinking 指的是单次大量饮酒，一般翻译为“豪饮”，而 alcoholism 指的是长期大量饮酒，一般翻译为“酗酒”。
soaring
/sɔːrɪŋ/
adj. 急速升高的
相关词汇：soar（v. 翱翔；急速升高，数量激增）
搭配短语：a soaring divorce rate
搭配短语：her soaring popularity
intensify
/ɪnˈten.sə.faɪ/
v. 加剧
相关词汇：intense（adj. 强烈的）
例句：The storm has intensified.
例句：The dispute began to intensify.
predate
/ˌpriːˈdeɪt/
v. 早于......
词根词缀：pre-（在......之前）
相关词汇：date（n. 日期）
例句：These cave paintings predate any others which are known.
span
/spæn/
v. 包括，遍及
词性拓展：span（n. 跨度）
英文释义：to cover or include
例句：Mozart's compositions spanned all aspects of music, from symphonies to operas.
socioeconomic
/ˌsoʊ.si.oʊˌiː.kəˈnɑː.mɪk/
adj. 社会经济的
词根词缀：socio-（社会的）
相关词汇：economic（adj. 经济的）
搭配短语：their socioeconomic backgrounds
cite
/saɪt/
v. 引证；引用，引述
例句：The article cites several experts on the subject.
英文释义：to mention something to support an idea
例句：The detective cited evidence suggesting he was in the area when the crime was committed.
attribute
/əˈtrɪbjuːt/
v. 把......归因于......
搭配短语：attribute A to B
例句：The CEO attributed the firm's success to the efforts of all the employees.
federal
/ˈfed.ɚ.əl/
adj. 联邦政府的；联邦制的
文化拓展：FBI 的全称是 Federal Bureau of Investigation，“美国联邦调查局”。
boundary
/ˈbaʊn.dər.i/
n. 界限；边界线
搭配短语：national boundary
搭配短语：the boundaries of human knowledge
cognitive
/ˈkɑːɡ.nə.t̬ɪv/
adj. 认知的，认知过程的
搭配短语：cognitive psychology
implosion
/ɪmˈploʊ.ʒən/
n. 崩溃；内爆
相关词汇：explode（v. 爆炸）
词根词缀：im-（向内）
衍生词：implode（v. 内爆；崩溃，瓦解）
英文释义：to explode inwards
例句：The windows of the room had imploded.
例句：The nation's economy is about to implode.
compulsive
/kəmˈpʌl.sɪv/
adj. 强迫性的
搭配短语：compulsive eating
weight
/weɪt/
n. 压力，负担；重量
例句：She felt a great weight of responsibility.
unfold
/ʌnˈfoʊld/
v. 展现，逐渐明朗；展开
相关词汇：fold（v. 折叠）
搭配短语：to unfold a map
例句：The facts started to unfold before them.
shed
/ʃed/
v. 摆脱，去除
英文释义：to get rid of something
例句：Many brands are trying to shed their old-fashioned images.
搭配短语：to shed some extra pounds
stigma
/ˈstɪɡ.mə/
n. 耻辱，污名
文化拓展：名词 stigma 来源于拉丁语，最早指的是用烙铁在犯人身上留下的烙印，后来逐渐引申为“耻辱，污名”的意思。
例句：There is no longer any stigma to single parenthood.
at ease
放松自在；稍息
相关词汇：ease（n. 舒适，悠闲）
搭配短语：put sb. at ease
例句：Therapists have the ability to put people at their ease.
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