NC teens mental health is improving
Mental health among teens in North Carolina is improving.
After nearly a decade in which more and more high school and middle school students surveyed for the semi-annual CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported feeling sad or hopeless, both metrics dropped. Fewer students reported those feelings when surveyed in 2023.
In the previous survey, done in 2021, 43 percent of high schoolers and 35 percent of middle schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless. In 2023, 39 percent of high schoolers and 32 percent of middle schoolers said the same.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, remote school and health worries combined led to some of worst levels of mental health ever recorded in kids.
The percentage of high school students who seriously considered suicide also dropped – to 18 percent in 2023 from 22 percent in 2021.
Experts like Tiffany Gladney, of the non-profit NC Child, say this is a start.
“We celebrate improvement," she said. "If there is just one less child that thinks about suicide, that’s a win. However, there is still a ton of work to do to make sure no child is in crisis."
There is no single reason for the improvement in teen mental health, but Les Spell, state coordinator of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, said that additional resources added to schools over the last several years have helped.
“We’ve been lucky to have a lot of federal funding to help us get additional school counselors, school psychologists and social workers in place over the last couple of years. We have to believe these things add up," he said.
Spell said that physical activity can boost mental health, too.
In 2023, 42 percent of high school students said they were physically active for at least 60 minutes on five or more days a week. In 2021, just 34 percent of teenagers reported being physically active.
If you're having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.
