Dane County Youth Assessment

Last week I was invited to be on a panel of mental health experts at Middleton High School in Madison, Wisconsin. I enjoy meeting other professionals in the field and educating parents, teachers, and students about mental health so I jumped at the opportunity to get involved. This event was particularly fascinating because of the statistics presented by Brian Koenig regarding the mental health of middle school and high school students in Dane County.

Every three years, students in grades 7-12 are surveyed about their opinions, behaviors, and experiences, and the data is studied to look at trends among youth today. Here are some of the findings taken directly from the Dane County report:

- 40% of high school students reported higher levels of anxiety

-22% of students reported sustained sadness that interfered with their activities in the past 12 months

-19% of all youth reported suicidal thoughts (which is an increase from 12% in 2012)

-22% of high school youth report self-harm activities in the past year, a number that has doubled since 2012

-20% of students reported they don't feel like they fit in at school

These numbers seem shockingly high on paper but they follow the trends I am seeing among my adolescent clients in my practice. The increase in self-report of anxiety and depression symptoms has gone up at an alarming rate. As consumption of caffeine, screen time, cell phones, and social media continue among this population, it brings up the question of the chicken or the egg... is the next generation more depressed and anxious because of the things they are consuming, or are they consuming those things as a way to cope with their depression and anxiety.

One of the things that was emphasized by both the professionals on the panel and the parents who attended was the ongoing need to link families who are dealing with mental health issues with the resources in the community that can best support them.

Although the survey clearly showed a startling increase in anxiety and depression among teens and the need for mental health services among pre-teen and adolescents, I left the panel feeling encouraged. I was encouraged by the number of questions we were asked as mental health providers and the thoughtfulness behind each one. Asking questions in a public forum like that takes courage and the willingness to share a bit of your story. I was encouraged by the Middleton Student Services faculty who coordinated the program and devote their career to serving middle school and high school students in the school systems. Their genuine desire to help students thrive is astounding. Most importantly, I was encouraged to see a room filled with parents and educators who desperately care about the next generation and were willing to engage in the hard conversation of how to support and love their teens through difficult things like anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

For more info about the Dane County Youth Assessment, go to: https://danecountyhumanservices.org/yth/yth_asmt_2015.aspx