What Science Tells Us About The Mental Health Crisis in Schools

Over the last two decades children, teens and young adults have experienced rising levels of mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety (Lebrun-Harris et al., 2022; CDC Trends Report; CDC Article) . Half of all mental illnesses emerge before age 14 and three quarters of them materialize before age 24 (Kessler et al., 2005) These statistics make it pretty obvious that any strategies to prevent or combat mental illness are more effective if they occur early in life. School age, usually from age 5 through 22, is therefore a particularly ripe period for implementing strategies to prevent mental illness or to reduce symptom severity early in the disease course. 

Some people may ask why we should even bother addressing mental illness as a part of school efforts. This is why: students with mental illness and other mental health challenges (e.g. stress) are more likely to drop out of school (Limone et al., 2022; Hjort et al., 2016) or lose their life entirely. In the US, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-14 year olds and the third leading cause of death among people age 15-24 (NIMH report on Suicide). Students that manage to stay alive in the school system in the midst of mental illness have trouble focusing and have lower performance scores (Pascoe et al., 2019; Holmes et al., 2015). This is not to say that mental illness makes people incapable of studying or achieving academic goals. In contrast, people with mental illness have unique perspectives on life, which, if supported correctly, can give them unique skill sets, in particular when it comes to creativity and expressiveness. However, currently mental illness does make it more difficult to be a student. But we can change that. 

We often think of adults and caregivers as the support network for children, teens and young adults. Sadly, adults have, just like their children and students, experienced increased rates of mental illness, in part because of the pandemic, which leaves them less resourceful in helping and supporting their child (Lebrun-Harris et al., 2022; Czeisler et al., 2020). So what do we do? One option is Psychoeducation, which is validated by research to improve mental wellbeing and life quality not just in students, but also teachers and parents. In their recent report on Mental Health Research Priorities, the White House states that we need to take action to implement evidence-based strategies to prevent and combat mental illness (White House Report, 2023).

We agree.

Join us in making a difference. 

Articles that describe the prevalence and onset of mental illness in children, teens, and young adults: 

• Czeisler MÉ , Lane RI, Petrosky E, et al. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1049–1057. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6932a1 – you can also read a NYT article on these results here.
• CDC: U.S. Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence. You can read the Newsroom Release from CDC here and the full report here.
• CDC: Anxiety and Depression in Children: Get the Facts. Access the article here.
• CDC: Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. Access the article here.
• Lebrun-Harris LA, Ghandour RM, Kogan MD, Warren MD. Five-Year Trends in US Children’s Health and Well-being, 2016-2020. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(7):e220056. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0056
  • This article also reports reduced mental wellbeing in parents. 
• Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):593-602. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593. Erratum in: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jul;62(7):768. Merikangas, Kathleen R [added]. PMID: 15939837.
• NIMH report on Suicide. Link to report.
• White House Report on Mental Health Research Priorities, 2023. Link to report.