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Michelle Flippin
On the mentalhealthamerica.net website I took a look into the information they had available about anxiety which taught me that 25% of students struggle with clinical anxiety and that it directly affects their ability to learn to their full capacity in schools. Anxiety it states is a result of trauma. It is a coping mechanism to help keep us safe by staying on guard with the people and in the places around us. If this anxiety is only situational and not ongoing and continuous it can be productive for humans but when it is a daily response to trauma, which is the case for so many of our students and their families, it can be damaging and counterproductive. Some suggested treatments are: therapy, support groups, medication and life style change. A combination of supports and some trial and error as well as personal support from family along the way can lead to less anxiety in our students.

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ML:
On the CDC’s website, I was able to find a map of each state that shows data on the behavioral health service providers in each county. The data table shows how many pediatricians, psychiatrists, family medicine physicians, licensed social workers, and psychologists work in each county per 10,000 children aged 0-17 years old. This data is from 2015, but is still interesting to consider. My school is in Weld county, which was shown to have 2.4 pediatricians, .9 psychiatrists, 13.8 family medicine physicians, 6.7 licensed social workers, and 5.1 psychologists per 10,000 children. In Boulder county, the data shows it has 10.7 pediatricians, 9.8 psychiatrists, 30.1 family medicine physicians, 42.3 licensed social workers, and 36.0 psychologists. Even though these two counties are right next to each other, their availability to resources is drastically different. There are some counties on the data table who have 0.0 providers listed across the board. I cannot imagine how this lack of behavioral and mental health resources has drastically impacted the families and children who live in those areas. As for my county, sometimes it can be a challenge to find the particular service provider a family needs within Weld county. Some families are limited to how far they can travel for providers, which means that if they cannot travel to the provider, then the child either does not receive services or does Telehealth if their insurance covers it and the facility provides it.

Also related to families, I found an amazing brochure created by the National Institute of Mental Health on trauma. It is called Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Disasters and Other Traumatic Events: What Parents, Rescue Workers, and the Community Can Do. The brochure is full of information on what trauma is, common trauma responses in each age level of youth, what to do if someone is in an immediate crisis, help in the first days and weeks, what parents can do to help youth, what rescue workers can do to help, and what community members can do after a traumatic event. At the bottom of the brochure, there are trauma resources to look into and websites for more information. I am definitely going to be keeping this brochure in my trauma folder to reference and provide to others in the future! Here is the link: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-disasters-and-other-traumatic-events/19-mh-8066-helpingchildrencopewithdisaster_158447.pdf

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Jessie Connors
The research that stood out to me the most was how significant the unmet need for mental health services is. According to Mental Health America 60% of youth with major depression did not receive mental health treatment. I knew that mental health services are challenging to obtain based on stories I have heard from families but these statistics were surprising. When I looked further at how different states compared to each other I discovered that Colorado ranks 34 when considering the prevalence of mental illness among youth and the access to care.

I also discovered some statistics about the prevalence of other mental illnesses.The National Institute of Mental Health reported that estimated 31.9% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder, 5% have PTSD and 2.9% have bipolar disorder. Overall it was reported that an estimated 49.5% of adolescents had any mental health disorder at some point between ages 13-18 with 22.2% having a severe impairment. As I read these statistics I was picturing walking down the halls of any middle or high school and how many students these statistics represent. Since it appears that mental health issues are increasing while access to care remains inadequate school should be a place where students are supported. Schools cannot be a substitute for professional mental health care but they can provide supportive environments with increased understanding of the issues students may be dealing with.

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Olivia DeJana
Mental health trends among youth are concerning. Between 2009 and 2019, there has been a 40% increase in high schoolers experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. There has also been a 44% increase in youth reporting that they’ve made a suicide plan. Since COVID began, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking anxiety and depression screenings (93% and 62%, respectively). Youth 11-17 years old have been more likely than any other age group to score for moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression.

These statistics support what I have been seeing in the classroom. This year I had more students than ever with self-reported or family-reported anxiety.  The statistics are staggering and a good reason why all teachers and staff should be trained on warning signs and given some strategies to support students who are experiencing anxiety and depression.

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GB
Summary:
It seems that mental health and well-being has been an issue for decades. Issues such as
mental illness, eating disorders, anxiety and bullying are declining at a very small rate, largely in
part by the improved access to treatment more so than the lesser amounts of incidents.

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Christy Clark Weese 7/2/21
Mental Health impacts our youth and that impact is raising. According to CDC over ten percent of youth from 12- 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety. I teach middle school and in health we discuss mental health and I have found the majority of students are willing and want to to engage in  conversations about mental health specifically mental illnesses.  Students themselves have or often know or love someone who has been diagnosed with a mental disorder. In the year 2003 5.4% of children between six to seventeen were diagnosed with anxiety or depression that has steadily increased to 8.4% in the year 2011-2012. What I find alarming is the question of "what have we done?" knowing that the rates of anxiety ad depression are rising? It is noted that "Studies have shown the value of developing comprehensive school mental health programs in helping students achieve academically and have access to experiences that build social skills, leadership, self-awareness, and caring connections to adults in their school and community." youth.org.

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Aeshia Grine
I read Mental Health America and though it seemed that mental health of youth was rising especially following the pandemic, seeing it in statistic form was very eye opening. I learned that there is a .5% increase in depression in youth. Prior to COVID we already were seeing an increase. It talked about how young people are struggling most with their mental health. I also liked that they showed diversity in their studies. Breaking down students in the LGBTQ+ community as well as minority groups being represented in their research statistics. The findings most recently were young people screened at risk for mental health conditions showed they were struggling most with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

In reading this, it just shows that we need to do better at noticing our students needs and helping them be met. We need to make sure we have great resources accessible for our students while at school. Most importantly we as educators need to be great at building those welcoming classrooms that make our students feel safe and included!

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Devin Walker 7/1/21
Since I began  co-sponsoring our school’s GSA with a colleague last year, I was interested to learn more specifically about mental health in LGBTQ+ youth. On the National Alliance on Metal Illness page, I learned that LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to seriously consider suicide, and five times more likely to attempt suicide than non-LGBTQ+ youth. These eye-opening statistics showed me just how important it is that this population have resources and support, and also how important it is that we work with students outside of this demographic to be inclusive and supportive. I loved the way the article worded this point: ”we have a responsibility to change our culture from one of baseline tolerance to one of enthusiastic support for all identities.”

Additionally, on the Mental Health America site, I learned that 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14, and that anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in America. Additionally, young people in the 11-17 year old age range are struggling the most with mental health, especially since the pandemic. Rates of suicidal ideation is highest in this group as well, especially in LGBTQ+ youth. In September 2020, over half of 11-17-year-olds reported having thoughts of suicide or self-harm more than half or nearly every day of the previous two weeks.  This really hit home just how important our work as educators is when it comes to supporting  social-emotional wellness and being on the frontlines of helping students access resources when they are in crisis. These statistics combined with anecdotal incidents  at my school make me feel that we are truly in a more reactive/triage mode right now as a collective society, and I so hope we can get to a more proactive place were we can offer tools, support, and skills to individuals  before mental health declines at such alarming rates.

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MB-
The research I found was shocking to me.  I always knew that mental health was an area that are impacting more and more individuals over the years.  I was shocked to see that on the National Alliance on Mental Health, that 1 in 5 individuals have mental health needs.  Thinking of our classrooms that is about 5-6 students who have mental health needs that need support.  The issue with mental health needs are that many students hide feelings and needs.  Therefore, it is important to create trusting and safe relationships with our students to open up and express themselves.

While digging deeper in my research I stumbled upon more statistics from Mental Health America. Mental health and depression in children are increasing from 9.2% to 9.7% in a year and 60% of individuals have not received mental health treatments. This has shown me that we need to increase our mental health supports within in our schools and communities. The sad thing through is many insurances do no cover mental health needs/therapy. Something needs to change and we need to provide resources, therapy and supports to those with mental health needs. We need to have insurance companies see the importance of mental health and provide support/covering treatment.

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Allison Wolf
While researching this topic, and reviewing the different websites, I was surprised by some of the high numbers or depression among our youth, and the number that does not receive support.  According to Mental Health in America, 6 out of 10 students with major depression do not receive treatment.  This means that students who are most at risk for suicidal thoughts, difficulty in school, and difficulty with relationships are not getting the help they need.  According to a study from NAMI, 6.2% of 12-19 years of age are being treated with psychotropic medication for a psychiatric disorder. The most prevalent disorders being treated are ADHD and depression. Mental Health in America included information that many private insurances do not cover mental health services for youth. I think that is a major problem because most families are not going to be able to access mental health services if their insurance won't cover it.

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Marissa Martinez 6/30/21

Looking through these different websites I was surprised by some of the findings. I was shocked looking at the CDCs stats on mental health of high school students. They reported that the number of students who felt sadness or hopelessness has increased over the 10 year span between 2009-2019. According to their findings about 1 in 5 contemplated suicide and the number of students who actually created a plan to do so and those who attempted also increased. Female students were almost twice as likely to have feelings of sadness and hopelessness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 17 % of youth from ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder. I just had no idea all these numbers were so high. It really makes me worry about our youth. Something I thought was kind of helpful on the National Alliance on Mental Illness website was the poster print outs that might be useful for some. Here is the link to those https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-by-the-Numbers/Infographics-Fact-Sheets

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Carol Woods: 6/29/21
This research stood out the most to me.  First I saw the Anti-Racism Statement and I read that.  It was good to see that the site values people of different races and that they want all people to come to their site without judgement.

It was staggering to me that 9.7 % of our nation's youth are depressed and that 60% of youth with major depression are not receiving the treatment they need. That is 1 in 3 your not treated.  It is no wonder we have teen suicide.  I also was appalled that adults cannot get treatment because 10.8 % are uninsured, which is 5.1 million adults cannot get the treatment they need.
I also was so sad that the number of those with anxiety and depression is also on the rise.

This tells me our nation needs to wake up and that we need to have better mental health care!