Wednesday, January 22, 2025
The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health recently released their 2024 Annual Report, highlighting the agency's goals and initiatives. It also provides clear, statistical proof of a worsening youth Mental Health crisis in the state.
We must not become numb to the continued mental health struggles our children and families. The report highlights key data over a ten-year period taken from the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, including:
- A 29% increase in the number of students expressing they experience anxiety daily
- A 42% increase in the number of students experiencing depression
- A 41% increase in students reporting that they've considered suicide. This increase has been most apparent among female students-- one in every four Wisconsin girls say they've considered suicide.
While there are many reasons students may be experiencing negative mental health conditions, the report shows that students need more support in:
- Having enough food
- Getting enough sleep
- Staying off of screens late at night
- Staying involved with friends, activities, and their communities.
Studies show that when students are getting their basic needs met and feel like they belong in their school, they experience better mental health, and they learn more. Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jill Underly sounded the alarm on the youth mental health crisis in July of last year when announcing the concerning results gathered from the 2024 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey.
In October of 2024, Dr. Underly and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released the agency's next biennial budget requests, including more than $304 million in new investments to support youth mental health. Speaking with journalists in Wausau after holding a Youth Mental Health Roundtable with students, Dr. Underly reaffirmed her commitment to improving youth mental health in Wisconsin. “We have the knowledge, tools, and resources to make a real difference in their lives. That is why my upcoming budget calls for increasing access to critical school mental health services and making sure school staff are appropriately trained and ready to address the very real challenges our kids face.”
The DPI has worked with the Office of Children's Mental Health since the office's inception, and the report highlights just some of the many collaborations between the agencies, including:
- Creation of Mental Health Units of Instruction for K4 through high school which were downloaded by 1,700 Wisconsin schools and educational leaders in 44 other states and 15 countries.
- A fact sheet on universal mental health screening in schools along with a Step-by-Step Screening guide playbook.
- Hold the Mental Wellness Student Leadership Summit which attracted nearly 400 high school students and staff advisors.
- A map over 300 peer-to-peer school-based mental wellness initiatives in Wisconsin.
For more information about how you can support positive mental health in schools, visit the Student Services, Prevention and Wellness pages on mental health. It takes everyone together doing their part to help our Wisconsin students thrive.