Vermont’s latest statewide survey of middle and high school students has intensified concerns about youth mental health.
Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, said mental health metrics plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. And she said the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released publicly on Friday, shows that kids have yet to rebound.
“A third of high school students said that their mental health was not good most of the time or always, and so that is obviously not good,” Dougherty said. “And it’s even worse for female students and LGBTQ+ students.”
The survey polled more than 15,000 high school students and found that nearly a quarter of them engaged in acts of self-harm over the past year. One in seven said they’d made a suicide plan.
The survey, which has been conducted every two years in Vermont since 2005, asked students for the first time about their social media habits. And 80% of high school students said they check social media accounts at least several times a day.
“And we know that there’s been work done to show that there can be a negative mental health impact from use of social media,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty said her department has launched a number of state-funded programs to address students’ mental health challenges. The Vermont Consultation and Psychiatry Access Program, for example, connects youth with mental health services.
She said the suicide prevention program puts a special focus on female and LGBTQ+ students. And she said other programs are training parents, teachers and students to engage in “youth mental health first aid.”
“So there are a lot of efforts going on in Vermont already,” Dougherty said. “I just think it’s going to take some time to address this problem.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, help is available
- National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call 988 or text 988
- Click here for an online chat with the the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- LGTBQ+ crisis line: call 1-866-488-7386 or text 678678
- Veterans Crisis Line & Military Crisis Line: call 988, press 1
- Crisis Text Line: text "VT" to 741741
- Gun locks, firearm storage and information on Extreme Risk Protection Orders: GunSafeVT.org
- Resources with the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center
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