Data confirms the anecdotes: Tennessee students' mental health is vital to their success
How can we expect students to succeed in school when they feel helpless or hopeless?
How are students supposed to thrive in college and find a fulfilling career when they are dealing with severe anxiety or thoughts of self-harm or suicide?
The Sycamore Institute’s 2023 report, Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Tennessee, found that in 2021 40% of Tennessee high school students had symptoms of depression in the previous year. The survey defined depression as students feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row the year prior. Most said they were so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing some usual activities.
Tennessee ranks among Top 5 in anxiety or depression
These issues are bigger than academic outcomes. Lingering symptoms of depression are also risk factors for suicide. The report found that in 2021, nearly one in four Tennessee high schoolers seriously considered attempting suicide, more than one in 10 tried, and 39 adolescents in Tennessee between the ages of 12 and 17 died from suicide.
Despite real progress in raising awareness and expanding treatment options, Belmont University’s Data Collaborative found in 2023 that Tennessee ranks third in the nation in reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.
It’s clear this is a problem that impacts our entire state, and we all must work together to better support student well-being.
That’s why the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and NashvilleHealth are partnering to convene a diverse set of community, state, and national partners on April 3 in Nashville for a mental health symposium Connecting The Dots: Mental Health And Student Success In Tennessee.
We aim to bring attention to the research and data surrounding youth mental health, elevate innovative programs and initiatives, and encourage discussion on additional ways to promote student well-being.
Understanding the challenges and opportunities
Much progress has been made in acknowledging and elevating the need for student mental health resources. The roots of this crisis existed before COVID-19, but the pandemic exacerbated and highlighted the scope of the challenges in providing support and mental health care to Tennessee students.
Both the state and federal governments have shown a deep commitment to addressing this student health crisis. In 2015, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) placed an unprecedented priority on wraparound supports for young people struggling with barriers to learning, including programs that directly address student mental health, violence prevention, and trauma. Additionally, Tennessee created the K-12 Mental Health Trust Fund in 2021, which provided $250 million to support mental health services in schools.
In Nashville, the 2023 Covenant School tragedy opened a deep wound in our community and underscored a heightened need to focus on student mental health and well-being, which quickly led to even greater state investments in mental health services for students.
More: Nashville Covenant School shooting: Song, prayer, honks as human chain spreads 'hope'
However, despite this emphasis and expanding network of support and resources, the availability and implementation of resources can be inconsistent depending on where you live.
As with many physical health challenges, social determinants play a major role in mental health outcomes. Belmont University’s Data Collaborative highlighted these variables in its 2023 Project Well report, outlining how zip code, education level, and disability status can impact symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder.
Spotlighting innovative programs and practices
With nearly one in four Tennessee youth dealing with at least one of the 10 most common mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems, we recognize this crisis is too big for just one group or policymaker to solve. It cannot solely rest on the shoulders of schools, parents, or health-care providers.
It demands collective recognition and action from all of us to address this pressing issue.
Our goal for the upcoming mental health symposium is to provide a platform to discuss and share innovative programs, best practices, and student-lived experiences. We also hope to identify gaps in research and services that we can all work together to fill. And, perhaps most importantly, we aim to elevate the importance of prioritizing student mental health in conversations about educational success, workforce development and preparation, and the overall well-being of Tennesseans.
Please join us as we work together to elevate student mental health and well-being to ensure all Tennessee students can succeed inside the classroom and beyond. To learn more about the mental health symposium on April 3, visit tnscore.org/mentalhealthsymposium.
David Mansouri is president and CEO of SCORE and Mark Yancy is CEO of NashvilleHealth.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee students thrive when their mental health is a priority
