The National Alliance on Mental Illness published a policy brief documenting state legislation addressing the ongoing youth mental health crisis, which continues to show high rates of suicidal ideation and depression.
Youth Mental Health Crisis
The United States is experiencing a well-documented and ongoing youth mental health crisis. In 2023, more than 1 in 5 high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, and 1 in 10 attempted suicide—with even higher rates among at-risk communities like LGBTQ+ youth. Currently, one-third of adolescents experience poor mental health. According to NAMI, when mental health conditions are treated early, it can save lives and vastly improve outcomes for individuals.
Policy Focus Areas
The NAMI issue brief “Trends in State Policy: Youth Mental Health” highlights state legislation passed in 2023 that improves youth mental health care and support across five key categories: access to care, mental health workforce in schools, mental health and suicide prevention training, school policies, and system coordination and planning. The brief features state legislation as examples for implementation across the country.
Key Principle
NAMI emphasizes that all youth should be able to access high-quality mental health care in a timely and affordable manner. The organization believes that “every youth and young adult deserves access to mental health care that meets their needs, at the earliest time possible,” and encourages state policymakers to learn from one another and implement policy recommendations to improve youth mental health in their states.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.nami.org/research/publications-reports/public-policy-reports/2023-state-legislation-issue-brief-series-trends-in-state-policy-youth-mental-health/