The mental health of young people across the country has worsened since the pandemic, and Ohio is no exception.
One-third of Ohio students reported anxiety problemsand more than 100,000 high school-aged teens reported suffering from depression, according to a 2022 survey.
But there is a bright spot. Ohio has more school-based mental health resources than it did seven years ago. The number of partnerships between community mental health centers and schools is more than doubled since 2017, according to the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers. In the last year alone, there has been about a 20% increase in schools offering these services in the state.
This is a step in the right direction, said Teresa Lampl, the council’s executive director.
“Kids spend a lot of time at school,” Lampl said, “so it’s a great place to meet kids where they are and provide services, connect with their parents and meet their needs.”
An expansion of care options
Community mental health centers typically provide mental health and substance abuse services to people regardless of their ability to pay. More than 3,000 Ohio schools enlisted their help last school year to provide counseling, screenings and crisis intervention in the classroom. Lampl said they also developed programs to teach students coping skills.
“They help create the culture and work with the school to make sure students are acquiring those social-emotional learning skills so they can succeed academically,” she said.
The strengthened partnership is largely due to increased awareness of declining children’s mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a nationwide focus on improving mental health services for students, said Cricket Meehan, director of the Ohio School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention & Early Intervention.
“Mental health issues in schools are a big focus today,” Meehan said. “Because this focus is so big now, we’re seeing a lot more collaborative partnerships, and that’s what needs to happen.”
State investments in school care
Ohio has seen an increase in investment in student mental health since 2020. Last year, the state legislature created the Student Wellness Fund to help schools provide wraparound services. And, Meehan said, the state has also used COVID relief funds to Research the best ways to provide mental health care in schools.
She said they had had great success in recruiting additional staff in schools to act as a link between classrooms and community mental health services.
“Our educational world and our mental health and behavioral health world don’t always speak the same language,” Meehan said.
And the state has pushed for more local care options. last two yearsGovernor Mike Dewine has announced tens of millions of dollars in funding to enable the establishment or expansion of school health centers that will provide schools with a variety of medical professionals.
Challenges for the workforce
Despite increased attention to youth mental health, many young people in Ohio still struggle to access health care, Lampl said. There aren’t enough mental health professionals to meet the need, she said.
Her organization’s report found that the number of full-time unfilled positions at mental health centers increased by 11% between last school year and the year before, which could affect the centers’ ability to fill gaps in Ohio schools.
“There are long waiting lists for access to psychiatric care. And unfortunately, by the time people receive treatment, their symptoms have probably already worsened significantly,” said Lampl.
She hopes that having more psychologists and psychotherapists working with schools will increase the visibility of schools and encourage young people to get involved in this field.
“This work is life-changing and life-saving,” she said.
