HEART OF STEELE

Last week, a local youth group hosted the screening of an impactful Ken Burns documentary about young people and mental health–and hardly anyone showed up.

To be fair, students in YOLO (Youth Oriented Leadership Organization) chose one of the most gorgeous late spring evenings we’ve had this year, and in this state, we have to savor every single one. Still, I wish more people had seen “Hiding in Plain Sight,” because it brings to light an important concern that we often have a hard time talking about.

And there’s never been a greater need to speak openly about mental health, especially as it affects our children and teens.

Last spring, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released the results of a survey that showed more than a third of high school students “experienced poor mental health” during the pandemic. It’s not surprising, given how many had to find ways to cope with months of isolation and separation from friends and extended family, not to mention the supportive adults in their schools.

In many families, pandemic-related tensions and fears only exacerbated existing problems. Parents lost jobs, leading to increased financial pressures and a surge in emotional and physical abuse.

Even before COVID-19 turned our world upside down, the CDC sounded the alarm about young people and mental health. A 2019 study on 10-year trends in youth risk and behaviors showed a 40% increase in “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness”.

Among the 135,000 Minnesota students who completed the state’s biannual student survey in 2022, 29% reported mental health problems lasting six months or longer. That’s compared to 23% in 2019 and 18% in 2016.

At the time, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said the results “indicate the pandemic fueled and worsened ongoing trends of our teens reporting long-term mental health problems.”

We should talk about mental health in the same way we do physical health, without shame and with the goal of improving our own health and that of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors. 

YOLO is getting to the heart of youth mental health issues with the movie showings and, later this summer, a community panel discussion. They deserve not only praise for their work, but much more enthusiastic community support.