Sen. John Velis Highlights Concerning Data Regarding Youth Mental Health
WESTFIELD — Ahead of students returning to the classroom this fall, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released new findings showing worsening mental health among high-school-aged youth over the last 10 years. State Sen. John Velis shared his concerns surrounding this alarming data and called for continued behavioral-health support in schools as he is set to resume his Youth Mental Health Listening Sessions this fall.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (www.cdc.gov/yrbs/index.html) provides a detailed analysis on a variety of health behaviors and experiences of high-school-aged students across the nation over the last 10 years. Nearly all indicators of poor mental health have worsened from 2013 to 2023 among students. In 2023, 40% of high-school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. The report also underscores continued health disparities among female and LBTGQ+ students who report higher rates of poor mental health, suicidal thoughts, and behaviors than their peers.
“The CDC report really quantified what I have been hearing from local youth, parents, and educators for quite some time: our kids, particularly our teens, are really struggling,” said Velis, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. “As our kids begin the new school year, we cannot forget how our schools are truly a force multiplier in terms of supporting and promoting our kids’ mental health.”
In 2023, Velis was instrumental in creating a behavioral-health school pilot program to enable school counselors and administrators in accessing a specialist hotline for discussing behavioral-health issues among students. It was recently announced that the Agawam Public Schools was selected as one of two school districts in Massachusetts where the pilot program would be launched. The creation of the pilot program was generated from feedback Velis received on his listening-session tour with local schools over the past few years.