We Have Problems 2

Mental health is an issue among adolescents that has been growing since the 2020 Pandemic.  From the CDC’s youth risk behavior surveillance data summary and trends report, it was found that four in ten high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless. Additionally, about one third of students experienced poor mental health. One in five considered attempts of suicide and one in ten attempted suicide. 

Mental Health America reports that 4,086,000 (16.39%) of teens have struggled with a major depressive episode, and 2,782,000 (11.5%)  have suffered with a severe major depressive episode. These are just those admitted to it and were surveyed, there are plenty more silently suffering. Only 28% of youth receive some consistent treatment, with 57.3% going completely untreated. 

This issue isn’t just expressed nationally, it even affects us in our own backyard. Mental Health America also reports that in 2023 Tennessee ranked 41 on the youth ranking, meaning that youth have higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. 

The Nation Alliance of Mental Illness reports that 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14. One of most chilling statistics is that Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents, as repored by the CDC in 2022. We Have Problems 2 seeks to address this issue and provide adolescents with access to resources that could prevent more from struggling.