NC faces ‘behavioral health tsunami.’ More teens are seriously considering suicide.
More than one in five North Carolina high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide, according to the latest biennial survey of student behavior.
Results from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey presented Wednesday to the State Board of Education showed increases in students reporting suicidal behaviors and feeling depressed. The survey results highlight concerns that mental health issues among young people are reaching crisis levels in North Carolina and nationally.
In December, the state Department of Health and Human Services and UNC Health announced plans to expand facilities for children because of a “behavioral health tsunami,” The News & Observer previously reported. Demand for urgent and significant psychiatric treatment has dramatically outpaced the number of inpatient beds the state has to offer, state officials said.
Eric Davis, chairman of the state board, said the survey results show the need for more school psychologists and school social workers that the board will request in this year’s state budget.
“We’re just barely at the tip of the iceberg of what the need is, which is why it’s so important to get these requests in and get them filled and get professionals hired and working with our teachers,” Davis said.
On Wednesday, the state Department of Public Instruction announced that it was recently awarded $17 million in federal grants to help meet the mental health needs of students in 15 districts.
Suicidal behavior rising
Every two years during odd-numbered years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partners with states to conduct the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Participating states select random groups of students to answer the anonymous survey that covers areas such as suicide, bullying, tobacco use and drug use.
The latest survey was given in fall 2021 after many high school students returned from receiving only limited amounts of in-person instruction during the previous school year due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
“It’s an opportunity to learn about what’s really happening,” said Ellen Essick, section chief of DPI’s NC Healthy Schools/Specialized Instructional Support Division.
Some of the most alarming North Carolina results came from questions about suicidal behavior.
▪ The percentage of high school students who seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months rose from 19% in 2019 to 22% in 2021. It was at 16% in 2015 and 2017.
▪ The percentage of female high school students who seriously considered suicide rose from 23% in 2019 to 30% in 2021. It’s doubled from 15% in 2011.
▪ The percentage of high school students who made a plan for a suicide attempt during the past 12 months rose from 15% in 2019 to 18% in 2021. It was at 14% in 2015 and 2017.
The survey also found LGBTQ students reporting higher rates of suicidal behavior compared to other groups.
▪ Among LGBTQ students, 48% said they seriously considered suicide in the past year, 36% said they made a plan for a suicide attempt and 21% attempted suicide.
▪ The percentage of high school students who did something to hurt themselves without wanting to die was 22%. But the rate was higher among some groups, such as 49% for LGBTQ students and 31% for female students.
More feel lonely and sad
There were other signs of mental health concerns in the survey.
▪ The percentage of high school students who feel good about themselves dropped from 60% in 2019 to 49% in 2021. It was at 80% in 2011.
▪ The percentage of high school students who agree or strongly agree that they feel alone in their life rose from 31% in 2019 to 33% in 2021. It was at 19% in 2011.
▪ The percentage of high school students who met the definition of depression that they felt so sad or helpless that they stopped doing their normal activities rose from 36% in 2019 to 43% in 2021. It was 28% in 2011.
▪ The percentage of middle school students who felt sad or helpless rose from 30% in 2019 to 35% in 2021. It was 24% in 2011.
▪ The percentage of high school students who strongly agree or agree that their teachers really care about them and give them a lot of encouragement fell from 51% in 2019 to 42% in 2021. It was 60% in 2011.
“It’s been a hard year for teachers too,” Essick said. “A lot of people in schools doing a lot, and COVID didn’t just affect students. It affected their classroom teachers as well.”
School safety fears
Concerns about safety and violence rose in the survey.
▪ The percentage of high school students who didn’t go to school because they felt unsafe at school or on the way to school rose from 14% in 2019 to 17% in 2021. It’s more than doubled from 7% in 2011.
Essick said the 2021 answers may have been affected by COVID concerns. But she added that “it’s concerning that so many of our students feel unsafe.”
▪ The percentage of high school students who experienced physical dating violence rose from 7% in 2019 to 13% in 2021.
▪ The percentage of middle school students who were ever electronically bullied rose from 22% in 2019 to 28% in 2021. Essick said that may be because more middle school students had electronic devices for the first time.
On the flip side, high school students reported less bullying.
▪ The percentage of high school students who have seen other students being bullied at school dropped from 47% in 2019 to 42% in 2021.
▪ The percentage of high school students who said they were bullied on school property dropped from 19% in 2019 to 14% in 2021.
Negative mental health impact
The North Carolina results mirror similar concerns being seen nationally.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 25-34, according to the CDC. It also consistently ranks in the top 10 causes of death for all adult Americans.
Nearly half of parents who responded to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN mental health survey said the pandemic had had a negative impact on their child’s mental health, Kaiser Health News reported.
The issue of bullying and suicide attempts took center stage in September with the death of an eighth-grade student at Wendell Middle School from a suicide on campus. Jessica Pendergass, the 13-year-old student’s mother, said her son was the victim of bullying and tried to harm himself at school the week before his death.
“Unfortunately it just got to the point where bullying overtook him,” Pendergrass said in an interview with ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
The Wake County school system has urged parents to let their school know if their children are suffering from a mental health crisis so they can provide services to the students.
Less vaping, drug use
Essick said there was some positive news in the survey, including:
▪ The percentage of high school students who use e-cigarettes dropped from 36% in 2019 to 24% in 2021.
▪ The percentage of high school students who currently smoke cigarettes dropped from 8% in 2019 to 4% in 2021.
▪ The percentage of high school students who currently drink alcohol dropped from 24% in 2019 to 19% in 2021.
▪ The percentage of high school students who currently use marijuana dropped from 22% in 2019 to 16% in 2021.
If you or someone you are concerned about is at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by texting or dialing 988. Or call 1-800-273-TALK. The National Alliance of Mental Illness North Carolina also offers virtual support groups and programming across the state.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 3:04 PM with the headline "NC faces ‘behavioral health tsunami.’ More teens are seriously considering suicide.."
