In a 2021 study conducted by the University of Michigan in partnership with the Detroit Public School Community District, student respondents in grades K through 12 indicated that they were experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression with 23 percent indicating that they seriously considered attempting suicide even before the pandemic.
A recent report reveals that students attending schools in Detroit are facing mental-health-related challenges as the pandemic continues on, and the issue is compounded by less than optimal living conditions for students living in less than optimal conditions at home.
Data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on youth mental health suggests that students are sounding a desperate plea for help. The CDC study cites alarming statistics, including that nearly 40 percent of high school students reported poor mental health during the pandemic, along with 44 percent noting “persistent sadness and hopelessness” in the last year.
The number of black students who reported attempting suicide during the pandemic rose by almost 50 percent.
Factors that contributed to the findings listed in the CDC study indicated that many of the severe challenges youth encountered during the pandemic stemmed from family life and their home environments.
- More than half (55 percent) reported they experienced emotional abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including swearing at, insulting, or putting down the student.
- 11 percent experienced physical abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including hitting, beating, kicking, or physically hurting the student.
- More than a quarter (29%) reported a parent or other adult in their home lost a job.
The issue is being handled locally in therapy offices and school districts, per the article, and why even more schools are choosing to enroll in the Trails Program, described as an evidence-based mental health service.
“These data echo a cry for help,” said CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental wellbeing. Our research shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and help our youth now and in the future.”
Additionally, during the 2021 school year, roughly half of kindergarten through fifth-grade students indicated that they were battling emotional struggles these mental health struggles and at least 40 of those interviewed lost a loved one to Covid or Covid-related illnesses.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Those are little people. Those are 5-year-olds basically to about 10 years old. Half of them expressed that they felt sad, mad, worried, and anxious,” DPSCD Deputy Superintendent Alycia Merriweather said in the article.[/perfectpullquote]
“[In] every single school there are people who dedicate their lives to take care of our kids.”
“The additional services that we have, we have across all schools. But if the parent doesn’t sign the consent, we can not offer the services. It is illegal,” Merriweather said.
Statistics are even more troubling for LGBTQ+ students who indicated far more severe consequences as a result of being disconnected to support offered by peers, educators, and school counselors. Almost half of lesbian, gay, or bisexual students and nearly one-third of students not sure of their sexual identity reported they had seriously considered suicide — far more than their heterosexual counterparts.
In an effort to address the growing issue of pre- and post-pandemic mental health issues the Detroit Public Schools Community District is investing a significant amount of its COVID relief funds – $34 million of its $1.3 billion – to address the mental health needs of students, staff, and families through its Family and Community Engagement office. Much of the money earmarked for mental well-being will fund one-on-one counseling programs and group therapy support.
“As a community we have all been through something,” said Sharlonda Buckman, the assistant superintendent who oversees family and community engagement. “We’re still going through stuff and still navigating and still we rise, as Maya Angelou would say.”
A proposal for the 2023 budget entails loan assistance to bring in behavioral health professionals and a day-long treatment program for children in the child welfare system who are facing issues in school and home settings, according to the article.
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