LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — As Michigan’s youth mental health crisis grows, data from the 2022 Kids Count report paints a stark picture: Nearly 14% of children aged 3 to 17 were grappling with anxiety or depression in 2020, a jump from 11.9% in 2016. With school waitlists for mental health services growing longer and a national shortage of counselors, psychiatrists, and social workers, the situation has reached a tipping point (MLive). 

One major factor contributing to the mental health struggles among Michigan’s youth is the pervasive use of social media, according to Adam Bayne, superintendent of Muskegon County’s Holton Public Schools. Constant online engagement exposes children and teens to cyberbullying and harassment, severely impacting their mental health. Christy Buck, executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, described social media as the “Big Beast” for its negative impact on children’s mental health during brain development stages.

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She explained to MLive: “Kids see a social media post and go right to, ‘Everybody hates me, I’m a loser, there’s nothing worth to live for [sic], I’m embarrassed.’ So suddenly, this brain that’s already not developed fully, that part of the brain that’s part of decision-making—kids make rash, spontaneous decisions, rather than stopping and thinking about what the ramifications of this could be.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these issues, with lockdowns and school closures leading to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation among students, experts say. Kristie Clark, an elementary school counselor at Bullock Creek School District in Midland County, said that even younger children are spending more time on screens and less time playing outside, heightening anxiety and stress. 

“We’re looking at rates of suicide affecting 10-year-olds,” Buck said, according to MLive.

With many families unable to afford private therapy, schools have become a primary support system for addressing students’ mental health needs. To this end, Michigan schools have intensified their efforts by screening students for mental health issues and partnering with community organizations to offer in-school services. These initiatives, however, have encountered challenges due to state funding cuts and staffing shortages.

The Michigan Legislature recently cut funding for school mental health and safety programs by 92%, reducing the budget from $328 million to $26.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

According to Jackson Northwest Community Schools Superintendent, Geoff Bontrager, this reduction is “a huge, huge blow” expected to strain already limited resources. 

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“Many school leaders are in a wait-and-see approach, because the specialty staff they’ve hired in both student mental health and school safety and security are unique experts in these areas, and they don’t want to lay these people off,” Dan Behm, executive director of Education Advocates of West Michigan, told MLive. “They’ve certainly helped to meet unmet needs in the mental health area and school safety and security.”

Ultimately, experts agree that solutions must address the root causes of mental health issues, such as bullying, the impact of technology, and the lack of social interaction, physical activity, and nutritious food in schools. In other words, strategies that involve all stakeholders—students, parents, educators—are the most effective forms of intervention. 

“If this is affecting them going to school, accomplishing their tasks every day, carrying out homework, how their relationships are, for two weeks or longer, then I need to invite myself into a conversation,” Christy Buck, executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, said. She recommended that parents engage in conversations with their children and seek medical advice if necessary, without immediately jumping to psychiatric solutions (MLive). 

Buck also advises parents to restrict their teens’ screen time, particularly at night. 

Public reaction to the state’s handling of the youth mental health crisis has been mixed, with several criticisms directed at Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration. One X user commented, “But @GovWhitmer said the state is thriving in every way…” Another user expressed frustration with the educational system’s ability to handle mental health issues: “They can’t even meet their need to learn to read and to learn math; how does anybody expect them to meet their mental health needs? It’s a vastly more complex problem” and suggested, “Also put up cell phone jammers in schools. Landlines only.”

Some opinions pointed to parental responsibilities, with a tweet saying, “Not if 90% of the problems are driven by bad parenting.” Others criticized Governor Whitmer’s pandemic policies, claiming they exacerbated the mental health crisis. One comment read, “Whitmer did zero to help and she created the issue through mismanagement of COVID actions across @PureMichigan. She killed 1000s in elderly care facilities, allowed booze/lottery sales, banned garden supply purchases, all created crazy restaurant rules.”

The stalled progress of recent legislative proposals H.B. 4389 and S.B. 29, which relates to mental health days for students, has remained in the Michigan legislature since early 2023, speaking to the difficulty of addressing the mental health issues among the youngest and most vulnerable members of society.